About the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE)
Design Squad - Natasha drilling
Founded in 2007 with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), CAISE serves as a focal point for communication and knowledge-building across the informal science education field.
Informal science education takes place through a range of media and in a wide variety of settings, among them science centers and museums, zoos and aquariums, botanical gardens and nature centers, youth and community-based programs, after-school programs, film and broadcast media, and digital media and gaming.
IMAX Filmmaker Stephen Low, Volcanoes of the Deep Sea
CAISE supports NSF's efforts to encourage innovation and collaboration in informal science education by studying outcomes of NSF-funded projects and reporting on relevant research, in particular the learning sciences. Through a mix of strategies, CAISE works to connect those working in the informal science education field, facilitate the flow of knowledge between academic researchers and practitioners, and distill knowledge from NSF's portfolio of funded projects and from educational research.
Using a starfinder in Astronomy from the Ground Up
CAISE is housed in Washington, D.C., at the Association of Science - Technology Centers (ASTC), an organization of 440 science centers and museums located in over 40 countries and dedicated to public understanding of science among increasingly diverse audiences. Founded in 1973, ASTC was a 2006 recipient of the National Science Board's Public Service Award.
the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) newsletter. CAISE is a center, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), devoted to advancing and improving the practice of informal science education (ISE) in its many and varied forms—among them, film and broadcast media, science centers and museums, zoos and aquariums, botanical gardens and nature centers, digital media and gaming, and youth, community, and after-school programs. Founded in 2007, CAISE studies issues and trends in informal science education, documents the impact and value of ISE, offers professional development opportunities for those working with and seeking NSF support, and provides a collective voice for the field.