Join us: Thursday October 7th , 2021 at 6:30 PM
In 2004, the HMSC Visitors Center, which receives about 150,000 visitors each year, became a laboratory for studying free-choice learning (FCL). In this presentation, Dr. Shawn Rowe who started the FCL Lab will discuss what we’ve learned from the 16 years of work here in Newport as well as how it has sparked a host of other research programs internationally. Dr. Rowe will also talk about how the things they’ve learned from working with visitors can help us be more effective communicators (and learners) about climate change and building resilient coastal communities worldwide.
Shawn Rowe, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Oregon Sea Grant, Oregon State University College of Education. For nearly two decades, Dr. Rowe has been carrying out research and teaching related to the intersections of everyday knowing and thinking with the interdisciplinary teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). With a background in applied linguistics and developmental psychology, his work has focused on family interactions in informal learning environments and how exhibits and activity support or undermine learning. In addition to this work with families, Dr. Rowe also works with learning in a wide-variety of everyday settings including citizen science activity, climate change decision making, professional development for teachers, dance and musical performance, and communicating science.