USING INFORMAL SCIENCE EXPERIENCES TO INCREASE PUBLIC GENOMIC LITERACY Carla Easter, PhD, Chief, Education and Community Involvement Branch Christina Daulton, Education Outreach Specialist, Education and Community Involvement Branch National Human Genome Research Institute National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland

Exhibit Overview 4,000 sq. foot display 18 interactives Over 3.8 million visitors to Genome 15% of visitors in summer 2013 came specifically to see Genome 38% of all NMNH visitors see Genome NMNH averages 8 million visitors per year

Exhibit and Programs

Website and Social Media

Exhibition Resources for Teachers & Students

EVALUATION Almost 60 percent of exhibition visitors surveyed upon exit rated their overall experience as either Excellent or Superior.

Engagement and Interaction  Highly interactive displays provided greatest opportunities for engagement Trait Tree (70% of visitors)  More likely to leave with increased interest in genetic ancestry and genetic risk for disease Genome Zone (44% of visitors) Unraveling the Code (43% of visitors) “There was a wall that you could answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ about your body physical traits. It’s really interesting. I think it’s a very good – the general knowledge for the public to learn. They can have a general idea of what the genome is, and also the DNA and also the physical traits and about biodiversity…”

How curious are you about genomics? Summer 2014 Entrance and Exit Survey **p-value<0.03

The field of genomics is relevant to my life. Summer 2014 Entrance and Exit Survey **p-value<0.01

The field of genomics is an important area for future research. Summer 2014 Entrance and Exit Survey **p-value<0.01

Summer 2014 Exit Survey After attending the exhibition I plan to…

Travel Schedule (confirmed October 2014) September 24, January 4, 2015 Reuben H. Fleet Science Center San Diego, CA January 22, 2015 – April 27, 2015 The Tech Museum of Innovation San Jose, CA May 15, 2015 – September 10, 2015 St. Louis Science Center St. Louis, MO October 2, 2015 – January 3, 2016 Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Portland, OR Winter 2016 Discovery World Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI September 30, 2016 – January 1, 2017 Exploration Place Wichita, KS January 28 – May 29, 2017 Peoria Riverfront Museum Peoria, IL September 30, 2017 – January 1, 2018 Science North Sudbury, ON

Thank You  Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History  The Smithsonian Associates  The Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose  Vence Bonham, National Human Genome Research Institute  Meg Rivers, National Museum of Natural History  Erica Schonman, National Human Genome Research Institute  Rosann Wise, National Human Genome Research Institute  Smithsonian’s Office of Policy and Analysis

Contact Information Dr. Carla Easter Christina Daulton