The Science In Vivo project is a multi-year exploration of the integration of in-person science engagement into the normal course of people’s lives. This project, now in its second phase, includes financial and professional development support for a total of 16 sites in the United States and Canada that will create science experiences reaching people where they already are. These sites will be selected via the application process described below.
The first phase of Science In Vivo established situated engagement as a practice. It also documented four categories of this practice for science outreach:
1. Science on Parade
2. Con_Science
3. Neighborhood Science
4. Pop Up Retail as Science Engagement
The second phase of Science In Vivo launched in 2021, and will be focused on real-world examples of situated engagement in two tracks: Experimental Sites, and Community Exchange Sites.
Experimental Sites will experiment with science engagement within public settings that we have not yet documented. They will be selected to help the second phase of Science In Vivo investigate three more categories of science outreach by developing two case studies for each new category. We may not know what those categories are until they emerge from letters of interest.
Community Exchange Sites will use situated engagement to create reciprocal exchanges between science-first and community-first organizations. Instead of experimenting with new categories of activity, these sites are intended to work within the four categories documented in phase I, along with a fifth:
5. Cultural Festivals
We are seeking letters of interest from organizations to participate in one of the following two tracks:
Science in Vivo’s experimental sites are tasked with planning and implementing science engagement that fully integrates into an existing public gathering. These sites will generate original public-facing activity using situated engagement.
These activities may take place at special occasions (such as a concert or sporting event), or in the routine of daily life (such as a busy market or park). The project is interested in a wide range of activity, with a common thread being that audiences will find themselves participating without having to significantly alter their existing plans for their day.
Sites will be selected based on their potential to be paired with others to make a new Science In Vivo category, so applicants should ensure they are familiar with the types of activities that have already been documented.
Six Experimental Sites will be selected for funding and professional development support through Science in Vivo.
The Community Exchange track offers an opportunity for Science Festival Alliance members to dig deeper into relationships with local community organizations. These sites will work with a community collaborator organization to create at least two events:
While each Community Exchange site may end up involving more than two collaborators, the same core collaborators should be involved in these two different events.
Ten Community Exchange Sites will be selected. Ideally, each of the five categories of situated engagement listed above will be represented by two sites, but the application process will prioritize the potential for reciprocal exchange between a science-first initiative and community groups.
We've been doing science outreach for a long time, so we're used to going where the people are. Bringing the educational experiences we've created out into the world is a great way to reach people. Setting up a good community outreach table at a crowded event will keep you busy interacting with people all day.
In fact, this keeps us so busy "doing science" that we rarely get the chance to pick our heads up. When we do have a pause in the action we stay close to our designated spaces. To leave our posts would seem irresponsible...
...but some of us wandered off anyway.
As it turns out, wandering off from our spaces forces us to put down the teaching tools we're used to using: our hands-on activities, our demos and diagrams, our usual bag of tricks. This means we are finally free to stop, look around, notice what everyone else is actually doing, and find ways to join in.
We call joining in like this "situated engagement." If community outreach is about going where the people are, then situated engagement is about taking the next step and doing what the people do.
Since 2017, Science In Vivo has supported teams across the U.S. as they find new ways to integrate science engagement into existing public gatherings. While these teams all have experience with community outreach, Science In Vivo asked them to go beyond business-as-usual and find ways to participate in culturally meaningful ways. If community outreach is about leaving home base to go where the people are, situated engagement is about taking the next step and doing what the people do.
Science In Vivo is a project of the Experimental Practice team at the MIT Museum, which also manages the Science Festival Alliance. Science In Vivo Phase II is supported by Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative dedicated to engaging everyone with the process of science.
By Mar 14, 2022: Interested teams should submit a letter of interest through the application portal
April 2022: teams will receive an invitation to advance workshops that will help guide the application writing and, for Community Exchange applicants, identifying a community collaborator
Aug 1, 2022: Full applications are due through the application portal
Aug 31, 2022: Awarded teams will be notified
Do I have to be a member of the Science Festival Alliance to apply?
To apply for the Community Exchange site, your team must be affiliated with either a member Festival or an organization that is a major collaborator with a member Festival to apply to Science in Vivo.
The Experimental Sites track is open to all applicants regardless of membership in the SFA.
Can my team apply if we weren’t involved in the Science in Vivo phase one?
Yes, these applications are open to all science engagement teams, regardless of past participation.
Why do we have to split the funds we receive with a community organization?
In order for your Community Exchange Site to be a success, you will need to ask a community partner to put in significant work.
What does observation and critique entail?
A section on our About page describes this process further. It is an involved process that will require your support, but Science In Vivo staff will do all of the logistical work that we can to make this painless and rewarding. We understand that event organizers are busy during events!
Do I need to have identified a community collaborator when I apply for the Community Exchange track?
Yes – however, Science in Vivo project staff are available to help you identify and reach out to community organizations in your area ahead of the application date. Please submit a letter of intent for more information, and plan on attending application workshops.
Selected organizations will not be paid until after work is complete. Applicants must be affiliated with a non-profit organization capable of administering financial awards, which will be arranged as work-for-hire. Completed applications will constitute an initial proposal. Payment of awards will be issued within 45 days upon receipt of an invoice satisfying the work described in the initial proposal (or as modified in agreement with Science Festival Alliance staff).
Science In Vivo funding must be used to directly support proposed work. Beyond this stipulation, there are no restrictions on what types of expenses are allowable, and a final expense report will not be required. Indirect or overhead costs should not apply to this work-for-hire arrangement.
The non-profit organization named in the application is responsible for carrying out any proposed work. The products of this work will be informed by participation in the Science In Vivo project, but will remain the property of the named non-profit organization. However, the Science In Vivo project may publicize case studies, photographs, video and audio recordings, and other documentation related to the proposed work.
Science in Vivo is a project of the Experimental Practice team at the MIT Museum, funded by Science Sandbox, an initiative of the Simons Foundation.
