Dear Community Members,

My name is Matthew A. Cannady. I am the Director of the Center for STEM Pathways  at the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Along with my colleague, Sarah Olsen, I am leading a research study on the use of Augmented Reality (AR) in Museums for engaging families. I would like to invite you to participate in this study to learn more about your experiences with our newest exhibit, Bugtopia.

As part of this study, we will invite you and one child in your household (aged 7-12) to participate in an AR exhibit and brief interview at the Lawrence Hall of Science. You will be invited to visit the Lawrence (free of charge), then we will observe you and your child while you play in the AR space. Afterward, we will ask you to take a short survey, and we will interview you briefly. In two months, we may ask to interview you again, to learn if and how you thought and talked about the experience since your visit to the museum.

With your permission, we would like to video and audio record the interview and your participation in the exhibit for transcription purposes. The total time for the study should be about 40 minutes. There is no benefit to you personally for taking part in this study. We hope that the results of the research will help the museum community design better exhibits.

To read more about this study, please see the research consent form. On the day of the study, you will be asked to review and consent to the study and provide permission for your child to participate (see the parent permission form here). Your child will also be asked to assent to participate in the study (see the child assent form here).

To participate in the study, please sign up for a time that works best for you here.

If you would like more information about this study, please contact me at mcannady@berkeley.edu or Sarah Olsen at skolsen@berkeley.edu.

Sincerely,

Matthew A. Cannady

Director of the Center for STEM Pathways Director

The Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley