The lawrence hall of science at the university of california, berkley will develop institutional capacity to use data-driven approaches to serve and engage with communities in the east BAY

The University of California, Berkeley will receive a $499,999 Project Grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (CFDA 45.301 - Museums for America) to develop institutional capacity for data-driven approaches to serve and engage with communities in the East Bay region. The project activities will include hiring advisors to assess and refine current data collection and co-design processes, and to create embedded evaluation processes to receive programmatic feedback. The University will also train staff in data collection, analysis, and collaborative design practices with communities to develop exhibits and programs. This staff development will enable the University to use data to identify high-impact initiatives that benefit target audiences, and to assess program success and improve visitor participation through iterative feedback and evaluation. The award period runs from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027.

Project activities will include hiring advisors to work with staff to assess and refine current data collection and CO-design processes, and to create embedded evaluation processes to receive programmatic feedback. The project will train staff in data collection and analysis as well as in collaborative design practices with communities to develop exhibits and programs. Through this staff development, the university will be able to use data to identify high-impact initiatives that will benefit target audiences. By developing iterative feedback through evaluation, the university will be better able to assess program success as well as improve visitor participation.