Informal science experiences—trips to zoos, museums, TV shows, computer games, and the like—can play an important part in improving students’ science learning, a recent study found. Now the House Science and Technology Committee, chaired by Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee, is delving into that topic, holding a hearing on Thursday, Feb. 26, on those out-of-school science connections.

The scheduled speakers include Joan Ferrini-Mundy of the National Science Foundation; Phillip Bell, who co-chaired a National Academies panel that studied the topic recently and produced a report that I wrote about last month (linked above); and Robert Lippincott, the senior vice president for education at PBS.
Time: 10 a.m. Place: 2318 Rayburn House Office Building. It appears that a webcast of the discussion will be available, but see the committee’s Web site on the hearing for more information.