for recouping accounting stock charges; OEC expects to 

 recover approximately $20,000 annually from this new 

 system. Working with Vera Hyatt, Program Director for 

 African/Caribbean Programs of the Office of International 

 Relations, OEC continued to engage in exchange with the 

 Cape Coast Castle Museum project in Cape Coast, Ghana. 

 OEC staff traveled to Ghana to share expertise in exhibit 

 production techniques, and Cape Coast staff interns spent 

 several months at OEC garnering experience in exhibit design 

 and production. OEC worked with Jon Weinberg from the 

 South African National Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa, 

 as part of the office's mandate of outreach in ttaining in 

 exhibit processes and techniques. The arrangement was 

 intended to lay the groundwork for a future Folklife Festival 

 program as well as for the development of a national support 

 organization akin to OEC/SITES that would service South 

 Africa's national museum network. 



Through the offices of Miguel Bretos, Counselor to the 

 Secrerary/Communiry Affairs and Special Projects, and Olivia 

 Cadaval of the Center for Folklife Program and Cultural Studies, 

 OEC advised the Washington, D.C., Latino American Youth 

 Center on design and development of an exhibition gallery and 

 inaugural exhibition. This was part of an ongoing partnership 

 with the Center; an earlier program featured OEC assisting 

 teen mothers to produce an exhibition about themselves. 



Staff continued to be active participants in museum-related 

 professional organizations and activities. Senior exhibits editor 

 Diana Cohen Altman served on the "Models of Collaboration" 

 panel that was part of the Institution's "Dialogue II: What About 

 Diffusion?" confetence in March. She also served as chair for a ses- 

 sion at the 1997 American Association of Museums' annual meet- 

 ing in Atlanta. Moderated by Marc Pachter, Counselor to the 

 Secretary for Electronic Communications and Special Projects, 

 the session was entitled "Making It Real Compared to What: 

 Physical Exhibits and On-Line Exhibits." 



with students and scholars at universities, museums, and 

 other research institutions around the world. The office 

 manages centralized fellowships and internships and admin- 

 isters all stipend appointments, which are a vital element of 

 the Smithsonian's educational tole. In addition, competitive 

 grant programs providing scholarly support for Smithsonian 

 professional staff are also admimscered by this office. 



Each year, more than 800 students and scholars from 

 universities, museums, and research organizations from the 

 United States and abroad come to the Smithsonian to use its 

 collections and facilities. These awards included stipends for 

 visiting scholars and students, internships and short-term 

 travel grants. Seventy seven awards were made through the 

 Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program. 



Participants ranged from distinguished scholars and scien- 

 tists to graduate and undetgraduate students. Postdoctoral fel- 

 low Stephen Insley, for example, came from the University of 

 California, Davis, to study competition, cooperation, and the 

 evolution of complex communication in northern fur seals at 

 the National Zoological Park. In the Smithsonian Museum 

 Shops, graduate student Cesar Bocachica from the University 

 of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, analyzed current marketing 

 programs during his James E. Webb Internship. Molly Senior, 

 an undergraduate intern from Bemidji State University, Min- 

 nesota, helped develop a book of photographs and poetry at 

 the National Museum of the American Indian under the 

 Native American Program. 



National Science Resources Center 



Douglas Lapp, Executive Director 



Miscellaneous Services 



Throughout the year, numerous Institution bureaus benefited 

 from OEC's flexibility and ability to provide quick turn- 

 around on various projects. These assignments were as diverse 

 as poster matting and framing for the Office of the Secretary 

 to design and production of fund-raising plaques for the 

 Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center to writing, designing, 

 and producing materials for the 1998 Unsung Heroes Awards 

 for the Smithsonian Community Committee. 



Office of Fellowships and Grants 



Roberta W. Rubinoff, Director 



The Office of Fellowships and Grants supports and enhances 

 research at the Institution, throughout the nation, and over- 

 seas by the facilitating Smithsonian's scholarly interactions 



The NSRC, opetated jointly by the Smithsonian Institution 

 and the National Academy of Sciences, collects and dissemi- 

 nates information about science teaching resources, develops 

 innovative science curriculum materials, and sponsors activities 

 to help teachers and school district administrators develop and 

 sustain effective hands-on science programs. The NSRC 

 advocates an inquiry-centered, hands-on approach to science 

 education. In inquiry-centered science, students learn to ask 

 questions, gather information, develop theories, plan and 

 carry out investigations, and communicate their ideas. Scien- 

 tists and engineers from academia and the business com- 

 munity, as well as educatots, play a strong role in the 

 development and implementation of NSRC programs. 



Knowledgeable, committed leaders are needed to improve 

 the quality of science education in our nation's school dis- 

 tricts. In response to this need, the NSRC hosted two K-8 

 Science Education Leadership Institutes in June and July 

 1997. At these leadership institutes, teams of teachers, school 

 administrators, and scientists worked with nationally recog- 

 nized experts to develop plans for implementing an mquiry- 



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