When the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced the 10 recipients of this year’s National Medal for Museum and Library Service, two ASTC-member institutions—Boston Children’s Museum, Massachusetts and Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, California—were among those recognized.

The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community, and celebrates institutions that make a difference for individuals, families, and communities. Medal winners were selected from nationwide nominations of institutions that demonstrate innovative approaches to public service, exceeding the expected levels of community outreach.

Boston Children’s Museum is one of the oldest and largest children’s museums in the world, pioneering hands-on exhibitions and visitor-focused experiences that put children in charge of their own learning. It first opened its doors in 1913. Today, the museum is partnering across the community to address school achievement gaps that disproportionately affect Boston’s black and Hispanic children and strengthening science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming. Boston Children’s Museum also proudly participates in the Let’s Move! Museums & Gardens Initiative.

“We are thrilled to receive the National Medal, and especially pleased to do so in our Centennial year. As the only Boston museum defined by its audience–children and families–our spaces connect the stories of parents and teachers, grandparents and teens, policymakers and innovators. For 100 years, we have advocated for the enduring value of play, and its link to the mental, physical, and emotional health of children,” said Carole Charnow, president & CEO of the Boston Children’s Museum. “Our multi-faceted exhibits and programs introduce children and families to transformational experiences and new ideas in science and technology, health and wellness, arts and humanities, and global cultures. We are grateful to the IMLS for this distinguished award and look forward to building upon our legacy by continuing to promote the health and education of all children so that they will reach their full potential and contribute to our collective wellbeing.”

Discovery Science Center (DSC) has brought science education to vast audiences over the last 25 years through its Santa Ana facility and a soon to open Los Angeles museum. With a dynamic outreach program and state-of-the-art exhibits, the DSC team has led the way in creating innovative museum exhibitions and classroom programs. By blending hands-on science activities, immersive environments, game design, and role playing, DSC is modernizing how educational content is delivered to families and students. The award-winning Eco Challenge exhibit at DSC utilizes these unique, immersive experiences to encourage environmentally responsible behavior among their community. DSC also proudly participates in the Let’s Move! Museums & Gardens initiative.

Patronage of DSC programs has more than tripled over the last decade and in the last year alone, programs impacted over 739,000 visitors and students throughout the Southern California region. Their outreach program in schools is among the largest in the nation. Its education initiatives are in 650 schools and 27 school districts across Southern California and include 71,000 field trip students who visit the Taco Bell Discovery Science Center every year.

“The National Medal shows that a museum’s impact can go beyond the walls of a single location and bring education to hundreds of thousands of students in classrooms along with satellite locations,” said Joe Adams, president of Discovery Science Center. “This Award celebrates and recognizes the hard work and dedication of our team and community leaders towards delivering a mission that is not measured in dollars, but measured in the hearts, minds, and actions of eager learners. We see this award as a challenge to continue to teach through innovation extending past museum norms, finding partners that align to our mission, and connecting to young minds.”

In addition to Boston Children’s Museum and the Discovery Science Center, this year’s National Medal recipients were: Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale, Mississippi; Marshalltown Public Library, Iowa; National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Pierce County Library System, Tacoma, Washington; Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; Rancho Cucamonga Public Library, California; Waukegan Public Library, Illinois.

The National Medal will be presented during a celebration in Washington, D.C. on May 8. For more information on the Medal and this year’s winners, visit www.imls.gov/imls_announces_recipients_of_2013_national_medal_for_museum_and_library_service.aspx, and to see a video about the winners produced by HISTORY for IMLS, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHYjZ4sIpUo.

Best-selling author Neal Stephenson will participate in a dialogue called Science and the Imagination as a part of the keynote session on Monday, October 21, during ASTC’s 2013 Annual Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Stephenson is an author of historical and science fiction, a technology consultant, and a video game designer. He is perhaps best known for his novels Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, and Snow Crash, which presented compelling, socially and culturally rich visions of human futures while also prefiguring the development of major technologies such as social networking, nanorobotics, and 3D printers. He also penned The Baroque Cycle, a sprawling three-volume work (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World) about the history of ideas in 17th and 18th century Europe, and co-created The Mongoliad, a collaborative work of transmedia fiction produced in collaboration with filmmakers, martial artists, computer programmers, and video game designers. His most recent novel, REAMDE, transforms the now-quotidian realm of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) into a global minefield of criminality, religious extremism, and geopolitical intrigue.

Stephenson will be joined by Ed Finn, founding director of Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination. Finn is an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering and the Department of English. His research and teaching explore digital narratives, contemporary culture, and the intersection of the humanities, arts, and sciences. He is currently working on a book about the changing nature of reading in the digital era titled The Social Lives of Books. He completed his PhD in English and American literature at Stanford University in 2011. Before graduate school Ed worked as a journalist at Time, Slate, and Popular Science.

With three host institutions for the first time ever—Explora, the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, ASTC’s 2013 Annual Conference will have triple the value and excitement!

We’re making some changes—like Tuesday’s all-new public Science in the Park Festival (along with Open House Day at the host museums, Big Screen Day, and the Planetarium Demos)—and bringing more of what you love about ASTC’s annual conference, like Monday’s Super Session Day, featuring more concurrent educational sessions than ever before!

Here’s a can’t-miss special offer: Register by May 31 using the code SAVETD2013, and you’ll be eligible for one additional complimentary conference registration AND a free, three-night hotel stay during the conference! But you have to register by May 31 to have a chance!

Register at conference.astc.org and keep up to date with the latest news and information.

Don’t get left in the clouds…join us in Albuquerque!

The ASTC public engagement with science community of practice will be hosting regular webinars this summer. Please email profdev@astc.org with any questions.

Local Public Engagement with Science
May 7, 2PM EDT, 1PM CDT, 11AM PDT
This webinar will focus on using PES strategies to engage communities on issues of local importance. It will feature presentations from Kate Brandes, Science Program Director, The Nurture Nature Center; Jen Kretser, Director of Programs, The Wild Center; and David Sittenfeld, Program Manager (Forum), Museum of Science, Boston, followed by an audience Q&A.

Dan Kahan, Cultural Cognition Project, Yale University
June 4, 3 PM EDT, 2 CDT, 12 PDT

Research on cultural cognition suggests that members of the public process science-related information by assessing its coherence with values and commitments that connect them to important affinity groups. This suggests a two-channel science communication strategy that combines information content with cultural meanings selected to promote open-minded assessment of information across diverse groups. This webinar will provide an opportunity for ISE professionals to hear from and ask questions of Dan Kahan of the Cultural Cognition Project at Yale University.

Dietram Scheufele, University of Wisconsin—Madison
July 9, 3 PM EDT, 2 CDT, 12 PDT

This webinar will focus on scientists’ views on engaging with the public, how younger scientists in particular think about new ways of sharing findings and the ways in which engaging with the public measurably benefits their academic careers.

This is an extended version of an article that appeared in the May/June 2013 issue of Dimensions magazine.

Science center and museum professionals from around the world share their experiences using technology—including smartphones, barcodes, and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags—to personalize the visitor experience.

The National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) opened in New York City in December 2012. From the beginning, founder Glen Whitney had a strong vision of bringing math to the masses in a new way, but critical to that vision was the ability to tailor the experience for individuals in ways that would be meaningful to each person. And that meant customization—at many levels.

Static signage found in most museums was set aside, replaced with “smart” electronic kiosks. Using RFID tags, exhibits “recognize” visitors, displaying information in their language and at their desired level and depth of mathematical content. The first stop at a kiosk allows data entry; from that point on, visitors are addressed in a way that makes sense to them.

The electronic signage has additional benefits. Content managers have the ability to modify signage on the spot, incorporating great ideas from visitors or even correcting errors. What better way to customize a visitor experience than for a visitor to see his or her feedback incorporated immediately into the fabric of the museum?

The concept is in its infancy, and there are still kinks to be worked out. RFID antennae need to be exposed or repositioned for some exhibits, and visitors need to be oriented to a new way of interacting with information. But after two months of experience, MoMath remains committed and energized.

Cindy Lawrence, associate director and chief of operations
National Museum of Mathematics, New York City

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