As the Moon’s shadow fell over the Xinjiang Province in northwestern China today, an eclipse expedition team from the Exploratorium, the center’s fifth since 1998, stood ready to webcast the total solar eclipse live to the world. Four cutting-edge telescopes were used to provide live feeds of the eclipse, and Exporatorium scientists Rob Semper and Paul Doherty provided commentary on prominences, sunspots, and the corona as they occured.

Back in San Francisco, visitors were invited to an overnight viewing party with solar science activities and traditional Chinese performances leading up to the live broadcast at 3:30 a.m. local time. A virtual viewing party, complete with interactive exhibits and music, was held on Exploratorium Island in Second Life.

To watch replays of the webcast or read dispatches from the expedition team, visit http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/2008/.

IN THIS ISSUE
July/August 2008

In today’s economy, science centers faced with shrinking resources are challenged to find innovative ways of doing more with less. How can science centers save money without sacrificing content or mission? In this issue, directors, chief executive officers, directors of operations, and other staff share their successes with strategies such as taking advantage of free web services, creating a program or exhibition on a shoestring, becoming more energy efficient, and pooling resources with community partners.

Contents
• The Frugal Director: Leadership on a Limited Budget, by Ann Fumarolo
• Off the Shelf: How Outsourcing Products and Services Can Deliver Visitor Satisfaction, by Marilyn Hoyt
• ‘Low Budget, High Impact’: Innovative Projects from Around the World, by Stephen Pizzey
• Nine Free or Nearly Free Ways Museums Can Take Advantage of Web 2.0, by Jim Spadaccini
• How ASTC Uses Free and Cheap Online Services, by Wendy Pollock
• Big Ideas, Big Savings: A Cost-Cutting Sampler, by Robert Ade, David Kramer, Laura Davies, and Craig Blower
• Resources for Saving Money

Download the full issue.

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By Jim Spadaccini
From ASTC Dimensions
July/August 2008

As the Internet continues to evolve, it seems like I hear about a new web site or software service just about every day. The vast majority of these are free to use. Many of these sites or software packages are produced by start-ups looking to gain first-time customers. Others are created by one of the giants—Google, Yahoo, or Microsoft—that are trying to achieve market dominance. Either way, they are essentially giving away their products, at least for now.

Whether you want to promote your events on the Web or expand your educational activities in social networking and file-sharing sites, there are web services and software you may want to consider. Here are nine free or nearly free ways to take advantage of these new developments on the Internet.
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The Noyce Leadership Institute’s first cohort of Fellows—17 chief executives from science centers worldwide—recently gathered in Seattle for a week-long session beginning the nine-month program of face-to-face sessions, coaching, video conferencing, and peer learning. The Institute was founded in partnership with ASTC to immerse both existing and aspiring executives in cutting-edge knowledge and tools, promising practices, and professional networks, with an eye to increasing their capacity to lead effectively and have a greater impact in their communities. Over the long term, the Institute aims to strengthen the impact of science centers as innovative educational hubs.

Primary funding for the Institute comes from the Noyce Foundation, with additional support from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Additional programs for chief executives and others who aspire to leadership roles in science centers are being planned. More information and an opportunity to meet with Noyce Leadership Institute representatives will be available at the ASTC Annual Conference in Philadelphia in October.

Photo by Chee-kuen Yip, Macao Science Centre

On June 11, Cedar Rapids Science Station sustained serious flood damage and will be closed indefinitely. Water rose to a level of seven feet on the first floor, leaving a coating of mud on virtually everything up to the high-water mark. All but a few exhibits were destroyed, along with computers and other media equipment.

“One gallery with seven locally-sponsored exhibits was about to be installed, but we had not started any work, so nothing new was lost,” said executive director John Swanson. “The fact that we don’t have an extensive collection of irreplaceable artifacts makes this loss somewhat easier to accept; our stuff is repairable or replaceable. We do have a dinosaur jaw bone, but I figured if it could survive a million years in the mud, then a day or two more before cleaning wasn’t a big deal. You’ve got to focus on the bright side.” The science center’s summer camp program, serving 700 children, has resumed in a nearby church.

Clean-up/mitigation costs alone will be in excess of $200,000. “It’s difficult to say what we need at this point,” said Swanson. “As much as anything I’m just looking for ideas; perhaps a loan of temporary exhibits, maybe learning what others have done under similar circumstances or some off-site programming ideas.”

Photo courtesy Cedar Rapids Science Station