As the 40th anniversary of the Exploratorium approaches, the ExhibitFiles online community is celebrating the life of the San Francisco museum’s founder Frank Oppenheimer by inviting contributions inspired by his work.

One of Oppenheimer’s lasting legacies in the informal science education field is a recognition of the intimate connections between science and the arts. As he once wrote: “There are many common bonds between science and art. They both begin with noticing and recording patterns—spatial patterns, patterns in time, patterns of process and behavior. They both elaborate, reformulate, and ultimately link together patterns, in nature and meaning, which initially appeared as unrelated. Both art and science are involved with order-disorder transitions and the creation of tension and the relief of tension. Both endeavors are deeply rooted in culture and heritage; both expand our awareness and sensitivity to what is happening in nature, and in ourselves.” (More)

In a recent review on the ExhibitFiles site, exhibit developer Tom Nielsen remembered some of the Exploratorium’s classic exhibits, including Soap Film Painting (pictured). “Scientists surpass even kids and dolphins in curiosity,” he comments; “no wonder then that Leonardo and Newton and Oppenheimer would be drawn to such ephemeral phenomena, shimmering fragile structures built of only liquid and gas.”

To join the ExhibitFiles site and learn more, click here. Outstanding contributions will be honored during an ExhibitFiles event at the 2009 ASTC Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, October 30. KC Cole, author of a recent biography of Frank Oppenheimer, will be there to give the winner a copy of her book and share recollections of one of the most influential founders of the science center field.

Photo courtesy The Exploratorium

Join Rick Bonney of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, September 14-18, in the CAISE Forum for discussion around the topic of a recent CAISE Inquiry Group report. Public Participation in Scientific Research: Defining the Field and Assessing Its Potential for Informal Science Education is available on the CAISE website.

To join the conversation, set up an account in ASTC Connect and join the CAISE Forum by using the keyword “informal.” Look for the area where this discussion is taking place. You’ll get an email telling you the conversation, which will run asynchronously, is beginning. Details: Terri Gipson, CAISE Project Director, tgipson [at] caise.insci.org.

In just three short months, science center professionals from around the world will gather in Fort Worth, Texas to explore “The Art of Science” at the 2009 ASTC Annual Conference. Attendees will help further advance ASTC’s new Strategic Direction of making science centers valuable and essential partners in addressing key local, national, and global societal issues by delving into such questions as: How does your organization tap into the rich artistic, cultural, and creative resources of your community and apply them to your learning environments? What priority issues should our field address and how can we develop strategies for future action? How can science centers make the transition from being seen as “nice” to being seen as “necessary” in our communities?

Conference highlights include more than 100 sessions and workshops, numerous networking opportunities, the always popular Exhibit Hall, and thought-provoking remarks from speakers like Anousheh Ansari, a technology innovator, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and space explorer, and Kay Sprinkel Grace, an internationally recognized expert on fundraising.

Join us for this important conversation by registering for the 2009 Annual Conference. Register by Monday, September 21 to take advantage of the Advance Registration rate.

IN THIS ISSUE
July/August 2009

As science centers and museums welcome increasingly diverse audiences, many of them are working to accommodate the linguistic needs of their visitors and to foster a sense of ownership and belonging. Immigrants, indigenous populations, and visitors who are Deaf bring a variety of languages with them to science centers around the world. This issue will explore how centers are recruiting bilingual staff, reaching out to linguistically diverse communities, and constructing multilingual exhibitions, materials, and educational programs.

Contents
• In Other Words: Developing Bilingual Exhibitions, by Carlos Plaza
• The Languages of Science in Wales, by Chris Mason
• Secrets of Circles: Evaluation of a Trilingual Exhibition, by Sue Allen
• Sharing Yup’ik Language, Knowledge, and Heritage, by Ann Fienup-Riordan
• Language in a Learning Ensemble, by Derlly González and Kristin Leigh
• Challenges for English Medium Instruction in Sri Lanka, by Sean Perera
• Expanding Informal Science Education for Latinos, by Robert L. Russell and Malu Jimenez
• The Self Reliance Foundation and Science Education, by Robert L. Russell
• Addressing Deaf Visitors with an American Sign Language Multimedia Tour, by Christine Reich and Elissa Chin

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By Carlos Plaza
From ASTC Dimensions
July/August 2009

Over the course of 10 years, the exhibit team at the Miami Science Museum, Florida, has developed general guidelines and strategies for writing and designing bilingual exhibitions. These guidelines result from our experience producing Spanish-language interpretation for more than 40 bilingual exhibitions, and from much trial and error. Although these guidelines refer to English/Spanish interpretation, the principles can be applied to bilingual exhibitions in other languages.

There is certainly more to be learned, but let’s look at some of the basic issues. Following these strategies can lead to a more accessible and rewarding experience for all visitors.
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