(Session recaps provided by COSI outreach educator and ASTC 2012 communications volunteer Jeremy Rader)

Get Connected: A Hands-On Approach to Distance Learning
Museums have been using distance learning to reach their audience for over a decade but the technical and logistical obstacles are a big barrier to those looking to expand into the field. Presenters from three institutions spoke about the successes and challenges they have encountered in distance learning. The New York Hall of Science, COSI, and Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum started the session with a live demonstration to show just how easy it can be to reach an audience hundreds of miles away from you (but really they were just out in the hall). Video conferencing equipment has been the standard for the past 15 years, bringing high quality audio and video but a high price. With advances in technology you now need a laptop with a webcam to pull off the same feat. Using webcasting software and laptop means a much lower cost to those looking wanting to enter the field. After a brief explanation of the technical differences between the two methods, the attendees and presenters broke off into three hands-on stations to focus on a different area. One session focused on the challenges of presenting an audience not in the same room as you. Another talked about the use of kits to provide an added level of interaction. The third dealt with non-traditional audiences (e.g, hospital patients). To conclude the session the presenters talked about creating an online collection of the information discussed as a tool to use and a collaboration platform to continue the discussion started today.

Digital Planetarium Demonstrations
COSI’s planetarium featured demonstration from three providers today: Evans & Sutherland, Seiler-Zeiss, and Sky-Skan. I sat in on the Evans & Sutherland demo. With the use of today’s technology, providers are able to present an ever-increasing amount of content to their audiences in dome theaters. Gone are the days of static star fields and laser light shows. Today’s program featured a fully interactive space to explore. Zoom in over Columbus and see the city’s watershed or zoom out and see the entire solar system and beyond. But the show doesn’t stop at the stars. Live action films are now being produced for dome theaters, creating an incredibly immersive dramatic presentation. Evans & Sutherland also highlighted the use of their software to take video created for flat screen and render it to fit a dome. The presenters pointed out that institutions using the equipment are doing so in new and innovative ways that they had not foreseen.

Fire and Ice: Show Us Your Science
Gadgets Stage at COSI was the platform for an afternoon full of bubbles, flames and big booms presented by several institutions: Pacific Science Center, The Franklin Institute, The Children’s Museum of Philadelphia, Great Lakes Science Center, and COSI each took the stage to present 1 or 2 of their favorite demos. The show started with bubbles: air filled bubbles that fell to the floor, helium bubbles that floated to the ceiling, and hydrogen bubbles that burst into a fireball when ignited. Next we moved onto a giant cloud. Liquid nitrogen and hot water combined to create a cloud that shot into the sky. Keeping with the weather theme, a fire tornado was created next. Using a spinning platform and a mess grating, a tornado of fire over three feet tall was produced, glowing green from the chemicals added to the fuel. The day was capped off by a series of explosions featuring dry ice and a selection from the local grocer. A watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini, and even a fruit cake took center stage before being blown to smithereens. The highlight of the demo may have been duct taping the zucchini after a defective bottle left a huge crack in it. All in all there were a ton of great demos shared as well as the science content to back them up and the safety measures needed to do them safely. I’m sure everyone left with some new ideas they hope to implement back at their home institutions.

(Session summary by Sean Smith, ASTC’s director of government and public relations)

On Sunday afternoon, ASTC 2012 Annual Conference attendees had the opportunity to learn about ways in which to engage comprehensive afterschool programs as partners in STEM education. Session leader Anita Krishnamurthi (Director of STEM Policy, Aftershool Alliance), along with panelists Victoria Wegener (Lead Facilitator, Afterschool Technical Assistance Collaborative, Mainspring Consulting) and Debbie Zipes (Executive Director, Indiana Afterschool Network), shared effective practices, available funding streams, and federal policy issues that affect afterschool providers, while also presenting results from a recent study on defining STEM learning outcomes in afterschool.

The session, Navigating the Afterschool Landscape: Policy, Research, and Funding, began with an overview of what “afterschool” really means, then offered some statistics that helped frame the current state of affairs: here in the United States, 8.4 million kids (15%) participate in afterschool programs, while 15.1 million kids (26%) are on their own afterschool. According to the Afterschool Alliance, an additional 18.5 million kids would participate in a quality program if one were offered in their community—from an ASTC member perspective, then, the need certainly exists. But what can supporters of afterschool do to make the case for increased funding and opportunities? Fortunately, according to the panelists, there is tremendous bipartisan support for the issue. Messages that seems to resonate include the themes of keeping kids safe, helping working parents, and inspiring learners at an early age (which the Afterschool Alliance wants to get out even more).

A number of recent surveys and reports have focused on afterschool, including those from the Afterschool Alliance and Change the Equation and Nielson, which found that less than 20% of households have children enrolled in STEM afterschool programs, and that participation is especially low among elementary and high school students, perhaps because of a recent emphasis on middle school STEM.

What are some outcomes of learning—particuarly STEM learning in afterschool? We know now that they include: inspiring and engaging kids; building skills and proficiencies; and inspiring kids to pursue STEM majors and careers. And we may know more soon, as an ongoing Delphi study aims to delve into specific outcomes, indicators, and sub-indicators that the afterschool field can deliver. The study is currently wrapping up and a report may be ready as early as December.

With these studies in mind, Krishnamurthi reported on the number of U.S. federal programs that provide funding streams for afterschool. There are more than 100, including those offered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Science Foundation, and, of course, the Department of Education, which offers the only federal program that exclusively targets afterschool, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. ASTC members will be pleased to learn that the program is ramping up its STEM empahsis, and now offers more support for the area. A look at the federal STEM education investment overall shows $3 billion in annual funding across the federal science mision agencies; the Office of Science and Technology Policy is working on a strategic plan to better coordinate these investments.

The conversation then turned to the National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks, which was established by the C.S. Mott Foundation in 2002. Networks are public-private partnerships that are designed to provide intentional and meaningful bridges between leaders of schools, communities, and families in order to support student learning. There are currently 41 networks, and the numbers are growing. Networks include a range of partners, like state education, health and human services, and workforce offices, elected officials, etc. Attendees—and ASTC members who were not able to attend this year’s conference—were encouraged to visit the National Network’s website, www.statewideafterschoolnetworks.net, where they will be able to find detailed information on each existing state network, contact information available for state leads, and more. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the contacts in your state—Wegener reported that they are expecting to hear from you as a result of this session!

The session closed with insightful comments from Zipes, head of the Indiana Afterschool Network, who shared some practical steps for building an effective statewide afterschool STEM system, including: establishing the leadership team; creating a shared mission, vision, and goals; securing funding and resources; focusing on professional development; undergoing evaluation; and even advocacy efforts. Zipes reported that they have recently developed afterschool STEM standards for Indiana, which didn’t previously exist. Their work includes an online assessment tool for initial afterschool standards, which is scheduled to be launched in January—your feedback is welcomed. Zipes concluded with some great advice for those interested in cultivating great STEM afterschool partnerships in their state: (1) Ask for advice; (2) Stay true to what you’re great at; (3) Engage experts outside your area of expertise; and (4) You can accomplish anything if you don’t care who gets the credit.

On Sunday, Beyond Cell Phone Tours: Exhibit Facilitation with Mobile Devices reviewed interim results, including lessons learned, of 21-Tech, a three-year project in which institutions are using free or low-cost mobile apps in combination with hands-on exhibits as a way to extend and deepen visitor engagement. The project, largely funded by an IMLS 21st Century Museum Professionals award, is led by Children’s Museum of Houston in partnership with OMSI, Sciencenter, New York Hall of Science, and Lawrence Hall of Science.

21-Tech’s goal is to lengthen, deepen, and extend learning with personal mobile technologies (smartphones and tablets). The project uses only existing exhibits and mobile applications—no new content is being developed. Facilitation using mobile application was meant to meet visitor interests and advance hands-on activities, not replace them. If an application was too engaging and drew people away from a physical exhibit, its use was discontinued. A list of applications and hardware recommended by the project partners can be found here.

Panelists shared their experiences integrating mobile technologies into facilitation, including the challenges of training floor staff to use the devices in an effective way. The project website has a Gallery Facilitation and Training section that includes lessons learned and best practices.

Evaluation is ongoing, and Cecilia Garibay, Garibay Group, was able to share some early findings. The project has found that connections between mobile apps and the exhibits they are supplementing have to be tight for facilitation that switches between mobile technology and physical components to be seamless. Hardware and software must be easy to use. An application should not be so compelling that it takes away from activity on the floor, and ones that engage adults work best for engaging whole groups. Overall, the groups studied were highly engaged with the physical exhibit, the mobile apps, and the facilitator. A small percentage of visitors were unengaged, and that appeared to be related to group size. In larger groups of visitors, one person was more likely to step back.

For more information, visit 21-tech.org.

(Recaps written by Kenzie Moore, COSI membership processing associate and ASTC 2012 communications volunteer)

Teens Teach Space: Engaging Youth in Planetarium Programming
Museums are relying more and more on a teen/youth-based volunteer pool, but how do you make sure that both the teen and the center are getting the most out of the partnership? Two presenters from space centers in the U.S. shared with ASTC attendees their biggest takeaway points from their recent years involving teens in planetarium programs. Important details for institutions just beginning to wade into teen- and youth-focused involvement? Teens need more support and training to get the requisite presentational skills, the adults working with teens need clear scaffolding of what is expected of them in a leadership or cooperative role, and teens frequently benefit from having a chance to practice their roles. The key takeaway for centers with an established youth program? Give teens a chance to shine. Give them a voice in the scheduling of programs they’ll be involved with, get their feedback about what kind of programming or hands-on activities they’d like to do. It’s their center too.

Membership Best Practices Roundtable
It’s no news that members are an important part of any successful museum, but some of the ideas flying around the room today were certainly new ways of approaching those members. From installation payments instead of yearly payments to in-depth tracking of the unique ways each member uses their membership, the roundtable featured newly established practices, a few tales of development missteps, and a healthy dose of reminders to not reinvent the wheel. Members are special, and should be treated as such, but moving forward, shouldn’t we take every chance to personalize our approach to groups of similar members? Just how big of a role do the benefits play in a member’s perceived value of their relationship which your institution? (Hint: a big one.)

Bring the Noise: Doing Demonstrations with Sound
A demonstration doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be something you can only do in the safety of your home base. A series of glasses filled with varying levels of water. A popsicle stick with string, paper, pencil erasers, and a rubber band. A cheap, corrugated plastic tube. Any of these can be turned into a quick, cheap, hands-on demonstration appropriate for in-house or outreach efforts. You can acquire these simply supplies just about anywhere and what you can’t find in a store, you can order through science supply services. Noise demonstrations can be interesting, budget-friendly, and very interactive. A Slinky makes the invisible (sound waves) visible. PVC pipes, ethanol, and a lighter can make a fascinating visual display while coaching kids through observations about wavelength and pitch. If you’re really gutsy, you can even buy a bullwhip to show what happens when you break a sound wave. Just, please, for your safety and the viewers’, watch the training videos.

What does it take to make a science center sustainable, adopted by its community, and defended by its community? In Born of Place: The Key to Institutional Sustainability, a panel composed of Don Weinreich, partner, Ennead Architects; Sarah George, executive director, Natural History Museum of Utah; and Eric Siegel, director/chief content officer, New York Hall of Science, explored the proposition that a cultural institution’s success depends on its ability to define, understand, and root itself in its community. Museums can be a safe place for dangerous dialogue

George shared perspectives gleaned through the exploration, development, and founding of the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City. She mentioned the importance of developing constituencies by reaching out to schools, the business community, elected officials, donors, and electors. She also discussed the effectiveness of having others in the community speak on your institution’s behalf, particularly business leaders and key officials. Being ready for surprises, listening to those around you, and avoiding overpromising and/or raising expectations unrealistically are also lessons to be learned.

An institution must partner with its constituencies and develop programs and buildings that sustain relevance and grow increasingly vital over time. Siegel also discussed the renovation and reconstruction of the New York Hall of Science’s facility in Queens, New York, as some of the core buildings were built for the 1964 World’s Fair.

Both the Natural History Museum of Utah and the New York Hall of Science partnered with Ennead on their construction needs. Weinreich shared step-by-step explanation and analysis of the processes Ennead followed in the construction of a wholly new museum for NHMU and the reconstruction needs of New York Hall of Science. The insights he provided gave a much clearer picture into the full scope of these processes, from interview and presentation of ideas through to execution.