In a harrowing scene in the film Jurassic Park, a velociraptor peers through a window in search of its intended prey, its breath fogging up the glass. This moment has been cited by film critics as a particularly effective part of the movie. It was the film’s science consultant, Jack Horner of the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, who suggested this detail—intended to communicate to audiences that dinosaurs were warm-blooded animals, related to birds.

As he told this story at the 2011 ASTC Annual Conference session “Science in the Movies: Ready for Its Close-up,” the University of Manchester’s David Kirby remarked, “The best science consultants are not ones who make the science in a film more accurate, but the ones who provide the means by which accurate science content adds to a film’s entertainment value.” Kirby is the author of the book Lab Coats in Hollywood: Science, Scientists, and Cinema.

The session, held on Saturday, October 15, and led by Alan Friedman of Museum Development and Science Communication, explored how science in the movies can create or change public understanding and perceptions of the field.

Several filmmakers also shared their perspectives on science on the silver screen. David Kaplan, a filmmaker and particle theorist at Johns Hopkins University, discussed Particle Fever, which is still being filmed. The movie tells the story of the approaching launch of the largest experiment in history, the Large Hadron Collider. As the film’s website states, “The results could finally lead to the underlying theory of all matter…or dramatically mark the end of our ability to comprehend the universe we live in.”

In addition, Richard and Carole Rifkind talked about their film, Naturally Obsessed, which explores life in a molecular biology lab. The film focuses on the process of doing science and on the people who passionately pursue scientific endeavors, rather than on the specifics of their research. “There’s a story in every laboratory,” Richard Rifkind said.

“Science isn’t always open and shut, black and white. But there’s data…if you don’t agree with the data, it still exists.”

So said New Yorker writer and author Michael Specter, during the opening keynote session of ASTC’s 2011 Annual Conference in Baltimore on Saturday, October 15. Specter, the author of Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives, shared his views about the contradictions between scientific reality and perceptions, including debates about whether evolution is real or whether the HPV vaccine has the deleterious effects some political leaders claim.

“Our reaction should be to understand what we don’t understand, not ban it,” Specter warned.

One topic that Specter focused on was genetically engineered food. “I have covered AIDS, abortion, the war in Chechnya for two years…but the worst thing I’ve covered is the battle over genetically engineered food,” he said. Despite many claims about the dangers associated with these foods, Specter said there has never been a case of a person getting ill from eating genetically engineered food.

The work of science centers, Specter said, should include “getting people interested in the excited truths.” And he cautioned that progress is fragile and needs to be nurtured. “If you think progress isn’t reversible, look at history: Ancient China in 1421 was at the top of everything, but when progress stopped, the country literally went dark for 500 years.”

Lots to think about…

The Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards are presented annually to ASTC members and/or their employees in recognition of extraordinary accomplishments that not only enhance the performance of their own institutions, but also significantly advance the mission of science-technology centers and museums. This following awards were presented at the 2011 ASTC Annual Conference in Baltimore on Saturday, October 15.

Leading Edge Award for Business Practice

The International Centre for Life, Sustainability Through Diversity
The Centre for Life has rendered itself sustainable for the foreseeable future by developing a business portfolio that provides funds for the center’s dual missions of public science engagement and support for world-class scientific research. The science centre runs on revenue generated from two onsite cafés, a parking garage, a conference and banqueting business, and leases not only to university laboratories, but also to popular bars and nightclubs.

Philippine Science Centrum, Typhoon Ondoy: Rapid Response & Recovery

On September 26, 2009, Typhoon Ondoy sent nine-foot-high flood waters into the science center, submerging its exhibits and traveling exhibitions. Within 24 hours, the center’s staff and trustees met and immediately started the first steps of rebuilding, launching a fundraising campaign called Project 926 with the goal of raising 9 million Philippine pesos (about USD 210,000) in two ways (cash and in-kind assistance) within six months. The center reopened to the public less than six weeks after the typhoon hit, and was fully restored after four and a half months.

Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience (small center)

Amazement Square, Amazing Adventures of Scorpy Bug
The Amazing Adventures of Scorpy Bug is a curriculum-based cartoon series designed to help educators take an interactive and interdisciplinary approach to teaching challenging concepts. The series has been made available free-of-charge to teachers and families through publication in the regional newspaper and through a comic book series that addresses specific scientific topics. Scorpy is integrated across all museum platforms: exhibitions, outreach programs, website, and community and school partnerships.

Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre, Wetland Outreach
Migratory birds depend on wetlands, and many species are endangered due to wetland destruction. In the past three years, the center fostered public awareness among students and educators across a vast geographic area on the value of wetlands through several outreach programs. The “Wetlands On-the-Go” team delivered programs to 56,000 students in 2,500 classrooms in over 100 communities in three Canadian provinces. The center also held eight workshops for teachers in six Caribbean locations and provided educational resources to underserved communities.

Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience (large center)

Chabot Space & Science Center, Bill Nye’s Climate Lab
Bill Nye’s Climate Lab is a media-rich, hands-on exhibition that explores the effects of climate change on Earth’s interconnected systems and offers activities that increase climate and energy literacy. Each visitor receives a “Climate Scout ID”—an RFID card that is automatically detected as the visitor moves from station to station, achieving solutions to climate challenges and earning points. Exhibit activity is stored on the ID, which can be taken home and used to log in on BillsClimateLab.org.

Museum of Science & Industry, Science Storms
Science Storms, a 26,000-square-foot (2,400-square-meter) permanent exhibition, features dynamic large-scale experiments that explore nature’s most powerful phenomena. Visitors can manipulate the vortex variables of a 40-foot tornado, unleash a tsunami in a 30-foot wave tank, trigger an avalanche, and pit fire versus water to see how flame reacts to different conditions. The more than 50 hands-on exhibits are joined by 200 important artifacts that help visitors to further understand the basic science behind the forces of nature.

Leading Edge Award for Experienced Leadership in the Field
Clarence Sirisena, Assistant Chief Executive in Projects and Exhibitions of Science Centre Singapore
For his research on newest approaches in traveling exhibitions and sharing his discoveries with other science centers.

To see all the Leading Edge Award nominees, visit the ASTC YouTube channel.

On Saturday, October 15, Colin Johnson became the newest recipient of ASTC’s highest honor, the ASTC Fellow Award for Outstanding Contribution. At the 2011 ASTC Annual Conference in Baltimore, ASTC immediate past president Lesley Lewis presented the award to Johnson, former director and CEO of Techniquest in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, “for his distinguished career as a chemist and educator, from the classroom to the museum. Colin’s determined advocacy, tactful diplomacy, and persuasive compositions have helped build bridges within the field and between science centers and the people they serve. His generosity and dedication know no limits.”

As he accepted the award, Johnson urged science centers to stay true to their missions, citing the Saint Louis Science Center’s mission statement to “open every mind to science.” He also stressed the importance of science center networks and collaborations, saying “We are truly a global family, grasping similar opportunities and meeting similar challenges.” Johnson concluded by reminding attendees that “the [staff] in your science center will always be your greatest asset. Look after them well.”

The ASTC Fellow Award for Outstanding Contribution, first presented in 1974, is bestowed upon individuals who merit special recognition for their significant contributions to the advancement of public understanding and appreciation of science and technology or of ASTC itself.

Photo by Wayne MacPhail

Attendees from across the globe are arriving in Baltimore for the 2011 ASTC Annual Conference. This year’s theme, Knowledge that Works—From Theory to Practice, is tremendously appropriate given the collective body of knowledge the science center community possesses. The conference is our best opportunity to share our knowledge and put it to work for all.

We invite you to follow the 2011 ASTC Annual Conference online. The conference blog will be updated regularly through Tuesday. Follow us on Twitter (@ScienceCenters) and join in discussions using hash tag #ASTC2011. Photos and videos will also be posted in our Flickr pool and on our YouTube channel.

Thank you for joining us in Charm City for another fantastic ASTC Annual Conference.

About the image: A ship in Baltimore‘s Inner Harbor. Photo by Christine Ruffo, ASTC