ASTC News » ASTC Connect http://www.astc.org/blog Association of Science -Technology Centers News Feed Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:26:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 ASTC Connect Forum: Beyond painting science pink http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/11/16/astc-connect-forum-beyond-painting-science-pink/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/11/16/astc-connect-forum-beyond-painting-science-pink/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:54:43 +0000 Laura Huerta Migus http://www.astc.org/blog/?p=640 Beyond Painting Science PinkHow can museums create science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs that present solid science content in ways that engage girls’ interests and learning styles? In “Beyond Painting Science Pink: Creating Programs that Engage Girls in STEM,” an October 31 session at the ASTC Annual Conference, Christina Soontornvat of the Austin Children’s Museum, Texas, led a panel discussion on integrating research-based best practices with high-interest content to develop programs that serve girls in meaningful ways.

Panelists Jennifer Stancil of the Girls, Math & Science Partnership at Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, Karen Peterson of the National Girls Collaborative Project and the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, Lynnwood, Washington, Dr. Lisa Regalla of Twin Cities Public Television, and Georgette Williams of the New York Hall of Science, introduced participants to a number of best practices in designing STEM experiences for girls, followed by examples of hands-on activities developed based on these practices.

The conversations started during this session are continuing in a postconference online discussion on ASTC Connect, November 16–20.  The enrollment key for the “Beyond Painting Science Pink” discussion is “stemgirls.”

About the image: Session participants try out “speed networking.” Photo by Christine Ruffo

]]> http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/11/16/astc-connect-forum-beyond-painting-science-pink/feed/ 0 November 9: Informal Science Education Infrastructure http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/11/04/november-9-informal-science-education-infrastructure/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/11/04/november-9-informal-science-education-infrastructure/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:58:32 +0000 Wendy Pollock http://www.astc.org/blog/?p=909 It’s been called an “invisible infrastructure”—the rich diversity of places and pursuits that ignite our curiosity and support lifelong learning about science. Join John Falk of Oregon State University and other members of a CAISE Inquiry Group for a week of discussion, starting November 9, and be one of the first to try out a guide to collecting stories that will help build a portrait of the informal science education infrastructure today. To sign up go to ASTC Connect, set up an account, and use the word “informal” to join the CAISE Forum.

]]> http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/11/04/november-9-informal-science-education-infrastructure/feed/ 0 November 2: Science Identity for Learners in Informal Environments http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/10/27/november-2%e2%80%936-science-identity-for-learners-in-informal-environments/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/10/27/november-2%e2%80%936-science-identity-for-learners-in-informal-environments/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:30:33 +0000 Wendy Pollock http://www.astc.org/blog/?p=680 Join Johnny Fraser of the Institute of Learning Innovation and other researchers for this online discussion in the CAISE Forum, November 2-6. The discussion will build on results of a recent survey about “science identity”—how learners view themselves with respect to science and become comfortable with, knowledgeable about, or interested in science. “Identity” was one of six “strand of learning” described in the 2009 National Research Council report Learning Science in Informal Environments. To join the discussion, set up an account in ASTC Connect and enroll in the CAISE Forum (keyword “informal”).

]]> http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/10/27/november-2%e2%80%936-science-identity-for-learners-in-informal-environments/feed/ 0 October 5-8: The Longevity Revolution http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/09/28/october-5-8-the-longevity-revolution/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/09/28/october-5-8-the-longevity-revolution/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:40:04 +0000 Terri Gipson http://www.astc.org/blog/?p=599 Join Russell Morgan of the SPRY Foundation, October 5-8, for an online discussion in the CAISE Forum, The Longevity Revolution: Opportunities for Informal Science Education.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans 65 and older is projected to increase from 40 million in 2010 to 55 million a decade later—and the prospects are similar in many other countries. As more people live longer, with higher levels of education, there is both an opportunity and a need to develop creative approaches for engaging older adults in a range of informal science learning activities.

Taking as a starting point the recent publication A Lifetime of Curiosity: Science Centers and Older Adults, and an earlier NSF-funded conference, The Longevity Revolution, the discussion will touch on what’s known about adult audiences’ interests and capacities and examples of successful programming for older adults. Russell Morgan, organizer of the 2006 conference, will offer background and moderate the discussion about the potential for expanding informal science learning opportunities for the growing population of older adults.

To participate in the discussion, go to connect.astc.org, set up an account, then sign yourself into the “CAISE Forum” area by entering the keyword “informal.” You’ll receive an email from Russell as we get started on Monday. The discussion is asynchronous. You can set your own schedule for when you join the discussion. Relevant reading material is available on the CAISE Forum site.

If you can’t join this discussion, keep an eye on the CAISE website. We are setting up more online discussions for November and December.

]]> http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/09/28/october-5-8-the-longevity-revolution/feed/ 0 September 14-18: Citizen Science http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/09/10/september-14-18-citizen-science/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/09/10/september-14-18-citizen-science/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:27:12 +0000 Wendy Pollock http://www.astc.org/blog/?p=573 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.

]]> http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/09/10/september-14-18-citizen-science/feed/ 0 Communicating science to public audiences http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/05/06/communicating-science-to-public-audiences/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/05/06/communicating-science-to-public-audiences/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 22:38:18 +0000 Wendy Pollock http://www.astc.org/blog/?p=365 Join an ASTC Connect discussion, May 11-15, sixth in a series on the theme
of strengthening relationships among science museums, research scientists,
and engineers. Pacific Science Center (PSC) staff will facilitate, building on experience gained from Portal to the Public, an NSF-funded project of PSC, Albuquerque’s Explora, the North Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the Institute for Learning Innovation.

To sign up, you’ll need an ASTC Connect account. Go to connect.astc.org to sign up. Then contact Margaret Glass at mglass [at] astc.org for the enrollment key that will give you access to the “Working with Scientists and Engineers” forum. Once you’re in this forum area, you can also read archived records of earlier discussions.

]]> http://www.astc.org/blog/2009/05/06/communicating-science-to-public-audiences/feed/ 0 Working with scientists and engineers: next discussion starts February 11 http://www.astc.org/blog/2008/02/08/working-with-scientists-and-engineers-next-discussion-starts-february-11/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2008/02/08/working-with-scientists-and-engineers-next-discussion-starts-february-11/#comments Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:48:57 +0000 Wendy Pollock http://www.astc.org/blog/2008/02/08/working-with-scientists-and-engineers-next-discussion-starts-february-11/ The Working with Scientists & Engineers Forum will host a discussion February 11-15, in ASTC Connect, about the strategy behind the Research Center – ISE (RISE) initiative of the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network. Carol Lynn Alpert, director of strategic projects at the Museum of Science, Boston, and a co-PI of the NISE Net (nisenet.org), will kick off discussions.

The RISE initiative focuses on developing sustainable partnerships through advance planning and budgeting, and by joining with research centers for the initial proposals to federal and state science research funding agencies. Relevant articles are in the January/February issue of ASTC Dimensions.

]]> http://www.astc.org/blog/2008/02/08/working-with-scientists-and-engineers-next-discussion-starts-february-11/feed/ 0 Working with scientists and engineers: discussion starts January 14 http://www.astc.org/blog/2008/01/03/working-with-scientists-and-engineers-discussion-starts-january-14/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2008/01/03/working-with-scientists-and-engineers-discussion-starts-january-14/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:08:46 +0000 Wendy Pollock http://www.astc.org/blog/2008/01/03/working-with-scientists-and-engineers-discussion-starts-january-14/ A new round of discussion starts January 14 in  the ASTC Connect forum ”Working with Scientists & Engineers.” Kim Kiehl, Vice President for Learning & Research Partnerships at COSI Columbus, will join us as guest moderator. Kim will share COSI’s experiences in fostering close integration of the museum with local STEM-rich organizations, including Ohio State University, Battelle Memorial Institute, and TechColumbus. Together, forum participants will consider how such relationships develop, benefits for each party, and potential outcomes. Open to staff of ASTC-member institutions. To sign up, go to ASTC Connect then contact connect [at] astc.org.

]]> http://www.astc.org/blog/2008/01/03/working-with-scientists-and-engineers-discussion-starts-january-14/feed/ 0 The science center in Second Life http://www.astc.org/blog/2007/11/29/the-science-center-in-second-life/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2007/11/29/the-science-center-in-second-life/#comments Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:22:36 +0000 Wendy Pollock http://www.astc.org/blog/2007/11/29/the-science-center-in-second-life/ What are science centers doing in Second Life? Join Rob Rothfarb and Paul Doherty of the Exploratorium in ASTC Connect to find out about their recent experiments in this 3-D, multi-user online environment. The week-long discussion starts December 3 in the ASTC Dimensions Forum in ASTC Connect.

Discussion will take off from the current issue of ASTC Dimensions, “Immersed in Science: Learning in Today’s Digital Environments.” Doherty and Rothfarb’s article, “From 2-D to 3-D Web: The Science Center in Second Life,’” and others are available in the Forum.

To sign up, go to ASTC Connect and set up an account. Then contact Margaret Glass at mglass[at]astc.org for access to the ASTC Dimensions Forum.

]]> http://www.astc.org/blog/2007/11/29/the-science-center-in-second-life/feed/ 0 Working with scientists and engineers http://www.astc.org/blog/2007/09/19/working-with-scientists-and-engineers/ http://www.astc.org/blog/2007/09/19/working-with-scientists-and-engineers/#comments Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:43:26 +0000 Wendy Pollock http://www.astc.org/blog/2007/09/19/working-with-scientists-and-engineers/ Ongoing engagements with research scientists, mathematicians, and engineers help assure that the content of science centers remains strong and current. Starting September 24, we’ll be hosting an ongoing series of discussions and problem-solving sessions within a new ASTC Connect forum to help support those working to foster and strengthen these relationships.

The first, week-long discussion kicks off with a focus on exhibitions, hosted by Sheila Grinell, author of A Place for Learning Science and most recently CEO of the Arizona Science Center. Staff of ASTC-member institutions and their collaborators (in particular, their science advisors and partners) are invited to join.

The discussion takes off from the current issue of ASTC Dimensions, “The Engaged Scientist: Fostering Successful Museum-Researcher Collaborations” and Sheila Grinell’s article “In the Comfort Zone: Working with Scientists on Exhibitions.”

To sign up, go to ASTC Connect and set up an account. Then contact Margaret Glass at mglass[at]astc.org for access to the forum.

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