With their firm grounding in science and expertise in public engagement, science centers and museums are in a unique position to help scientists communicate effectively with the public. In this issue, we share stories of how science centers are bringing scientists and the public together to facilitate dialogue and enhance understanding.

This issue also contains a special supplement on the new ASTC-led Youth Inspired Challenge. This major initiative challenges ASTC members to engage young people in a total of 2 million hours of STEM-centered youth development programming over a three-year period.

Contents
• Scientists and Science Centers: A Great “Glocal” Partnership Opportunity, by Alan I. Leshner
• Shared Experiences: Connecting Scientists and Visitors Through Portal to the Public, by Kristin Leigh and Lauren Russell
• Science in the City: Getting Scientists and Citizens Together, by Pino Zappalà
• Person-to-Person Interactions at Miraikan, by Mamoru Mohri
• Showcasing Current Science at the Utah Museum of Natural History, by Sarah B. George
• A Scientist Walks into a Bar, by Amanda Thomas
• A Tasty Concoction: Café Scientifique in Toronto, by Donna Francis
• Coffee and Cinema: Encounters with Jerusalem Scientists, by Varda Gur Ben Shitrit
• Helping Young Scientists Learn and Practice Public Engagement, by Lynn Uyen Tran and Catherine Halversen

Download the full issue.

Subscribe/order back issues

We in the scientific community, including both scientists and science centers, are living, as Charles Dickens would say, in “the best of times and the worst of times.”

The scientific enterprise has never been more productive, as scientific advances are coming at an almost incredible pace. For their part, science centers have evolved into tremendously important local and national resources through which millions of citizens, young and old, are exposed to cutting-edge science in personally meaningful ways.

On the other hand, public knowledge about science, despite ongoing efforts by the education community, remains consistently low. Indicators from recent surveys and assessment tools such as the U.S. National Science Board’s 2010 Science & Engineering Indicators and a 2009 Pew Research Center–American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) survey demonstrate that the public is interested in science, but uncertain of its relevance to their everyday lives.

At the same time, we are experiencing a level of tension between science and the rest of society that is unprecedented, at least in my scientific lifetime. Some of that tension derives from an abutment of scientific advances onto issues of core human values. One such example is the conflict between embryonic stem cell research and some religious beliefs about when life begins. Other sources of tension derive from the conflict between scientific discoveries and political or economic expedience. The most publicized current example concerns the question of how to deal with the impact of human behaviors on the climate.

The traditional response of the scientific community is to see this kind of tension as reflecting a lack of appreciation or a misinterpretation by the public. Scientists then often try to mount public understanding or education campaigns designed to “enlighten” the populace, either about science in general or specific issues in particular.

In recent years, however, I’ve become increasingly interested in a different approach to communicating with the public. This considers how the scientific and science education communities might better engage with members of the public on their terms—specifically, how do we build a more productive, constructive dialogue with members of society on how, why, and when science affects them? How can we more meaningfully include the public? They are, after all, whom we purport that science is meant to serve.

At AAAS, we’ve been exploring “public engagement with science” as a method and a practice in our work. Sample activities include viewing AAAS’s public events and programs through a public engagement lens, developing partnerships with likeminded organizations and agencies to create public engagement frameworks and activities, and providing training for scientists to better communicate and engage with the public, through workshops and online resources.

Public engagement is a long-term approach of many science centers, and the rest of the scientific community is beginning to catch on to the idea. I believe that although active facilitation of public dialogue is challenging, it also provides great opportunities for science centers and the broader scientific community to work together to address their goals. A critical question, then, is how best to organize and implement a collaboration that on the surface seems obviously advantageous to both parties, but in practice appears difficult to put into place.

Opportunities and challenges for public engagement

Only relatively recently have large numbers of scientists wanted to engage more directly and openly with the broader public. Some of this increased interest in public engagement results from a generational change: Younger scientists seem much more interested than their mentors in ensuring that their work is both relevant to societal needs and understood by the public. In order to recognize the efforts of individual scientists, AAAS has recently launched an Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science. Another stimulus to scientists’ interest in public engagement has been the development of policies by some research funding agencies, like NSF and NASA, requiring that supported research projects include “broader impacts” such as public education and engagement activities.

A major problem in mounting more public engagement programs, of course, is that scientists typically lack expertise in public communication and engagement, an issue made worse by the fact that they often see their own work as too esoteric for the general public to comprehend. Moreover, there are too few opportunities within the scientific enterprise for scientists to use public engagement skills even when they do have them.

Scientists also have minimal “glocal” communication skills. One of the core lessons of public engagement is that, fundamentally, people are only interested in things that affect them personally or locally. Therefore, one needs to take global or general issues and make them locally meaningful, or “glocalize” them. This transition is often difficult for scientists who spend much of their time working on scientific questions with minimal public involvement.

Collaborations between scientists and science centers

As experts both at public communication and engagement and at glocalization, science centers are ideally positioned to collaborate with scientists in public engagement efforts. Communication and engagement are core science center activities; that is what they do. And science centers know that the most effective exhibits and programs are those that become personally meaningful to the audience. Good science centers fill a critical role in their communities as places for individuals to seek out information about science on topics and in formats that interest them personally—such as an interactive exhibit on DNA and medicine, an IMAX movie about ocean pollution, or a civil engineer’s talk about local bridges.

Great science centers choose to take this a step further by also serving as a gathering place, where scientists, educators, and the public together can forge discussions on current topics in science that incorporate high public interest and local relevance. Such topics might include the effects of climate change in local communities, the implications of stem cell research, and what science can (and cannot) tell us about the world and ourselves. Many science centers have a diverse array of public outreach and engagement activities, and therefore provide excellent venues through which scientists can enter into dialogue with the broader public. For their part, scientists can contribute their knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of science center programs; to provide examples of living, breathing scientists; and to help encourage dialogue between the public and the scientific community.

This increased collaborative role between science centers and scientists may still be evolving, but there is ample need for it in today’s climate: an increasing public appetite for science, a shrinking science news media, and politicization of science in the public realm. In fact, all science-based institutions—research universities and organizations, science centers, and scientific societies—have a significant role to play, not only in informing the general public, but also in identifying diverse and far-reaching opportunities for scientists and the public to engage with one another.

Alan I. Leshner is CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of Science. This article is based on his presentation at the 2010 ASTC Annual Conference. AAAS’s tools for helping scientists and engineers communicate with the public are available online.

About the image: Lamar Blackwell (left), graduate student in cell biology at the University of California, Irvine, and Anika Bissahoyo, director of sponsored programs at Bradley University, work on their public communication skills during a Communicating Science workshop at the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting. Photo by Tiffany Lohwater/AAAS

In the modern world, people’s lives are constantly touched by science and all that it yields. And yet, the sheer complexity of new knowledge today approaches levels that few can fully comprehend and, sadly, that far too many have come to doubt, reject, or even fear. Recent surveys indicate that, throughout the world, understanding of science concepts and the scientific process is generally low. Lack of familiarity with emerging technologies or research advances results in broad misconceptions. And yet, these same surveys indicate that citizens around the world value all that science has offered humanity and all that it promises. Moreover, people continue to express enormous confidence and trust in science leaders and the scientific community.

Unfortunately, studies indicate that less than 50 percent of scientists engage in any purposeful efforts to communicate their scientific activities to the public. Science centers can offer unique venues to reverse this trend, providing important platforms for inspired exchange between the general public and scientists. If there is a universal language of science, then science centers are in the business of teaching that language. Surveys indicate that about three in five U.S. adults visited an informal science institution in the year preceding the survey (somewhat fewer in Europe and Asia). Many of these institutions are regularly bringing the public face to face with scientists, whether through a hands-on activity based on a scientist’s work, a tour of a working laboratory housed in a museum facility, a science program held in the city streets, a lecture or demonstration on a museum floor, or a Science Café event in a local coffeehouse.

“Science,” wrote the late astronomer Carl Sagan, “is not a body of knowledge, but a way of thinking.” This is true not just for those who have chosen careers in science, but even more so for generations of individuals who are applying the fruits of science in so many aspects of their lives. As we in the science center community strive to transform “I don’t get it” into understanding, we need the scientists themselves to help us open more minds to all that science can offer and to instill greater confidence in the scientific process itself.

As respected members of their communities, science centers are well equipped to tackle science-based global issues in ways that are locally relevant. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) outline some of the most critical issues facing the world today, many of them with a basis in science: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development. With the 2015 deadline to achieve the MDGs approaching, science centers across the world are addressing these global issues within their local communities.

Contents
• Ideas Changing Minds: Science Centers and the Millennium Development Goals, by Jan Vandemoortele
• Declaration of Science Center and Museum Leadership Worldwide to the MDG Summit (PDF, 432 KB)
• Voices of Support for Science Centers, by David Dickson, Lidia Brito, Mohamed H.A. Hassan, and Luisa Massarani
• From Congress to Summit, by Brenton Honeyman
• Thinking Globally, Working Locally at Gujarat Science City, by Narottam Sahoo
• Energy, Health, and Climate Change: A European Perspective, by Maria Xanthoudaki
• Climate Change: A Global Issue in Our Own Backyards, by Walter Staveloz, with Kate Crawford
• A “Glocal” Approach to a Climate Change Exhibition, by Elaine Reynoso Haynes
• Targeting Climate Change Initiatives to a Rural Community, by Stephanie Ratcliffe
• A Local Response to a Global Story: Demystifying the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, by Hela Sheth
• Tackling Tough Issues in Science Centers: Two Local Responses to HIV/AIDS, by Derek Fish, Graham Walker, and Barbara Streicher
• Raising Avian Flu Awareness in Indonesia, by Finarya Legoh

Download the full issue.

Subscribe/order back issues

Every summer, staff members at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center in Mobile, Alabama, get together to review weather disaster plans in preparation for a major hurricane. We look at our insurance policy, take down the tent in our courtyard, and get new batteries for our weather radios. During the past decade, the Gulf Coast has experienced many devastating hurricanes; Ivan, Dennis, and Katrina remain household names that evoke feelings of despair for homeowners and businesses in the region, particularly those that rely on tourism. This summer, however, staff members got together for a different reason. We met to discuss how our center could help to explain the science behind the oil spill that began after Deepwater Horizon, Transocean Ltd’s drilling rig licensed to BP, sank in the Gulf of Mexico on April 22.

No amount of disaster planning could have prepared us for the economic and environmental ramifications of this oil spill. It has affected everyone on the Gulf Coast, and our science center is no exception. We are experiencing declines in attendance and revenue due to far fewer tourists, which we rely on in the summer months. We are also struggling with the malaise of the local population, who are feeling unsure of the economy and are being more careful with discretionary spending. In spite of these difficulties, we are energized about the ways in which our science center can serve as a resource for this local issue that has become a global story.

The only science center serving southern Alabama, northwestern Florida, and southern Mississippi, the Gulf Coast Exploreum is located next to Mobile Bay, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Mobile Bay is on the edge of the Mobile–Tensaw River Delta, one of the largest intact wetland ecosystems in the United States. Because the delta is a melting pot of freshwater and marine ecosystems, it supports a phenomenal diversity of animals, including at least 126 species of fish, 40 species of mammals, 69 species of reptiles, 30 species of amphibians, and an untold host of insects. Sadly, as early as June, tar balls washed up on our pristine beaches and oil slicks were spotted in the bay.

As soon as the oil started spilling into the Gulf, we discussed how we could help. The spill’s evidence in Mobile Bay further galvanized our focus on helping visitors better understand the science behind the spill. We began showing live video of the oil spill and performing daily demonstrations in our chemistry laboratory, the BASF Lab. Our demonstration illustrates how oil and water interact based on their scientific properties and shows the effects of dispersants on the oil–water combination. Staff members also explain how skimmers scoop the oil into containment tankers, how booms prevent oil from passing through, and how sorbents act like giant oil-absorbing cotton balls. The demonstrations have received a lot of attention. In fact, one Coast Guard member said our demonstration was the best explanation his child has received about his work in the Gulf. Several local news stations have also filmed the demonstration to illustrate how visitors are learning about the spill.

The oil spill demonstration discusses the short-term environmental consequences, but as a science center, we also want to address the long-term ramifications for biodiversity. Therefore, we partnered with the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, which has an engineering center in Mobile, and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to bring their international See the Bigger Picture exhibition to the Exploreum in September 2010. The exhibition features images from a worldwide photo contest on biodiversity. In May, along with Airbus and local partner Calagaz Photo, we also launched a Gulf Coast version of the contest for children ages 6 to 14 to submit a photo that showcases the region’s biodiversity. We are using this opportunity to discuss the importance of preserving the Gulf’s delicate ecosystems, including the biodiversity-rich wetlands, in the midst of what many are calling the greatest environmental disaster in U.S. history.

We are involved in other spill-related efforts, as well. We are working with local, state, and federal officials to monitor the spill’s effect on tourism and its impact on our attendance. We are also in communication with other nonprofit and volunteer organizations to assist with the cleanup efforts. For example, we offer discounts on facility rentals for fund-raising events, we donate admission tickets to silent auctions, and our center is available as a drop-off location for supplies.

Like the notorious hurricanes in this region, the situation with the oil spill changes on a daily basis. Here at the Gulf Coast Exploreum, we will serve as a leader in the community to provide scientific context now and in the months and years of recovery efforts ahead.

Hela Sheth is director of marketing and public relations at Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, Mobile, Alabama.

About the image: A student adds a dispersant to oil and water during the oil spill demonstration. Photo courtesy the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center

The summit atmosphere was highly charged. Governments and individuals were represented in every conceivable form. And the rooms were filled with answers waiting to be provided. Lacking all too often, however, were the right questions that might steer the process toward decisions to serve the greatest global good. Confounded by the sheer complexity of the process, our team undertook an initiative virtually unique to the UN system at the time. In the midst of high-level negotiations, we convened a series of tutorials and workshops on the underlying scientific principles of the issues before us.

Every day, people all over the planet face challenges rooted in scientific principles. Decisions critical to the health and well-being of entire populations depend upon an understanding and appreciation of scientific complexity on a global scale.

Perhaps more than ever before, we are recognizing the interconnectedness of global and local issues. The consequences of today’s challenges reach well beyond afflicted regions, and regardless of the challenge, there is nearly always a local example or action that can inspire the greater good.

We should never underestimate the role of science centers and museums as informational platforms within their local communities. Science centers can inspire timely, responsible action by citizens in the face of challenges (or prospective opportunities). More and more ASTC-member institutions are offering activities to inform and educate visitors, from explanations of global processes to local community dialogues or citizen science projects. Education and information exchange have the potential to combat paralysis or complacency in the face of a seemingly overwhelming number of issues impacting quality of life.

Over the past two decades, the UN has drawn attention to some of the most critical issues facing the world, many of which require science understanding and local action. UNCED in 1992 was a milestone in our appreciation of all aspects of environmentally sustainable development. In 2000, the 189 UN member states adopted the Millennium Declaration, calling for global commitment to measurable targets (Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs) for combating extreme poverty and hunger, and promoting gender equality, education, health, and environmental sustainability. (Click here for the list of MDG indicators.)

Achieving progress on these objectives is a daunting task. The UN has agreed to convene a “Rio+20” Earth Summit in 2012 to address sustainable development, the green economy, energy, climate, biodiversity, and food and water resources. The UN will also convene an MDG Summit in September 2010 in New York City “to galvanize commitment, rally support, and spur collective action in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.”

At the time of UNCED, it was well understood and articulated that education is essential to knowledge and action in these critical arenas. Yet informal science education and science centers were not highlighted in any significant way. Our field has made great progress in addressing these issues since that time, adding tremendous value to public understanding and action on these topics. Our coordinated efforts are reflected in ASTC’s International Action on Global Warming (IGLO) initiative; the Action on Climate Change through Engagement, Networks, and Tools (ACCENT) project; the European Network of Science Centres and Museums (Ecsite) Nature Group addressing biodiversity; and many other initiatives. We should aim to ensure that the science center field receives appropriate recognition at Rio+20 for the valuable role our institutions play in educating and fostering action to support the UNCED agenda.

The Millennium Declaration and the MDGs also correspond closely with the priorities of science centers and museums worldwide. Support for the MDGs is a principle set forth in the Toronto Declaration endorsed by participants in the Fifth Science Centre World Congress in June 2008. For this reason, science centers and museums will take the opportunity of this upcoming MDG Summit to highlight our institutions’ role in advancing education and public engagement concerning the MDGs.

ASTC has drafted a Declaration (PDF, 432 KB) to the MDG Summit, embraced by science centers and museums worldwide, urging strong endorsement and support at national, regional, and global levels to enable science centers and museums to inform, educate, and engage the public even more deeply in these critical issues. In addition, on September 21, 2010, ASTC, with support from the other science center networks, will hold a side event in New York City at the occasion of the MDG Summit. This event demonstrates our commitment to support achievement of the MDGs through informal science education and public engagement with science. This is the first time ASTC will bring together UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and science centers to discuss cooperation on global issues. To download a PDF about this event, click here.

This issue of ASTC Dimensions highlights how small science centers generate outsized impacts in their local communities and beyond. For the purposes of this issue, we define a small science center as one with 25,000 square feet or less of interior exhibit space, or an operating budget of U.S.$2.5 million or less. Though small centers must contend with limited space, resources, and staff, these challenges also bring benefits, including the ability to be flexible and innovative, and opportunities to connect with audiences on a personal level.

Contents
• Big Educational Impact, Small Programming Resources, by Ilene Frank
• The House of Experiments: Where the Sky Is the Limit, by Miha Kos
• A Small Science Center’s Impact on Students’ Interest in Science, by Charlie Trautmann
• Science Alive! in New Zealand and Beyond, by Neville Petrie
• Repeat Engagement for Visitors, by Emily O’Hara and Beth Krusi
• On a Human Scale: The Impacts of Size at Explora, by Armelle Casau and Betsy Adamson
• Revitalizing a Museum from the Ground Up, by Rachel Meyer
• Leading and Implementing Innovation in Small Science Centers, by Ronen Mir
• Small Gems, by Ann Fumarolo
• Small Science Centers at a Glance, by Christine Ruffo
• Making the Most of Collaborations, by Diane LaFollette, Beth Murphy, Kelly Finnerty, Sonya Darter, and Meadow Jones

Download the full issue.

Subscribe/order back issues

Exhibit evaluation is at the heart of our efforts. In 2004 and 2005, with the support of the U.S. National Science Foundation, we worked with researchers from Dartmouth College Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences to record and videotape visitor interactions at our exhibits. (See www.montshire.org/dminstitute/conversations.html.) That research pointed to strategies that can enhance conversations, such as including isolated areas for some exhibits, having visitors face each other when using an exhibit, providing seating that can be comfortably used by both children and adults, and writing labels to help adults understand their role when investigating exhibits with their children. These strategies have become a standard part of our exhibit design process.

During the creation of new exhibits, prototyping is done early and often. Our status as a small museum gives us an advantage, as repeat visitors are eager to be involved. Our volunteer explainers and front desk staff report that visitors point to finished exhibits and express pride that they helped in their creation.

To evaluate existing exhibits, we use simple observation and short interviews. For example, we observed that the “feeding chamber” in our Leafcutter Ant colony was inspiring many visitor conversations. We plan to further encourage conversations by doubling the chamber’s size to allow multiple visitors to view it simultaneously.

Our commitment to serving our rural community has inspired us to continually improve our exhibits, ensuring that they engage our repeat visitors and enhance their museum experience.

Emily O’Hara is education associate and marketing assistant and Beth Krusi is director of marketing and communications at the Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Vermont.

About the image: AirMaze is part of the AirPlay exhibition, which was designed, prototyped, and fabricated by the Montshire Museum. Photo courtesy the Montshire Museum of Science

As a new participant in the fascinating world of science centers and museums, I have quickly come to see the breadth of impact that our institutions can (and do) offer. ASTC’s 582 member organizations come in all sizes and span 45 countries on six continents. We estimate that there are more than 80 million visits to our facilities each year.

ASTC member institutions worldwide are strengthening the environment for learning and applying science, and they are engaging visitors of all ages in critical societal issues where science understanding is essential. They are making global issues real and relevant within communities, and they are helping their visitors—young and old alike—see themselves as part of a larger community of global citizens. This is at the heart of the vision ASTC members share, to be viewed as essential elements within their communities.

As ASTC’s CEO, I want to work especially hard to ensure that our members are regularly recognized for their valuable contributions to STEM education and to public engagement in complex scientific issues in society today. Above all, your Association must be your strongest advocate.

And advocacy does not rest with today’s successes.  We will explore the many ways in which ASTC members can contribute even more to the understanding and engagement of their communities in science-based issues, locally and globally.  ASTC members in the United States, for example, will have the opportunity to participate in a new ASTC-sponsored Youth Inspired Challenge, contributing to a Presidential campaign to make science learning a cornerstone of youth development.  At the same time, ASTC has taken the lead in preparing a global declaration calling for greater commitment to informal science education, for consideration at the upcoming UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals. 

ASTC will bring its unique membership and mission into partnerships and alliances with many other organizations around the world that strive to meet the public’s need for science understanding and education. Together, our organizations can serve as critical agents of change on key issues. 

As you, our members, strive to serve your communities with enriching and enjoyable experiences, ASTC is committed to providing you with a comprehensive portfolio of valuable supporting services. Whether by compiling and disseminating information on relevant practices or exploring creative new concepts in workshops, online programs, publications and retreats, our goals will be to help individual professionals acquire the skills necessary to administer programs efficiently and to enable member institutions to navigate successfully through the challenges of changing times and circumstances.  Perhaps most importantly, ASTC is committed to providing our members with vision, direction, and inspirational leadership by anticipating trends, inspiring new approaches, and helping our members to prepare for opportunities and challenges as yet unforeseen.

We look forward to seeing all of our members in Honolulu, October 2 to 5, at the ASTC Annual Conference—which is, and always will be, a unique opportunity to renew contacts and shared experiences.  In order for ASTC to serve you best, I hope you will not wait for this annual event, however, to share with me your hopes, needs, and thoughts on how ASTC can support you in your individual missions.   

I am extremely excited to be part of the great work performed by all of our ASTC members—large and small.  The journey of discovery may be endless, but it can be made to be enjoyable at every step.  I am reminded of a quote from author Isaac Asimov (who, I am told, wrote more science nonfiction than fiction):

“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…’”

The United Nations has declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. Defined as the variety of life on Earth, biodiversity refers not only to the world’s diverse array of species, from animals to plants to micro-organisms, but also to the genetic variation within species, and the ecosystems where species live and interact. Whether through exhibitions, workshops, outreach programs, community partnerships, or Public Participation in Scientific Research projects, science centers can play an important role in increasing public understanding of biodiversity, its value, the threats it faces, and what can be done to help.

Contents

• Biodiversity: Time for Action, by Gérard Cobut
• The Calumet Environmental Education Program: A Model for Science Learning, by Kirk Anne Taylor
• An Oasis in the City: Tokyo’s Institute for Nature Study, by Miki Takahashi
• Variety is the Spice of Life: Biodiversity and its Conservation as a Basic Commitment, by Francisco J. Franco del Amo and Francisco Armesto Ramón
• Biodiversity in China, by Frances Leung
• Lessons from the Tree of Life, by Jane Pickering and Ellen Giusti
• Partnering for Conservation in the Solomon Islands, by Brian Weeks, Catherine Smith, and Eleanor Sterling
• Grassroots Gardening, by Jenny Fortier and Dana Murchison
• Making Big Abstract Science Accessible, by Marilyn Hoyt and Dan Wharton
• Public Participation in Scientific Research

Download the full issue.

Subscribe/order back issues