Where are those sources of imaginative innovation today? Where is the counterbalance to the apocalyptic tones of so many writers (and game designers) and the scientific skepticism and innovation risk aversion emerging in the general public?

Stephenson makes a call to his fellow SF writers for a more exciting, inspirational “Big Stuff Gets Done” approach to science literature. I see clear parallels in the work of our science centers and museums. Our ability to present the facts of science is not in question, and our desire to inspire generations of interest in science is understood. But are we featuring the risk-reward ratio of science as it applies to innovation or that unpredictable journey (complete with occasional dead-ends) from research to new exciting technologies?

ASTC is taking on this challenge with the formation of a new thought group specifically designed to promote more innovation-related themes in our science centers and museums—not just the advent of new gadgets, but the inspirational pathways that make this innovation possible. There is a changemaker in all of us, and society has come to count on this quality to meet our basic needs, enliven our lives, and confront our greatest global challenges.

Innovation starts with “tinkering,” and this is frequently well featured in many of our institutions. And yet, somehow, resistance to and trepidation about change can creep into our collective mindset. Let’s find ways to quell that notion and give our youth a future of “techno-optimism” not “techno-phobia.” To learn more about the new innovation thought group, contact Kate Crawford.

In a relaxed venue, this diverse group explored the science issues that are most vexing in our world today and the topics only just visible on the edges of the horizon. The group examined, as well, the constantly changing ways in which the public obtains (and retains) science information now and in the foreseeable future.

In this, my first opportunity to participate in the annual event, I offered information about how science centers and museums engage our communities in science and educate and inspire our youth. As the discussion proceeded, I could see the illuminating “light bulbs of understanding” in the room about the many ways in which science centers and museums can integrate with other forms of science learning to excite audiences. I, too, came away with intriguing new ideas about blended approaches to science learning.

But one message emerged perhaps most clearly in all of the discussions. While these many approaches to science learning may at times appear unpredictable or maybe even chaotic, today’s growing “Wikipedia culture” is generally comfortable with this fluidity. Our field does remarkably well in capturing this dynamic as we design our science center and museum activities.

As if there were any doubts that the simplest and most unpredictable of tools have the potential to yield the greatest impact, I attempted to dazzle my colleagues at the retreat by concluding my presentation with a brief discussion of the two-minute video of the “quantum levitation” demonstration by Tel Aviv University researchers at the 2011 ASTC Annual Conference in Baltimore this past October. This video received an astounding 5 million views in its first week on YouTube and was subsequently featured in international media (providing excellent publicity for ASTC, I might add.)

I was taken by the fact that so many in the group were already familiar with this arcane area of physics. Why? Because, as it turns out, nearly 90% of the august attendees at this event in the beautiful Colorado mountains had already seen the YouTube video themselves!

As I reflect on my experience at 6SCWC, I would like to make both an observation and an affirmation concerning our field today. I have observed that we often describe the common thread of our work as providing experiential learning environments, while viewing our endeavors to embrace cultural diversity as a subset of these efforts.

While I do not diminish the significance of this common theme, I feel that 6SCWC did a marvelous job in “inverting” the emphasis, demonstrating how we can engage diverse cultures first and foremost, with science and learning playing a vital role in strengthening these cultures. Included in this message is the value of cross-cultural understanding, the relevance of Indigenous knowledge, and the importance of ancient science to us now and in the future.

My second point is an affirmation of our field’s work to engage the public on vital (if sensitive) topics, with respect for wide-ranging worldviews. Years ago, while working in Paris, I was visited by a team of legal experts whose mission was to learn the varied public perspectives on the then-emerging field of genetics and biotechnology. With tremendous foresight, this group recognized that navigating the provocative issues raised by this new field would depend not solely upon “hard science,” but also upon diverse societal and cultural orientations.

I am delighted that, in exactly this spirit, a newly formed Community of Practice on Public Engagement in Science will explore best practices and challenges in engaging diverse communities in myriad issues at the intersection of science and society. Many thanks to the science center leaders who are forming this group, one of the growing number of professional development tools offered by ASTC. For more information, contact ASTC’s Laura Huerta Migus.

More than ever, though, our local leaders are recognizing that lasting and positive policies require not only scientific rigor and integrity, but also transparency and determined efforts to build and retain public trust—which begins with a fundamental public grasp of the science in the policies.

Science centers and museums strive to be valued learning environments and trusted platforms for engagement between citizens, scientists, and decision makers. From our perspective, we may feel a growing confidence that we are serving these needs in our local communities. Yet, this perspective may not be entirely recognized by key stakeholders and decision makers who are charged with representing the public’s best interests on these critical issues.

Within the very communities that we serve, our local leaders are tackling wide-ranging, interrelated challenges—greener cities; sustainable energy and transport systems; land and water use; health and wellness in diverse populations; innovations for progress, security, and education; and more—all embracing key aspects of science and technology.

On these topics, we have an opportunity not just to inform, but to be enormously proactive in bringing local actors together around issues of science, commerce, culture, and public policy. We should envision science centers and museums as the brokers and the builders of alliances between policymakers and the publics that they serve.

ASTC is committed to helping our members worldwide achieve their goals, by equipping individual professionals with essential skills, providing member institutions with valuable information and perspectives, and linking our members to one another.

With this mission in mind, we proudly launched the newly redesigned Dimensions magazine with our July/August 2011 issue. We hope you’ll find the new magazine to be even more relevant, readable, and attractive.

In January, we conducted a survey of Dimensions readers. You told us you wanted a greater focus on best practices and practical information. You’ll now find more of both within the magazine’s pages. You said you wanted additional guidance on addressing current issues. In the July/August edition, for example, we feature the topic of financial viability and how to navigate challenging times. You also asked for content that more fully represents science centers and museums of all sizes, staff at all levels, and local contexts around the world. To aid us in our constant effort to showcase the varied voices from our diverse membership, we’ve added several new departments:

1) Viewpoints highlights readers’ responses to questions of interest to our field. These discussions continue on our website and Facebook page.

2) What We Learned presents lessons learned from projects in exhibit development, education, finance, and/or operations.

3) Q&A features interviews with intriguing people from all levels of science center and museum staff, as well as people in related fields.

4) Inbox (letters to the editor) will appear beginning with our September/October 2011 issue. Please email us your thoughts on Dimensions articles or the new redesign (subject line: Inbox).

Keep an eye on the Dimensions webpage in the coming months as we add more content to support the magazine, including extended content for departments, online discussions, and an archive of back issues.

We are also exploring a new approach to distribution. Any paid staff member at an ASTC-member institution can now request a free subscription to either the print or electronic edition of Dimensions at myASTC. Please spread the word to your colleagues. (Nonmembers are welcome to subscribe to Dimensions; click here for more information.)

We hope you enjoy the new and improved Dimensions. We look forward to hearing from you.

Fortunately, our field is remarkably generous with sharing its successes. In fact, some institutions are already exchanging information on their best practices through the Teacher Educator Network, the Youth Program Network, and other groups.

So how can we ensure that these practices achieve the widest possible distribution among our many members? We at ASTC plan to organize association-wide “communities of knowledge and practice” with precisely this objective in mind. With the support of the ASTC leadership and field development committee, we will begin work on convening these communities in mid–2011.

We envision these communities to take several forms. Through facilitated online programs, open exchanges using social media tools, key articles in ASTC publications, planned sessions and tracks at conference, and more, we are planning a more purposeful effort to share the experiences of our field. I anticipate that these communities might embrace at least three levels of information exchange for members.

First, we would like to expand the communities that already exist around topics like youth development programs, teacher training, and facilitated community dialogues. Second, we will certainly form communities of practice around essential science center operations, including exhibit design, education, floor management, and volunteerism. Third, I look forward to the establishment of communities designed to explore collectively those topics and practices that still lie over the horizon. It will be important to engage our diverse membership broadly in these strategic discussions.

One of the most challenging, yet interesting, elements of what we do as an association is to try to bring the very best of our field to the very largest component of our membership. I believe that we can best achieve this goal by working diligently to identify and share all of the wisdom and experience that have already made our member institutions so valuable within their communities. My thanks to all of you for your great work and for your contributions to ASTC’s professional development agenda.

The protagonists in this debate charge that science educators today spend far too much time on “what we know” and perhaps too little time on “how we have come to know.” They caution against the implication that scientific principles require no context—that they somehow exist in the absolute.

There is no debate that science is rooted fundamentally in objectivity, logic, and coherence. Still, I share the view that there is a case to be made for exploring the winding path by which individuals (and societies) ultimately acquire their understandings of science.

History shows us that science has, in fact, evolved in ways that often appear to defy logic, lack coherence, and are in a perpetual state of redefinition. Arguably, it is when we have challenged assumptions, when we have experimented and failed, and when we have applied our own unique perspectives that we have seen the greatest breakthroughs in scientific understanding and its application.

We are both the beneficiaries of all of the science learning that has preceded us and the forerunners of the many advancements in science understanding that are to follow. Science centers and museums offer a special opportunity to examine this continuum of scientific knowledge. More and more, our science centers are presenting wonderful displays of science as it was perceived, as it is currently understood, and how it may yet be envisioned in the future. This applies not just to the ever-emerging new applications of science, but also to the continuous refinement of the very scientific principles that we hold today.

Science centers should, of course, always strive to provide science that is accurate, thorough, and current. At the same time, I applaud the many ASTC-member institutions that present science with varying degrees of historical context, in programs and in exhibitions like Darwin, Islamic Science Rediscovered, and Invention at Play, among many others.

Through these presentations, we convey an important message that perspectives and context can indeed inform our scientific understanding and that the progressive accumulation of scientific knowledge is a winding road. The dynamic nature of science learning does not threaten the solid foundation of science, but rather deepens our appreciation of science as a human endeavor.

As you know, ASTC had serious concerns about two particular amendments to the CR (otherwise known as the Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011 or H.R. 1). The first, Amendment No. 35, was proposed by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ-5th) and would “reduce funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services by $265.8 million, eliminating funding for the agency.” The second, Amendment No. 471, was proposed by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA-6th) and would “prohibit funding in the bill from being used to fund non-federal museums.”

ASTC made a strong push to reach out to House leadership and key House Members to urge them to vote against these two amendments—and any others—that would damage the ability of science centers and museums to serve their communities, and I know a number of you responded to our call to action as well. I want to take this opportunity to thank all who assisted us in this effort, and I am pleased to be able to report that ultimately both amendments were withdrawn. As a result, neither amendment was included in the final House version of the bill, which was passed at 4:35 a.m. on February 19 by a 235–189 margin.

That bill, which contains $61 billion less than the FY 2010 federal funding levels and $100 billion less than the FY 2011 budget proposed by the President, now heads to the Senate, where it will be taken up next week. Clearly, there are very significant differences between the House bill and one that the Democratic-majority Senate would favor. Therefore, it is very possible that a compromise won’t be reached during the handful of work days that remain until the March 4 expiration of the current CR. Should that happen, possible scenarios include the passage of another temporary CR that could last a week or two (thereby buying more time to work out a compromise) or even a government shutdown.

ASTC will remain fully engaged on the CR and FY 2011 appropriations, and we will keep you informed of further developments and ways to stay involved. Thank you once again for your help with our advocacy efforts.

Amendment #471, filed by Rep. Robert Goodlatte (R-VA), would prohibit the use of funds provided by the bill to fund non-federal museums. This could formally be offered at any time, and is likely to be considered under terms of unanimous consent if not challenged.

Amendment #35, filed by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), would de-fund the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the remainder of FY11. This amendment no longer appears on the unanimous consent agenda, but it bears close attention nonetheless.

I want assure you personally that ASTC is intervening directly in person and in correspondence with legislators with points in support of our members and urging that these amendments be opened for floor debate.  In addition, I have attached an ASTC Press Release on the matter and several sample letters that were sent to House leadership. These are only a few of the many letters that we are sending today to key legislators, particularly those who shoulder the responsibilities for education and science and in whose districts our members are located.  Again, I would urge that you take just a few moments to call to seek the additional support of your Representatives for your institutions.  You can reach your Representative’s office by calling 202-224-3121.

Timing is important in this effort.  The House bill is now under review and could pass quickly.  In anticipation of an unfortunate passage of one or both of these amendments, we are also preparing a strategy of engagement with Senate leadership as they take up the bill next.  Please note that the House has already voted amendments that seriously diminish funds to other relevant agencies (including the National Endowment for the Arts), in amounts greater than those proposed in the President’s budget. 

The President’s budget includes strong support for science and for education, and these are areas in which our members provide high value. We will continue to work to ensure that ASTC members are recognized and supported for the full range of assets that they provide to communities that they serve.

Many thanks,

Bud Rock

In these and many other ways, science centers are overcoming barriers to extend their reach to audiences who don’t regularly visit. The challenges in reaching these audiences range from lack of interest or motivation to broader social, cultural, and economic dynamics. In each case, centers are challenged to meet audiences where they are—physically, culturally, and philosophically—and by extension, know themselves better as community institutions.

As we embark on the second decade of the ASTC Equity and Diversity Initiative, watch for new tools and programs that will move us toward our vision of ASTC members as models of inclusive institutions. Philosopher and educator John Dewey said, “Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination.” With a renewed commitment to engaging diverse audiences in the wonder of science, we can play a pivotal role in nurturing this audacity of imagination in all people.