During a day trip to New York City on March 29, U.S. President Barack Obama made an unscheduled stop at the American Museum of Natural History to tour the New York Science and Engineering Fair—his third science fair visit in recent weeks. As he examined projects including a bamboo bicycle and an exhibit on human-robot speech interaction, Obama told students, “There’s going to be a great demand for people with the skills you’re developing.”

In addition to his science fair drop-ins, the president has hosted several events, including a White House science fair, Astronomy on the South Lawn, and a meeting with Intel Science Talent student finalists, to encourage young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). ASTC, through its network of local science centers and museums and its Youth Inspired Challenge, is committed to doing its part to meet the president’s goal of strengthening STEM education. To learn more about the Youth Inspired Challenge, visit www.youthinspiredchallenge.org.

About the image: President Obama greets students at the New York Science and Engineering Fair. Official White House photo by Lawrence Jackson

Communities around the world are starting to notice climate changes that may affect their cultures, lifestyles, and economies. This year, Heureka, The Finnish Science Centre, Vantaa, and The Wild Center, Tupper Lake, New York, have brought members of their communities together to exchange experiences and discuss community learning and action on energy saving, climate issues, and “green” practices that support the regions’ commitment to sustainable tourism.

The project is supported by AAM’s Museums & Community Collaborations Abroad grant program. In November 2010, a team from Finland traveled to New York’s Tri-Lakes area to participate in two forums—the Adirondack Youth Climate Summit, where Heureka experience director Mikko Myllykoski was a presenter, and Wintergreen: A Conversation about the Future of Winter Recreation, Sports and Culture in the Adirondacks. On February 24, The Wild Center sent a team that included three high school students to Finland, where they met with the deputy mayor of Helsinki to discuss experiences developing low-carbon economies and a representative of the Ministry of Labour to discuss how to create jobs in rural areas. (Read more about the participants’ experiences in their blog.)

About the images: Finnish and U.S. community teams in the Adirondacks (top) and Finland. Photos courtesy the Wild Center

As part of its continued commitment to advocacy on global issues related to science and society, ASTC issued a statement on behalf of science centers and museums to the UN Commission on the Status of Women in preparation for its 55th session. In this session, which is being held in  New York City from February 22 to March 4, the Commission is considering as its priority theme “access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science, and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work.”

The declaration outlines science centers and museums’ commitment to and strength in providing equitable and accessible spaces for science learning, as well as the importance of informal science education environments as partners in the overall science learning landscape. ASTC submitted the declaration with the intent that governments will include its considerations in their policies and resource decisions. The full text of the declaration is available here (pdf, 427 KB).

About the image: A participant in Columbus State Community College’s English as a Second Language Afterschool Program at Providence Glen enjoys a field trip to COSI, Columbus, Ohio. Photo courtesy CSCC

On February 21, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand—the second major earthquake to hit the city in six months. ASTC-member Science Alive, damaged in the first quake on September 4, 2010, suffered additional damage to its building, but all staff and visitors were evacuated safely.

CEO Neville Petrie reports: “Science Alive withstood the quake with damage obvious under the steel framing and plywood that encased our clock tower after the first quake, but very little other damage. All staff were able to evacuate the tenants and visitors. We had no injuries, for which we are very grateful. It will be a long healing process. Financially this will be very hard for us. We were only just starting to return to our normal visitor numbers after six months of hard work, and we had some major exhibitions planned for later in the year and these plans will have to be reconsidered.

“We are encountering some severe aftershocks, some up to 5.7, making it very unnerving, and there was very little sleep last night. Geologists are saying this will continue for a while, so I anticipate that Science Alive is going to be closed for a while so that staff can clean up their homes, and then we will look at where we go from there.”

About the image: Following the September 4 earthquake, Science Alive’s damaged clocktower was encased in steel and plywood. The clock stopped when that first quake hit at 4:35 a.m. Photo by Flickr user Cafe Cecil

Thousands of scientists, educators, and decision-makers from around the world have converged on the U.S. capital this week for the 177th American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting. In honor of the conference, which explores “Science Without Borders” with representatives from more than 50 countries, ASTC invited participants to spend yesterday evening at the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences.

The crowd included representatives from diverse organizations interested in the role of science centers and museums in engaging the public in science, from the National Science Teachers Association to the Embassy of Sweden. After a welcome by Koshland Science Museum director Patrice Legro, ASTC CEO Bud Rock and Martin Storksdieck, director of the Board on Science Education at the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, led participants in a dialog on how science centers support the integration of informal learning into our lifelong learning paths.

The science center community aren’t the only ones celebrating science this week, though. AAAS will host its Family Science Days February 19 and 20 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. This community science showcase features a broad range of educators, including several ASTC members, working to promote an interest in science among the general public. The event is free and open to the public.

About the image: Bud Rock, Francis Eberle, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, and Martin Storksdieck attend the ASTC reception at the Koshland Science Museum.