On November 15, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Education announced that it has awarded Environmental Literacy Grants totaling more than $8 million to 17 institutions, including seven ASTC member museums, to engage the public in science education activities that improve understanding and stewardship of the local and global environment.

“NOAA is pleased to be working with such a dedicated and diverse group of science education institutions,” said Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “Our new investments strongly support NOAA’s efforts to encourage public stewardship activities and informed decision making. We are excited about the opportunity to work more closely with lifelong learners.”

ASTC-member recipients are:

• American Museum of Natural History, New York City: $826,112 for “Exploring Earth Systems: Expanding Data Visualization Experiences for Museum Learners”

• California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, and Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Colorado, in partnership with the University of Louisville, Kentucky: $1,248,123 for “A collaborative project: The Worldview Network: Ecological Literacy Programming for Digital Planetariums and Beyond”

• Exploratorium, San Francisco: $517,900 for “Embedding NOAA in a Public Learning Laboratory—The Environmental Scientist-In-Residence Program at the Exploratorium”

• Miami Science Center, Florida: $499,559 for “Hurricanes and Climate Change: Local Impacts and Global Systems”

• Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul: $500,001 for “Planet Earth Decision Theater”

• Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond: $295,202 for “Science on a Sphere—Earth Systems Display Center at Science Museum of Virginia.”

NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Grants program is a competitive U.S. national grant program focused on creating an environmentally literate public that uses a comprehensive understanding of the role of the ocean, coasts, Great Lakes, weather, and climate in the global ecosystem to make the best social and economic decisions. The program provides funding for an array of educational organizations that reach diverse audiences.

On September 4, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand. No fatalities have been reported, but there is extensive damage to homes and businesses in the region, including ASTC-member Science Alive.

Earlier this week, the Science Alive building was deemed safe and key staff returned to work. With no damage to exhibits, they had hoped to reopen the center to the public this weekend, but aftershocks have further damaged the building’s clock tower. The building is now completely closed and will remain so until an engineer’s report can secure the tower and guarantee its safety. In the meantime, the staff is looking into ways to continue operating their school outreach programs.

“We thank everyone for their support,” writes Science Alive CEO Neville Petrie. “Their messages are comforting, and it has reinforced the wonderful, friendly environment that exists in the science center movement.”

Update (September 20, 2010):

Neville Petrie reports, “Science Alive was closed for nine days while the building was checked over by engineers. We suffered extensive cracking in walls throughout the building, but this has not affected the strength of the main structure. The main concern was the cracking that occurred in the clock tower. Work has started on covering the damaged brickwork with large frames to prevent falling debris. This temporary measure will give engineers an opportunity to plan the major repairs that will be needed to restore the clock tower. The majority of the other damage is superficial, but it will take some time to repair, replaster, and repaint. We are hoping to get national TV coverage of the work beginning on the clock tower and hope to have a ceremonial restarting of the clock when that is complete. Our clock is one of two significant public clocks in Christchurch, so we think it could be a symbolic restart. We are hoping all this will encourage visitors to come in and see the earthquake exhibits that we have been able to get out on the floor and start to push up visitor numbers again.”

About the image: Science Alive’s clock tower was damaged by recent earthquakes.

April 22, 2010, marks the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, and science centers are joining the celebration with their own festivals, service projects, and even musical performances.

The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, is kicking off the week with their Earth Day Festival, April 17–18. Among the many activities offered, visitors will be able to check out the Academy’s electrofishing boat used by scientists to collect fish for study, meet local groups committed to protecting the environment, and practice digging a sediment core to read the history of pollution and climate change that’s written in the mud from a salt marsh.

Impression 5 Science Center, Lansing, Michigan, is coordinating a river clean-up day on April 18. After spending a few hours hard at work, participants will be invited back to the science center for demonstrations and workshops about the Grand River watershed.

Two museum celebrations will feature special musical performances as part of their Earth Day celebrations. On April 18, the Springfield Museums, Springfield, Massachusetts, will host The Boys of the Landfill, a bluegrass band that performs environmental songs. The following Saturday, Bash the Trash will perform an interactive show about the importance of recycling and the science of music at Maryland Science Center, Baltimore.

To learn more about Earth Day, visit www.earthday.org.

About the image: Participants in Impression 5’s 2009 river clean-up day learn about the Grand River watershed through a hands-on activity. Photo courtesy Lansing Board of Water & Light

On April 5, ASTC members brought hands-on science to the White House lawn during the annual Easter Egg Roll. Thousands attended the event, themed “Ready, Set, Go!” following U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to combat childhood obesity.

Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, California, ran a kite-making acitivity, to help kids learn about wind energy and flight. Volunteers helped students experiment with different designs and gave them tips to continue learning at home.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Washington, D.C., offered Science of Spring activities, inviting visitors to dissect green been seeds, look at them under a microscope, take beans home to plant, and document their progress online.

The National Children’s Museum, Washington, D.C., provided several health-related activities. Families were asked to contribute to a large-scale fabric mural by sharing their pledges to live a healthier lifestyle. To help them remember how to plan well-balanced meals and stay active, children were encouraged to make a “Healthy Food on My Mind” crown and decorate Frisbees.

About the image: Lawrence Hall of Science staff members and local D.C. volunteers at White House Egg Roll. Photo by Jason Meagher

On March 9 and 10, high school and college students from this decade’s four Olympic host countries—Canada (2010 Winter Games), the United Kingdom (2012 Summer Games), Russia (2014 Winter Games), and Brazil (2016 Summer Games)—gathered for a video conference sponsored by the Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, and the British Council to discuss the challenges of and potential solutions to climate change.

The event, entitled the Climate Change Exchange, was moderated by Nishin Nathwani, a high school student and human rights activist from Fergus, Ontario. He was joined by panelists from universities in each of the host countries and hundreds of people from around the world who watched the sessions live online. The students who participated not only heard from panelists, but also offered their own solutions, focusing on the importance of leadership to affect the sort of large-scale, legally binding regulations it will take to meet a challenge of this magnitude.

“The remarkable young people we have heard from over the past two days are true agents of change,” said Lesley Lewis, CEO of Ontario Science Centre. “They are responding to a real global environmental challenge and challenging us to develop solutions.”