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2008 Conference

2008 ASTC Annual Conference
In the Public Eye—Science Centers at the Crossroads of Science and Culture
October 18–21, 2008
Hosted by the Franklin Institute
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Over 1,800 science center professionals from across the globe gathered in Philadelphia, October 18–21, for the 2008 ASTC Annual Conference. Over 140 conference sessions challenged participants to explore their responsibility to both their scientific and public constituencies and ask: What role do we play in reflecting or supporting the views of these communities? How do we mediate the relationship between science and public audiences? Keynote speaker Steven Berlin Johnson, a journalist, cultural critic, and Web developer, encouraged science centers to think across different scales and work to be places where new ideas can develop. Joe Palca, science correspondent for National Public Radio, moderated a plenary session, “The Global Discussion on Global Sustainability: Where Do Science Centers Fit In?” with panelists Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change, Lynne Cherry, author of numerous science books for young readers, and Philip C. Myrick, vice president of the New York-based Project for Public Spaces.

Audio recordings of most sessions can be purchased on CD from Convention Recordings International.

Session proposals for the 2009 ASTC Annual Conference are now being accepted. Proposals must be submitted by December 15, 2008.

2009 ASTC Annual Conference call for proposals Call for proposal information
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Latest ASTC Annual Conference Blog Posts

  • 1,800 from 31 countries attend ASTC 2008

    More than 1,800 science center professionals from 31 countries gathered in Philadelphia, October 18-21, for the 2008 ASTC Annual Conference. Over 140 conference sessions challenged participants to explore their responsibility to both their scientific and public constituencies. Keynote speaker Steven Berlin Johnson, a journalist, cultural critic, and web developer, encouraged science centers to become places [...]

  • Back to school

    Last year, ASTC members served millions of students through school outreach programs. That work continued this morning at the ASTC Annual Conference with an off-site session, Outreach Live. Presenters from around the region brought their science centers’ best outreach programs to the Friends Select School in Philadelphia for both students and museum colleagues. A roundtable discussion followed to review and evaluate [...]

  • Museums and the mind

    As advances in neuroscience reveal biological pathways underlying emotion, attention, and memory, how can science centers harness this new research to create effective museum experiences? In an October 19 session at the ASTC Annual Conference, Jayatri Das, senior exhibit and program developer at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, led a panel of experts in neuroscience, [...]

Read more in the conference blog.

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