Association of Science and Technologies Centers

United States Releases New Federal STEM Education 5-year Strategic Plan

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Earlier today the U.S. National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) released the new U.S. Federal STEM Education 5-year Strategic Plan. Click here to download your copy. This new strategic plan lays out the topline vision of “a future where all Americans have lifelong access to high-quality STEM education and the United …

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Science Museum of Minnesota Is Still In

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By Pat Hamilton From Dimensions November/December 2018 Something momentous happened on December 12, 2015. After years of negotiations, 197 nations came together in Paris and agreed by voice acclamation to the world’s first binding commitments to fighting climate change. Then something alarming happened on June 1, 2017. President Trump announced that he was withdrawing the …

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ASTC, Members Join “We Are Still In” U.S. Climate Action Movement

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ASTC is proud to be part of the ever-growing We Are Still In coalition supporting climate action, an alliance of U.S. cultural institutions, businesses and investors, cities and counties, colleges and universities, faith groups, health care organizations, states, tribes, and other non-federal actors. We Are Still In, at nearly 3,600 signatories, demonstrates America’s enduring commitment …

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Q&A with Ed Yong

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Interviewed by Susan Straight This interview appeared in the November/December 2018 issue of Dimensions magazine. Ed Yong is an award-winning science writer for The Atlantic magazine. His work has appeared in National Geographic, the New Yorker, Wired, Nature, New Scientist, and Scientific American. He is originally from the United Kingdom but currently lives in Washington, …

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The Place of Soft Skills in Informal Science Learning

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By Lesley Markham From Dimensions November/December 2018 Why is it important for science center and museum professionals to cultivate soft skills? What is their relevance to our work and to the wider informal science learning field? For more than a century, researchers have recognized that soft skills—critical thinking, communication, and creativity—are as valuable as technical …

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Dimensions, November/December 2018—Beyond STEM: 21st-century Skills

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IN THIS ISSUE November/December 2018 General skills, soft skills, 21st-century skills: simple names for critical proficiencies. They include communication, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, curiosity, cultural competency, caring, empathy, the ability to listen, and the capacity to support and be supportive of colleagues and mentors. Whether we excel at them or are only just starting to …

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Praise for Soft Skills

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By Cristin Dorgelo In this issue, we explore 21st-century skills,often called general skills or soft skills. To thrive in today’s workforce, and to play a part in solving the tough challenges facing society, each of us must develop and demonstrate curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, persistence, and teamwork. As science center and related industry professionals, most …

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ASTC Staff’s Commitment to Embrace and Prioritize Diversity, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Equity

/ ASTC News & Announcements, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion / By

During this period of strategic change for our membership association, ASTC has prioritized expanding the scope and impact of our shared diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity efforts. All members of our staff and board are active in this process, and the following is an update on our journey. I invite you to follow along through …

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Announcing a Collaborative Project Management Opportunity

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Applications closed Monday, December 10, 2018, at 11:45 p.m. ET   Leading complex, diverse, multi-organizational teams working to broaden participation in STEM is a challenging mission with potentially life-changing outcomes. Having a plan doesn’t mean a project will be successful. Individuals and organizations are diverse in their experience, cultural perspectives, personal motivations, and priorities. Properly …

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Dimensions, September/October 2018—Broadening Participation

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IN THIS ISSUE September/October 2018 The articles in this issue feature organizations and individuals who have worked to broaden participation in some way. Broadening participation is widely regarded as a worthy goal in our industry, but to what end? Why does broader participation matter? It matters because we need the best innovators, nurses, and engineers. …

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Access Isn’t Enough

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By the Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education’s Broadening Participation Task Force From Dimensions September/October 2018 There is widespread agreement about the urgent need to broaden the diversity of people who participate in, contribute to, and benefit from science, technology, engineering, and math—the disciplines collectively known as STEM. Nondominant populations in the United …

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A Place at the Table

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By Cristin Dorgelo The theme of this issue is “Broadening Participation.” What we at ASTC mean when we talk about broadening participation is our commitment to increasing diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity in all aspects of our work—paramount values in our increasingly connected global society. Our field has made strides in offering inclusive opportunities in …

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ASTC Staff Begin a Journey with Cultural Competency Conversations

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By Gwen Crider In January 2017, ASTC launched Cultural Competency Conversations (C3), a journey through which ASTC staff could increase their understanding of cultural differences and grow their cultural competency skills. While some structured learning sessions were included along the way, the team wanted to learn directly from those with different lived experiences. Instead of …

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One Planet: Building a Better World

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By Maarten Okkersen From Dimensions July/August 2018 One Planet at the Museon, Netherlands’ premier museum for science and culture in The Hague, is a new, action-oriented exhibition that shows real solutions for solving the great global issues currently facing humankind. The exhibition fulfills the Museon’s role, as an official partner of the United Nations, to …

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A Daring Vision

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By Cristin Dorgelo Our global community is three years into an ambitious agenda. On September 25, 2015, the 193 countries of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development Agenda titled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” The agenda includes 17 goals with 169 specific actions, or targets. These goals, known …

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Dimensions, July/August 2018—Are You Ready for 2030?

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IN THIS ISSUE July/August 2018 The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (also known as the Global Goals) are the ambitious targets set by UN member countries in 2015 to guide Earth to a better future. The world’s deadline is 2030 to achieve them. Here is a quick overview of each. They include: No Poverty; Zero …

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Q&A with Chris Hadfield: The Future of Space Exploration

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Interviewed by Susan Straight This interview appeared in the July/August 2018 issue of Dimensions magazine. Commander Chris Hadfield, astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station became an internet sensation for his YouTube videos of life in microgravity as well as for his album, Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can, recorded onboard the …

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Q&A with Ellen Stofan: New Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

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  Interviewed by Susan Straight This interview appeared in the May/June 2018 issue of Dimensions magazine. Ellen Stofan, the former chief scientist of NASA, recently accepted the position of John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Stofan spoke with Dimensions about her new role and why the …

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