ASTC Intensives
ASTC 2022 Annual Conference
September 12–15, 2022
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
ASTC Intensives are a chance for conference attendees to participate in focused learning experiences on a single topic, as well as to connect and network with peers with similar occupational and topical interests—before the start of the main conference.
All ASTC Intensives have limited enrollment, require preregistration, and have an additional fee.
Please note that you must be registered for the Annual Conference before signing up for ASTC Intensives.
Meaningful Makerspaces: Using Human-Centered Design to Create Mission-Driven Makerspaces from the Ground Up
Sunday, September 11, 2022
9:00 am – 5:00 pm ET
In this session, participants will use human-centered design to develop a mission statement for their makerspace, rather than having technology be the main influence, and how to determine what kind of technology to use in their space.
Presenters:
- Alana Baliga, Education/Outreach, Science Spectrum
- Jon Doctorick, Director of STEM Outreach Programs, Carnegie Science Center
- Liz Whitewolf, K-12 Education Director, The Fab Foundation
- Megan Galinsky, Science Spectrum
- Stephen Luciano, Fab Lab Technical and Education Manager, Carnegie Science Center
Track:
STEM Learning, Education, and Programs
Topics:
Design Thinking
Making and Tinkering
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Will be held at Carnegie Science Center Fab Lab. Fee: $150 per person.
Sustainability: Transforming Buildings in the Steel City to Provide High Quality Educational Experiences
Sunday, September 11, 2022
9:00 am – 1:00 pm ET
Through onsite visits to MuseumLab at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Science Center, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, participants will learn about strategies for balancing historic preservation with energy conservation, best practices for creating a healthy high-performing learning environment, and examples of design for increasing inclusivity and inspiration.
Full Description:
Pittsburgh is uniquely fortunate to be among an amalgam of architecture, offering countless ways in which we can communicate and coexist thoughtfully in respect to our resources as well as our neighbors. Discussing sustainability and its intent, new and old buildings alike can be equally realized as a city’s leading benefactor. Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh revived a century’s old library into the MuseumLab, first Universal Design certified building in the country. With respect to the building’s history and the city it hopes to elevate, the LEED Gold certified adaptive re-use honors inclusivity and a sustainable future, set to inspire and educate. The Carnegie Science Center expanded to deliver informal STEM education and career awareness programs through the new PPG Science Pavilion. LEED Gold certified, they are committed to green design, STEM education, and their community. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has been left under the radar, meeting seven of the highest green certifications, they are first and only building to achieve such standards. The Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL) at Phipps highlights the intersection between built and natural environments with their “living museum,” and demonstrating that human and environmental health are inextricably connected. The conflicting priorities of coexistence are intrinsic to the conversation of sustainability. As a city born on coal ash and steel, Pittsburgh is a quintessential candidate for this conversation.
Presenters:
- Bill Nichols, Director of Facilities, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
- Christen Cieslak, Vice President of Program Strategy & Impact, Pittsburgh 2030 District, Green Building Alliance
- Christine Koebley, Senior Director of Finance and Administration, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
- Kim Amey, Deputy Director, Carnegie Science Center
- Richard Piacentini, President and CEO, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Track:
Operations, Marketing, and Business Development
Topics:
Design Thinking
Sustainability
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Fee: $75 per person. Will be held at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Science Center, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Transportation will be provided.
The Landscape of Education for Climate Action
Sunday, September 11, 2022
9:00 am – 1:00 pm ET
In this interactive session, participants will learn about climate change education in the United States and discuss their role within this system and how to engage in new efforts to address the climate challenges within their communities.
Presenters:
- Deb Morrison, Climate Justice Learning Designer and Advisor, CLEAR Environmental
- Don Haas, Director of Teacher Programming, Museum of the Earth at the Paleontological Research Institution
- Frank Niepold, Education Coordinator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Jane Heinze-Fry, Former Special Program Director, Wade Institute for Science Education
- Sandra Ryack-Bell, Executive Director, Wade Institute for Science Education
Track:
STEM Learning, Education, and Programs
Topics:
Climate Change
Creating a Better Future
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Fee: $75 per person.
Co-designing Deliberative Events to Advance Community Priorities
Sunday, September 11, 2022
10:00 am – 4:00 pm ET
Dialogue & Deliberation can help communities make decisions and take action on issues at the intersection of science, society, and policy. Learn from your peers’ pilot collaborations, including how they attended to equity and navigated partnerships.
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Sponsored by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Presenters:
- Courtney Breese, Executive Director, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
- Nick Felts, Research Associate, Kettering Foundation
- Claire Dorsett, Associate Director of Strategic Content at Great Lakes Science Center
- Sophie Mueller, Innovation and Economic Development Coordinator, MidTown Cleveland, Inc.
- Amanda Fisher, Senior Manager of Programs, ASTC
- Laura Bartock, Community Science Fellow, ASTC
- Naomi Wallace, Manager of Impact Initiatives, ASTC
Track:
STEM Learning, Education, and Programs
Topics:
Community Impact
Partnerships
Building Bridges to the Future: Addressing the Leadership Challenges of Today and Tomorrow
Sunday, September 11, 2022
12:00 – 4:00 pm ET
This highly interactive session for senior leaders (CEOs, Executive Directors, C-Suite leaders, etc.) will present some of the toughest issues leaders face today. Lively discussions, solution room challenges, and “safe spaces” will be established to allow for small group peer-to-peer discussions on relevant topics.
Presenters:
- Christian Greer, President and CEO, Michigan Science Center
- Charles H. Trautmann, Director Emeritus, Trautmann & Associates
- Lesley Lewis, Principal, Lesley Lewis
- Heather Norton, Chief Science Officer, Discovery Place
- Kirsten Ellenbogen, President and CEO, Great Lakes Science Center
Track:
Leadership
Topics:
Rebuilding and Reimagining
Falling Forward
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Fee: $75 per person. Lunch will be provided.
Bio-Tinkering Bootcamp: Systems and Strategies for Creating Experiences that Support Creativity and Making with Biology
Sunday, September 11, 2022
2:00 – 6:00 pm ET
In this hands-on interactive session, participants will learn about and explore the emerging worlds of bio-making and biodesign; including opportunities to brainstorm with fellow participants and create using several different biological systems.
Presenters:
- Abbey Thompson, Director, Stanford @ The Tech, The Tech Interactive
- Anja Scholze, Program Director, Biology + Design, The Tech Interactive
- Caitlin Nealon, Life Sciences Experience Developer, The Tech Interactive
- James Wong, Content Specialist, The Tech Interactive
Track:
Exhibits, Experiences, and Technology
Topics:
Emerging Technology
Making and Tinkering
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Fee: $75 per person.
Designing for Empathy Lab
Sunday, September 11, 2022
2:00 – 6:00 pm ET
This interactive workshop will provide an overview for the “Designing for Empathy” frameworks where participants will create tools to facilitate conversations and evaluate how they can be adapted to make empathy-building experiences in your museum.
Presenters:
- Anne Fullenkamp, Senior Director of Creative Experiences, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
- Camilo Rojas, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, MIT Museum
- Elif Gokcigdem, Senior Public Affairs Advisor, King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture
- Jim Wharton, VP, Education, Mote Marine Laboratory
- Tom Rockwell, Associate Director of Program, Exploratorium
Track:
Exhibits, Experiences, and Technology
Topics:
Exhibit Design
Rebuilding and Reimagining
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Fee: $75 per person.
From Accommodations to Inclusion: Co-creating Maker Programs with and for Neurodiverse Youth
Sunday, September 11, 2022
2:00 – 6:00 pm ET
In this interactive workshop, participants will gain a better understanding of how to develop maker programming that is inclusive of neurodiverse audiences, including those on the autism spectrum, through discussions and the development of materials.
Presenters:
- Ariana Riccio, Researcher, Education Development Center
- Delia Meza, Director of Family Learning & Community Partnerships, New York Hall of Science
- Kavitha Murthi, Research Assistant, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development
- Samantha Tumolo, Makerspace Coordinator, New York Hall of Science
- Wendy Martin, Research Scientist, Education Development Center
Track:
STEM Learning, Education, and Programs
Topics:
Accessibility
Making and Tinkering
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Fee: $75 per person.
Science Communication and Engagement with Faith Communities
Sunday, September 11, 2022
2:00 – 6:00 pm ET
In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about the historical context of science engagement, how religion is relevant to public engagement with science, and programming on human origins that is inclusive of diverse faith perspectives.
Presenters:
- Briana Pobiner, Research Scientist and Museum Educator, National Museum of Natural History
- Robert O’Malley, Project Director, AAAS-DoSER, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Rachel Kline, Program Associate, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Track:
STEM Learning, Education, and Programs
Topics:
Community Impact
Diversity and Equity
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Fee: $75 per person.
Day at MuseumLab: A Creative Track of Interactive Sessions Outside the Conference Center (Session One)
Monday, September 12, 2022
1:30 – 3:30 pm ET
In this session, which will take place at MuseumLab, participants will choose from a suite of drop-in, interactive activities that showcase different ways of partnering with community members, artists, researchers, and more.
Presenters:
- Bridget Kiger-Lee, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh
- Deborah Coppula, Professional Development Specialist, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
- Mary Henjes, Metals Mentor, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
- Peter Wardrip, Assistant Professor of STEAM Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Tress Belesi, Learning & Research Associate, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Track:
Exhibits, Experiences, and Technology
Topics:
Social Justice
Visitor Experience
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Will be held at MuseumLab. Fee: $10 per person.
Day at MuseumLab: A Creative Track of Interactive Sessions Outside the Conference Center (Session Two)
Monday, September 12, 2022
3:30 – 5:30 pm ET
How can you infuse art and making into your work? Be inspired with creativity as you engage in hands-on, interactive activities and learn by doing at this session, which will take place off-site at MuseumLab.
Presenters:
- Elizabeth Kollmann, Manager, Research and Evaluation, Museum of Science
- Gabrielle Rappolt-Schlichtmann, Executive Director & Chief Scientist, EdTogether
- Kay Shabbaz, Youth Mentor, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
- Rebecca Grabman, MAKESHOP Manager, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
- Zainab Adisa, Learning & Research Associate, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Track:
Exhibits, Experiences, and Technology
Topics:
Social Justice
Visitor Experience
Preregistration required. Limited capacity. Will be held at MuseumLab. No additional fee beyond Session One.