ASTC 2024 Annual Conference
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Optional Events
Subject to Change
All Times CDT
This page includes additional events about optional events associated with the ASTC 2024 Annual Conference.
Please check back periodically as additional events and details will be added in the lead-up to conference.
- Friday, September 27, 2024
- Saturday, September 28, 2024
- Sunday, September 29, 2024
- Monday, September 30, 2024
- Tuesday, October 1, 2024
- Adopt-a-Beach Cleanup (volunteer with Alliance for the Great Lakes)
- Museum Experience Day
Friday, September 27, 2024
Preconference Intensives
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (half- and full-day; individual schedule varies)
McCormick Place and other locations
Preconference Intensives are a chance for conference attendees to participate in focused learning experiences on a single topic, as as to connect and network with peers with similar job roles and topics interests—before the start of the main conference. See complete information about this year’s Intensives.
Preconference Intensives have limited enrollment, require preregistration, and may require an additional fee.
Select as part of conference registration and pay any applicable fee.
Navigation and Networking Gathering
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
McCormick Place
Kick off your conference experience at the ever-popular Navigation and Networking Gathering event! Meet some of your fellow attendees, find out how to get the most out of your conference experience, and have a few snacks before heading to the Host Party at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
Open to all conference registrants; first-time attendees especially invited.
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Enjoy an evening of drinks, eats, and unique experiences at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry! Blast off in the newly renovated Henry Crown Space Center featuring the Apollo 8 capsule and the recently acquired SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft. Journey to the depths of the oceans in The Blue Paradox, where mind-blowing visuals convey the ocean plastic crisis and how we can address it. Explore Griffin Studio’s one-of-a-kind digital space, its premiere exhibition, Notes to Neurons, a multimedia experience that highlights the power of music in our lives. End your evening by testing your spy skills in 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond—the Museum’s newest temporary exhibition featuring gadgets and vehicles from the James Bond franchise.
For attendees age 21+
To attend the host party, be sure to purchase a ticket in advance as part of your conference registration (as supply lasts, tickets will be available for purchase at the registration desk at McCormick Place). Funds from registrant tickets will support ASTC’s New Leaders Fellowship Program.
Guest tickets for those not registered for conference are also available for purchase during registration or from the registration desk as supply lasts.
Buses will leave from Gate 3 at McCormick Place (behind the onsite registration area), starting at 6:30 p.m. Buses will return to the Convention Center, beginning at 9:00 p.m.
You are encouraged to pick up your badge before hopping on the bus to Griffin MSI. Ticket holders who are unable to pick up their badge should be prepared to show confirmation of purchase.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Exhibit Hall, McCormick Place
Seeding Action will host an informal showcase for planetary health efforts at this year’s conference. All conference attendees are invited to attend and share a poster, flyer, or other items as we exchange ideas and insights with others who are working to cultivate a culture of action for planetary health.
For more information and to express interest in sharing your organization’s work, please complete this form. Because space is limited, spots will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.
Gateway to Chicago Social Event
5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Exhibit Hall, McCormick Place
Before hitting the town, get a preview of some of Chicago’s culinary delights while you mix and mingle with other participants and exhibitors.
6:00 p.m. –
Throughout Chicago and surrounding areas
Explore some of what “Sweet Home Chicago” has to offer. Whether you want to take in a festival, tour, cultural, or sporting event, there’s something for everyone.
Our hosts have pulled together some suggestions of things to do while you’re in town, including on Saturday night.
Sunday, September 29, 2024
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Exhibit Hall, McCormick Place
Seeding Action will host an informal showcase for planetary health efforts at this year’s conference. All conference attendees are invited to attend and share a poster, flyer, or other items as we exchange ideas and insights with others who are working to cultivate a culture of action for planetary health.
For more information and to express interest in sharing your organization’s work, please complete this form. Because space is limited, spots will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.
A Night at the Museum: Field Edition
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Field Museum, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Experience a unique opportunity to explore the exhibits at the Field Museum, one of the largest natural history museums in the world. Enjoy light bites and drinks while you take in the sights including rare fossils, dazzling gemstones, world cultures, and more with your colleagues.
Free admission with your ASTC conference badge. Tickets are not required.
Please be aware that bus transportation will not be provided for Sunday evening’s event at the Field Museum, which is within a couple of miles of the convention center.
Soldier Field, which is located between McCormick Place and the Field Museum, is also hosting a Sunday afternoon football game that it likely to impact bus routes.
Here’s some of what you will be able to experience during “A Night at the Museum: Field Edition”:
- Crown Family PlayLab. Explore science through play! Designed for children between two and six years old, the Crown Family PlayLab is an interactive, hands-on space that brings learning to life! (Ground Level, East Hallway)
- N. W. Harris Collection and Educator Resources. Stop by and check out resources from the N. W. Harris Learning Collection, the museum’s oldest outreach program, which allows educators and parents to take real specimens and artifacts into their home or classroom. (Ground Level, East Hallway: Outside Crown Family PlayLab)
- Tea Activity. Which plants have medicinal uses? Stop by our table to smell herbs and plants that can cure our ailments before making your own tea bag to take home! (Ground Level, East Hallway: Outside Crown Family PlayLab)
- Grainger Science Hub. Explore specimens that are usually under lock and key. Get up close and personal with the Field Museum’s collection and learn about the work of our scientific staff. (Main Level, East)
- Field Trip Class Demonstration. Learn about the Pawnee people by stepping into a replica Earth Lodge in our Native Truths exhibit. Meet with Field Trip staff to learn more about how we engage young people in the space to think about the Pawnee in the past, present, and future. (Main Level, East (at exit of Native Truths exhibition): Pawnee Earth Lodge)
- Gallery Tours. Participants can pre-register during the event at the Information Booth located in Stanley Field Hall on the Main Level of the Museum. Please note capacity for tours is 25 participants and they are approximately 30 minutes. (Main Level, Stanley Field Hall. Meet your guide by the Information Desk.)
- Field Favorites. Explore how history, science, and community come together to make the Field Museum the dynamic institution it is today. (6:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.)
- Dinos and SUE. Take a trip through Evolving Planet to learn what a dinosaur is, what fossils can teach us about dinosaurs, and how to spot the dinos around us today. Get a special look at SUE and Chicago Archaeopteryx! (6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.)
- Norm the T. rex Facilitation. What can you learn about a T. rex by observing a replica skull? Notice the details that can tell a story of this carnivore’s life millions of years ago. (Main Level, Stanley Field Hall)
- Mobile Carts. Learn about our collection’s amazing specimens and what they can teach us about the world around us. (Main Level, Stanley Field Hall)
- Youth Initiatives. The Youth Initiatives team uses 3D printing to teach design skills and to make objects that accelerate learning in our natural history and anthropology lessons. Come check out our technology! (Main Level, Stanley Field Hall)
Monday, September 30, 2024
Community Meet-Ups
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Check the conference app to learn how you can meet up with others who share similar interests, job roles, and more.
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Margaret T. Burroughs (31st Street) Beach, 3100 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Join Alliance for the Great Lakes on the beach for an Adopt-a-Beach cleanup at Margaret T. Burroughs (31st Street) Beach! We will work together to remove litter from the shoreline and collect valuable data about what we are finding. These data help scientists study sources of pollution and help policy makers develop new programs and policies.
At the cleanup, Alliance for the Great Lakes staff will discuss the importance of the Great Lakes ecosystem, issues that impact this ecosystem such as plastic pollution, and how community science programs like Adopt-a-Beach play a role in addressing plastic pollution in the Great Lakes.
All cleanup supplies will be provided by Alliance for the Great Lakes. Please wear close-toed shoes, dress to be in the elements for a couple of hours, and bring a personal water bottle. We hope to see you on the beach!
No cost, but we ask you to register in advance so that the Alliance for the Great Lakes team can prepare.
Museum Experience Day
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Chicago-area museums
Chicagoland institutions are opening their doors to ASTC attendees! Visit these participating museums during Museum Experience Day and gain insight into what makes Chicago a hotspot for innovation in science engagement.
- Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (Host Museum) – open 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Adler Planetarium – open 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Chicago Children’s Museum – open 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Field Museum – open 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- International Museum of Surgical Science – open 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum – open 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Transportation Information
Buses will leave from Gate 3 at McCormick Place (behind the onsite registration area), starting at 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and run continuously. There will be two bus routes, either Route 1 or Route 2.
Once the shuttles leave McCormick Place, they will loop on their route between their museums and McCormick Place until 12:30 p.m. Free admission with your ASTC conference badge.
Route A Schedule
- Pick up at McCormick Place, Gate 3
- Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
- Field Museum
- Adler Planetarium
Route B Schedule – Gate 3, McCormick Place
- Pick up at McCormick Place, Gate 3
- Chicago Children’s Museum
- Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
- International Museum of Surgical Science
Among the special events that will be available during Museum Experience Day are the following:
Empowering Students and Teens to Embrace STEM
10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. (session repeated)
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Hear from experts from Chicago STEM-based community organizations that serve youth in this panel designed for emerging museum educators. Learn how these organizations have successfully made STEM relevant and engaging to traditionally underserved audiences. Panel discussion will include Q&A.
Capacity for this event is limited; please only RSVP if you plan to attend
Attendees will use the same transportation as the Museum Experience Day attendees. Please use the Route A buses.
ASTC 2024 attendees can show their conference badge for general admission. Please use the ground level Accessible Entrance. Be sure to check out the new Other Worlds exhibition to explore the planets of our Solar System and beyond.
OpenSpace: An open source space visualization platform for public audiences
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Adler Planetarium
Special session in the Grainger Sky Theater.
Niyah and the Multiverse
12:15 p.m.
ASTC attendees are also welcome to the 12:15 sky show Niyah and the Multiverse, an Afrofuturist journey through theories of multiple universes. Show writers and producers Ytasha Womack and Taylor Witten will attend to describe how this production came together.
Here’s some of what you can experience at the Field Museum on Museum Experience Day:
Discovery Squad Carts
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Main Level, Stanley Field Hall
Find carts in Stanley Field Hall to learn about our collection’s amazing specimens.
Gallery Tours
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Main Level, Stanley Field Hall
Guided tours are a perfect way to dig a little deeper during your visit, Meet your guide by the Information Desk for each of these tours:
-
- Field Favorites. Explore how history, science, and community come together to make the Field Museum the dynamic institution it is today.
- Dinos and SUE. Take a trip through Evolving Planet to learn what a dinosaur is, what fossils can teach us about dinosaurs, and how to spot the dinos around us today!
Grainger Digital Media Studio
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Upper Level, Northwest Corner
Meet members of the Youth Initiatives team and visit our space dedicated to teens and digital learning.
Grainger Science Hub
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Main Level, East
Discover specimens that are usually under lock and key. Get up close and personal with the Field Museum’s collection.
Crown Family PlayLab
10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Ground Level, East Hallway
Explore science through play! Designed for children between two and six years old, the Crown Family PlayLab is an interactive, hands-on space that brings learning to life! (Ground Level, East Hallway, 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
N. W. Harris Learning Collection
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Ground Level, West Hallway (near A. Montgomery Ward Hall)
Stop by the N. W. Harris Learning Collection and check out the museum’s oldest outreach program that allows educators and parents to take real specimens and artifacts into their home or classroom.
Archaeopteryx After Hours
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Upper Level, Evolving Planet and Balcony; Ground Level, James Simpson Theatre
Join us for an evening at the Field Museum, celebrating the Chicago Archaeopteryx. This ticketed event includes a Happy Hour with complimentary drinks and light bites, followed by a presentation by punk rock paleontologist, Jingmai O’Connor.
Learn about Archaeopteryx, the oldest known bird, from its initial discovery to its perch as the icon of evolution. Discover why, after 164 years of research on a dozen specimens, the Chicago Archaeopteryx (lucky #13) still has much to teach us about the biology of this iconic species and the transition from dinosaur to dinosaur-bird.
Visit fieldmuseum.org to purchase your ticket today!