In short, ASTC members will pack and ship donated exhibits and equipment to a designated warehouse in New Jersey—along with required documentation. Then HUCUS (Help Ukraine Center USA) will temporarily store the materials and load them into containers for transportation to Ukraine. The National Center “Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine” (JAS) will coordinate the receipt of the materials as humanitarian aid and will distribute within the country as appropriate. The only cost for ASTC members will be in getting the exhibits to the warehouse in New Jersey; HUCUS will pay for all other aspects of transport to Ukraine.
See complete details and links to the submission forms at www.astc.org/wsci.
The initiative follows on an agreement signed at the ASTC 2023 Annual Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina between ASTC, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and JAS.
Background
In October 2020, the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (JAS) opened a public science museum in Kyiv with a grand opening ceremony featuring the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Since that time, the museum has welcomed more than 250,000 visitors and was planning to establish similar spaces throughout the country. This included a new science and education center in Mariupol which was nearing completion—with many of the exhibits and equipment already delivered and waiting for installation. But in February 2024, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine included a siege and significant destruction in Mariupol, including the museum and its delivered exhibits.
Since the early days of the invasion, the JAS has been working to serve the Ukrainian population with science engagement opportunities, including the millions of Ukrainians who fled their homes to seek refuge in safer areas. Even as the war continues, the JAS is working to establish interactive science centers across Ukraine; several educational and science museum spaces have already been opened, with planning underway for more regional science centers.
To help equip these centers, the JAS began receiving donations of exhibits and educational materials, originally from more than 20 European organizations through a partnership with Ecsite. Now, WSCI extends this opportunity to science centers and museums in North America through a partnership with ASTC.
