By Jenni Martin, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose Success for museums in the 21st century depends on embracing organizational change to meaningfully connect with new and diverse audiences. But how do we do this? What strategies will be most helpful to ensure that our museums have the capacity and the know-how to effectively practice …
Organizational Change Toward Cultural Competency Read More »
As we approach International Science Center and Science Museum Day (ISCSMD), read about how The Franklin Institute is marking the occasion. Tell us how you plan to observe ISCSMD by emailing ASTC’s Walter Staveloz at wstaveloz@astc.org. This year for International Science Center and Science Museum Day (ISCSMD), The Franklin Institute is crafting our celebration around …
ISCSMD at The Franklin Institute Read More »
By John W. Jacobsen Excerpted from Dimensions May/June 2019 A museum aspires to impact its community, audiences, and supporters. In turn, the community, audiences, and supporters receive benefits from the museum. Impacts are the effects desired by the museum; benefits are what matter to the beneficiaries. The distinction is important. Both are end results, or …
Measuring Total Impact Read More »
By Emma Sussman Starr From Dimensions March/April 2019 KID Museum is a creative learning space dedicated to empowering the next generation to invent the future with creativity and compassion. Our prototype site on the first floor of a Montgomery County, Maryland, public library is a step toward the museum’s vision of a larger, permanent home. Founded seven …
Small Beginnings, Big Ambition: KID Museum Read More »
By Renata Moretti and Ennio Candotti From Dimensions March/April 2019 The idea of setting up a museum in the greatest forest on Earth—the Amazon rainforest—brought along with it some questions: How could the visitors really engage in exploration, make the visit their own, and have a transformative experience they would take away with them? With an annual budget of …
Amazonian Ideas on a Small Budget Read More »
By David A. Ucko From Dimensions January/February 2019 Science centers may seem commonplace today. However, that was not so four decades ago, when total attendance at my first ASTC conference was about 50. Reviewing the history of the field, beginning with those institutions that influenced its development, can offer perspective for considering future directions. Natural history …
Looking Back to Look Ahead Read More »
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 …
Science Museum of Minnesota Is Still In Read More »
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 …
Dimensions, November/December 2018—Beyond STEM: 21st-century Skills Read More »
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 …
Access Isn’t Enough Read More »
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 …
One Planet: Building a Better World Read More »
By Charlie Trautmann and Dean Briere From Dimensions May/June 2018 Ask a dozen people what “risk” means, and you’re likely to get two dozen answers, or maybe three. That’s because risk, a concept brought into the English language from the French some 400 years ago, is so multifaceted. Why is risk important? It’s because how …
By Cristin Dorgelo In this May/June issue of Dimensions, we take a close look at the challenging topic of “risk,” a concept that manifests in all aspects of our lives. As individuals, we regularly face financial, personal, professional, and social risks. As leaders, we seek to manage, share, and distribute risk, while at the same …
By Timothy Rhue II, Senior Informal Education Specialist, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, and NASA’s Universe of Learning NASA’s Universe of Learning needs your help. We need informal learning sites that want to use NASA astrophysics materials to develop programs, exhibits, or other projects. We are partnering with ASTC to offer professional development, guidance …
Bringing the Stars to Your Hometown Read More »
Linda Conlon took stock of the growing primacy of emotional resonance over fact during an address at the opening of the 2017 ASTC Annual Conference in San Jose, California. She is chief executive of the International Centre for Life in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, and served as ASTC Board Chair, 2015–2017. The text of her speech …
Scientific Evidence Is Proving No Match for Emotionalism Read More »
This blog is part of an occasional series by leaders in the science center field, reflecting upon how they see the future, the changes we need to make, the impact of new technology, the increased understanding of the markets through big data, new business models—even perhaps the importance of conversations. If you have a point …
Finding Meaningful Audience Connections Read More »
Looking back on things helps us gain perspective, but truly reflecting on educational practices helps build a roadmap guiding us into the future By Lindzy Bivings, Senior Manager, School & Community Programs, California Academy of Sciences Here are five tips in gaining perspective through using reflection to become a more effective educator. These are strategies …
Gaining Perspective in Free-Choice Learning: Reflecting on Practice Read More »