After three years of planning, Around the Americas, an ocean voyage organized by Pacific Science Center, Seattle, and Sailors for the Sea, is underway. On May 31, Ocean Watch, the project’s scientifically equipped sailboat, launched from Seattle to begin its 24,000-mile circumnavigation of the North and South American continents. During the 13-month journey, the boat […]
Science centers regularly incorporate sustainable practices into their operations, educational programs, and exhibits. This week, the Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, is planting a BayScapes Garden on its front lawn, making landscaping and maintenance a greener process while at the same time creating a new outdoor exhibit that visitors can explore. The garden, developed in
How green does your garden grow? Read More »
Science centers regularly provide their communities with science news and promote dialogue on current science issues. As concerns over the H1N1 virus continue to grow, ASTC members are serving as places where visitors can learn more about the virus and share information with others, both on-site and online. Adventure Science Center, Nashville, Tennessee, and the
Science centers as news centers Read More »
On April 21, the PNC Foundation announced Grow Up Great with Science, a new initiative to foster a foundation in science for preschoolers. The foundation has awarded grants to 14 mid-Atlantic science centers and nonprofit organizations, including 10 ASTC members. The grants will fund professional development for local preschool teachers and free science center visits for
Ten ASTC members receive grants for preschool programs Read More »
Science centers around the world are encouraging people to look to the skies as part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). Through a partnership with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), ASTC is promoting two cornerstone IYA2009 projects: Dark Skies Awareness and night-sky observing with a newly released high-quality, low-cost telescope named the
On February 17, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Colorado. The museum, powered in part by 465 solar panels on its roof, was chosen as the event site to highlight the administration’s goal of creating new green jobs and opportunities. In his
President Obama signs stimulus package at Denver Museum of Nature and Science Read More »
Throughout 2009, science centers will join people around the world in celebrating the Year of Darwin, marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of the Species. On February 12, Darwin’s 200th birthday, Denver Museum of Nature and Science is hosting an open house tour of its zoology collections and an evening lecture by
Celebrating Darwin Read More »
By Susie Wilkening From ASTC Dimensions January/February 2009 Go to any science museum on a Saturday morning, and a sight awaits you. Children, in particular, are exploring science while having a great time. But what is going on in the heads of the adults, especially the parents, at the science museum? Are they equally engaged,
Moms, Museums, and Motivations: Cultivating an Audience of Museum Advocates Read More »
On October 9–13, Saint Louis Science Center, Missouri, invited visitors to celebrate and engage in science at SciFest 08. The new annual event featured sessions and demonstrations on topics ranging from the science of chocolate and the physics of rock & roll, to climate change and the future of cancer research. Physicist Mark Lewney used
Saint Louis Science Center hosts first annual SciFest Read More »
The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was honored yesterday at a White House ceremony as a 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service recipient. The award is given annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in coordination with the White House, to 10 museums and libraries in recognition of their extraordinary civic,
Franklin Institute honored at White House ceremony Read More »
Two years after breaking ground, the new California Academy of Sciences opens its new green building’s doors to the public on September 27. The building, designed by architect Renzo Piano, features a 197,000-square-foot green roof that dips and slopes, mirroring its surroundings in Golden Gate Park. After experimenting with 30 native species, nine species were chosen to
California Academy of Sciences opens green building Read More »
By Jim Spadaccini From ASTC Dimensions July/August 2008 As the Internet continues to evolve, it seems like I hear about a new web site or software service just about every day. The vast majority of these are free to use. Many of these sites or software packages are produced by start-ups looking to gain first-time
Nine Free or Nearly Free Ways Museums Can Take Advantage of Web 2.0 Read More »
By Randi Korn From ASTC Dimensions May/June 2008 At museum conferences these days, people are talking about accountability, public impact, and relevance. These ideas are not new. A decade ago, in a 1997 keynote address for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums’ 50th anniversary, the late Smithsonian scholar Stephen Weil spoke of the “in-your-face, bottom-line, hard-nosed
To What End? Achieving Mission Through Intentional Practice Read More »
By Paul Tatter and Kristin Leigh From ASTC Dimensions March/April 2008 “This is a wonderful atmosphere. Can I live here?” (Visitor comment card) At Explora we think of membership as a sense of belonging. “Belonging” comes from an old English word meaning a close and secure relationship. Relationships of belonging are personal. They are about
It Feels Like Home: The Value of Community Read More »
IN THIS ISSUE May/June 2006 What have science centers learned in the past decade about the effect of blockbusters, those wildly popular traveling exhibitions and large-format films that drive attendance and inspire media “buzz”? Do blockbusters help museums reach broader audiences, increase visibility in the community, grow membership? Is the boost in income and attendance
Dimensions, May/June 2006—Blockbusters: Asset or Liability Read More »
IN THIS ISSUE September/October 2005 At the 4th Science Centre World Congress, held April 11—15, in Rio de Janeiro, attendees considered how science centers might succeed in “breaking barriers [and] engaging citizens” by providing the public with interactive, informal, capacity-building access to science and technology education. In this issue, we have chosen to continue some