Get ready for the upcoming international LGBTSTEM Day on July 5, celebrating LGBTQ+ people in science, technology, engineering and math! The ASTC Advocates for Diversity Community of Practice is hosting a webinar that highlights ways in which science centers and museums are committed to establishing an inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community. ... Read More
Nominate an institution, a colleague, or yourself for a 2019 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award by May 31. This globally prestigious honor recognizes extraordinary achievement in science center and museum leadership, exhibitions, programs, marketing, fundraising, operations, visitor services, and more. Now in their 15th year, the awards commemorate the late Roy L. Shafer, a... Read More
Are you interested in museum-tested programs and exhibit elements that help share the wonders of the universe with your audiences? Do you have a concept for a new way to engage your visitors with space, but just need a little money, connections to astronomers, or resources to help you out? NASA’s Universe of Learning offered... Read More
Have you ever seen bubbles like these? On Saturday, May 4, 2019, ASTC-member organizations across the U.S. hosted Geometric Bubble Events as part of the 2019 National Math Festival held in Washington, D.C. This coast-to-coast celebration focused on math and its relationship to our daily lives. Using bubble kits provided by Zometool, participating science centers and museums... Read More
Interviewed by Susan Straight This interview appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of Dimensions magazine. Nicole Small, the former chief executive officer of Dallas’ Perot Museum of Nature and Science, is now president of the Lyda Hill Philanthropies, a Dallas-based foundation devoted to advancements in nature and science. Small’s most recent achievement with Lyda Hill... 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... Read More
IN THIS ISSUE May/June 2019 We all know the invaluable worth of a science center or museum. But how do we convey that value to donors, elected officials, and others? Glowing adjectives often aren’t enough. Because of our wide-ranging activities—providing informal STEM education, partnering with the formal education process, supporting healthy community development, and... Read More
The Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is breathing new life into some of Leonardo da Vinci’s greatest ideas in honor of the 500th anniversary of his death (it is believed that da Vinci died of a stroke on May 2, 1519). The Science Center is offering special, themed activities the weekend of May 3-5, in addition... Read More
By Cristin Dorgelo As we spoke with hundreds of our members in our 2018 listening process, one consistent theme came up time and time again. In these conversations, you expressed urgency in joining together through the ASTC community to make the case for the value of our field’s work to funders, policymakers, and other stakeholders.... Read More
What if everyone had access to powerful tools for scientific learning and problem solving? Scientific discovery tools—from telescopes to magnetometers—help us answer questions and generate knowledge. But many powerful tools are too expensive or too difficult for non-experts to use. Earlier this month, Luminary Labs launched Tool Foundry to advance scientific discovery tools that anyone... Read More
