Led by GrowingGreat, early childhood educators have joined forces and are reinventing STEM programs to address the lack of access to fresh produce and green space for under-resourced families. Click here to watch this archived webinar in ASTC’s Professional Development Video Library. Questions? Contact ASTC’s Wendy Hancock. Join the Leadership Team of the... Read More
Earlier today the U.S. National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) released the new U.S. Federal STEM Education 5-year Strategic Plan. Click here to download your copy. This new strategic plan lays out the topline vision of “a future where all Americans have lifelong access to high-quality STEM education and the United... Read More
The Call for Proposals is now open for the 2019 ASTC Annual Conference in Toronto, hosted by the Ontario Science Centre September 21–24, 2019. The conference theme, “Moonshots: Rendezvous with the Future,” is a springboard for sessions, poster presentations, and preconference ASTC Intensive workshops that advance the science center field, inspired by moonshots—those ambitious, yet... Read More
On November 10, 2018, science centers and museums around the world celebrated the third annual International Science Center and Science Museum Day (ISCSMD). From science demonstrations and special guest lectures to hands-on experiments and workshops—participating institutions offered a diverse range of learning activities throughout the day. Collectively these institutions highlighted the unique impact and reach of... 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... Read More
ASTC is proud to be part of the ever-growing We Are Still In coalition supporting climate action, an alliance of U.S. cultural institutions, businesses and investors, cities and counties, colleges and universities, faith groups, health care organizations, states, tribes, and other non-federal actors. We Are Still In, at nearly 3,600 signatories, demonstrates America’s enduring commitment... Read More
Interviewed by Susan Straight This interview appeared in the November/December 2018 issue of Dimensions magazine. Ed Yong is an award-winning science writer for The Atlantic magazine. His work has appeared in National Geographic, the New Yorker, Wired, Nature, New Scientist, and Scientific American. He is originally from the United Kingdom but currently lives in Washington,... Read More
By Lesley Markham From Dimensions November/December 2018 Why is it important for science center and museum professionals to cultivate soft skills? What is their relevance to our work and to the wider informal science learning field? For more than a century, researchers have recognized that soft skills—critical thinking, communication, and creativity—are as valuable as technical... 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... Read More
By Cristin Dorgelo In this issue, we explore 21st-century skills,often called general skills or soft skills. To thrive in today’s workforce, and to play a part in solving the tough challenges facing society, each of us must develop and demonstrate curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, persistence, and teamwork. As science center and related industry professionals, most... Read More
