Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Archives - Association of Science and Technology Centers

Digital Engagement for All: An Accessibility Toolkit for Museum Professionals

December 22, 2022 / ASTC News & Announcements, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Resources & Learning / Melissa Ballard

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed many science centers and museums to start or expand their online presence and digital programming—or to accelerate plans that had been part of longer-term strategies. As more and more virtual offerings are created, the discussion around digital accessibility has rightfully gained momentum. In listening to our members, ASTC learned that museum […]

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Department of Education launches YOU Belong in STEM initiative

December 15, 2022 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Issues, Policy, and Advocacy / Adam Fagen

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education held a National Coordinating Conference on STEM Education to launch the Department’s YOU Belong in STEM initiative. This effort is meant to convene the entire STEM education enterprise—including government agencies, non-governmental and community-based organizations, and leaders across the public and private sectors—to come together to help advance STEM

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White House announces new national vision for STEMM Equity and Excellence

December 12, 2022 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Issues, Policy, and Advocacy / Adam Fagen

Earlier today at the White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced a set of actions to advance a national vision for equity and excellence in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine). The vision seeks to tear down barriers that have long stood

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IF/THEN arrives at the Smithsonian

March 8, 2022 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives / Adam Fagen

One hundred twenty statues of inspiring women in STEM are now on display at the Smithsonian on the National Mall in the center of Washington, D.C. This past weekend, the orange life-sized 3D-printed statues of the AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors were unveiled in the Enid A. Haupt Garden, adjacent Smithsonian Castle, and the Arts + Industries

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The challenge of measuring gender

November 8, 2021 / Dimensions, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion / Jamie Durana

In 2019, I joined the team developing ASTC’s IF/THEN® Gender Representation Toolkit as an advisor. I am an independent exhibit designer who also writes and consults with museums on matters of gender and sexuality and I was happy to lend my expertise. This toolkit is part of ASTC’s IF/THEN® Gender Equity project and its aim

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Submit your ideas and examples for advancing equity in STEM to the White House

October 28, 2021 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Issues, Policy, and Advocacy / Adam Fagen

Earlier this month, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the launch of a new challenge to broaden participation in science and technology. The Time is Now: Advancing Equity in Science and Technology Ideation Challenge is soliciting input on steps that can be taken to “guarantee that all Americans can fully

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A Table, a Timeline, and the Visual Representation of Gender at the Air Zoo

August 19, 2021 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / ASTC Member

The Air Zoo is an IF/THEN Gender Equity Grant recipient. Twenty-seven ASTC-member museums received funding to launch projects aimed at increasing the representation of women and gender minorities in STEM across their museums’ content. This grant program is supported by the IF/THEN Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating a culture shift

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Report breaks new ground with insights on gender representation in science museum content

July 29, 2021 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Resources & Learning / Jamie Durana

In 2019, the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and the IF/THEN® Initiative partnered to launch an ambitious data collection project designed to help museums across the United States not only see where they are when it comes to equitable gender representation in exhibits and other museum content, but where they could go. After

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Reclaiming our science center: Youth co-design of the Dr. Katherine Johnson Room

April 30, 2021 / Dimensions, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion / Adam Fagen

Educators at Impression 5 Science Center in Lansing, Michigan partnered with youth representatives across the city and with University of Michigan STEM learning researchers to re-think and re-design the Center with a focus on social justice. Together, we embarked on a project we referred to as Reclaiming the Science Center (from January 2019 to February

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STEM Selves in New Mexico, an IF/THEN® project

April 26, 2021 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / ASTC Member

Explora is an IF/THEN Gender Equity Grant recipient. Twenty-six ASTC-member museums received funding to launch projects aimed at increasing the representation of women and gender minorities in STEM across their museums’ content. This grant program is supported by the IF/THEN Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating a culture shift in how

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SpectrUM Discovery Area highlights women in STEM

March 30, 2021 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / ASTC Member

The spectrUM Discovery Area is an IF/THEN Gender Equity Grant recipient. Twenty-six ASTC-member museums received funding to launch projects aimed at increasing the representation of women and gender minorities in STEM across their museums’ content. This grant program is supported by the IF/THEN Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating a culture

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Fort Worth Museum of Science and History puts women at the forefront in new exhibit

March 17, 2021 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / ASTC Member

The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is an IF/THEN Gender Equity Grant recipient. Twenty-six ASTC-member museums received funding to launch projects aimed at increasing the representation of women and gender minorities in STEM across their museums’ content. This grant program is supported by the IF/THEN Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers

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Heroines for our time: Shaping a 21st-century approach to the past at the International Museum of Surgical Science

March 11, 2021 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / ASTC Member

The International Museum of Surgical Science is an IF/THEN Gender Equity Grant recipient. Twenty-six ASTC-member museums received funding to launch projects aimed at increasing the representation of women and gender minorities in STEM across their museums’ content. This grant program is supported by the IF/THEN Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating

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IF/THEN® project offers glimpse into how science museums depict gender

February 11, 2021 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives / Amanda Fisher

Last year, the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) joined the IF/THEN® Coalition, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies, as part of our effort to support science centers and museums in engaging all people in science and technology. As a member of the Coalition, ASTC launched the Gender Representation Toolkit, a set of resources

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Revising RACE

February 4, 2021 / Dimensions, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / Adam Fagen

In early 2007, the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) opened an exhibition on the history, human variation, and lived experience of race. The groundbreaking RACE: Are We So Different? was created by a multi-racial team from the American Anthropological Association and Science Museum of Minnesota, with funding from the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation. The exhibition

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ASTC and IF/THEN® award more than $300,000 to 27 science centers and museums to advance equity in gender representation

February 3, 2021 / ASTC News & Announcements, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives / ASTC Staff

Contacts:Adam Fagen (ASTC)Jodi Davis (Goodman Media for Lyda Hill Philanthropies®) ASTC and IF/THEN® award more than $300,000 to 27 science centers and museums to advance equity in gender representation Grantees leverage the IF/THEN® Collection digital library to increase representation of women in museum exhibits WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – The Association of Science and Technology Centers

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Gender Representation Toolkit guides museum’s inspiring content refresh

January 21, 2021 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / ASTC Member

The EcoTarium is an IF/THEN Gender Equity Grant recipient. Twenty-six ASTC-member museums received funding to launch projects aimed at increasing the representation of women and gender minorities in STEM across their museums’ content. This grant program is supported by the IF/THEN Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating a culture shift in

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Our future girls in STEM

December 10, 2020 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / ASTC Member

EcoExploratorio is an IF/THEN Gender Equity Grant recipient. Twenty-six ASTC-member museums received funding to launch projects aimed at increasing the representation of women and gender minorities in STEM across their museums’ content. This grant program is supported by the IF/THEN Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating a culture shift in how

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Highlighting leaders to empower Connecticut’s future STEM workforce

November 20, 2020 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Impact & Initiatives, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / ASTC Member

The Connecticut Science Center is an IF/THEN Gender Equity Grant recipient. Twenty-six ASTC-member museums received funding to launch projects aimed at increasing the representation of women and gender minorities in STEM across their museums’ content. This grant program is supported by the IF/THEN Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating a culture

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Get in the Game: A Tech Interactive virtual lesson encouraging girls to explore computational thinking and computer science

November 4, 2020 / Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / ASTC Member

The Tech Interactive is an IF/THEN Gender Equity Grant recipient. Twenty-six ASTC-member museums received funding to launch projects aimed at increasing the representation of women and gender minorities in STEM across their museums’ content. This grant program is supported by the IF/THEN Initiative, a national effort sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers while creating a culture shift

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