The digital publication of the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)
The ASTC Dimensions Resource Library provides peer-reviewed guides, articles, and insights written by science engagement colleagues about topics relevant to science centers and museums and other organizations committed to engaging the public in science and technology. Interested in contributing to the resource library? Learn more about our quarterly submission cycle and our submission guidelines.
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The organizational and contributor characteristics reflect the ways that ASTC classifies member organizations and individuals in our data collection and reflect categorization at the time the article was originally published.
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 […]
IN THIS ISSUE September/October 2018 The articles in this issue feature organizations and individuals who have worked to broaden participation in some way. Broadening participation is widely regarded as a worthy goal in our industry, but to what end? Why does broader participation matter? It matters because we need the best innovators, nurses, and engineers. […]
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 […]
By Cristin Dorgelo The theme of this issue is “Broadening Participation.” What we at ASTC mean when we talk about broadening participation is our commitment to increasing diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity in all aspects of our work—paramount values in our increasingly connected global society. Our field has made strides in offering inclusive opportunities in […]
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 […]
By Cristin Dorgelo Our global community is three years into an ambitious agenda. On September 25, 2015, the 193 countries of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development Agenda titled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” The agenda includes 17 goals with 169 specific actions, or targets. These goals, known […]
IN THIS ISSUE July/August 2018 The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (also known as the Global Goals) are the ambitious targets set by UN member countries in 2015 to guide Earth to a better future. The world’s deadline is 2030 to achieve them. Here is a quick overview of each. They include: No Poverty; Zero […]
Interviewed by Susan Straight This interview appeared in the July/August 2018 issue of Dimensions magazine. Commander Chris Hadfield, astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station became an internet sensation for his YouTube videos of life in microgravity as well as for his album, Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can, recorded onboard the […]
Interviewed by Susan Straight This interview appeared in the May/June 2018 issue of Dimensions magazine. Ellen Stofan, the former chief scientist of NASA, recently accepted the position of John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Stofan spoke with Dimensions about her new role and why the […]
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 […]