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.
Dimensions invited Bhamini Kamudu Applasawmy, PhD, the 2025 Lee Kimche McGrath Worldwide Fellow, to share about a project important to her work in Mauritius, while reflecting on her experience attending the ASTC 2025 Annual Conference in the San Francisco Bay Area. The McGrath Fellowship is a key part of ASTC’s
This project from the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and the UC Museum of Paleontology was a 2025 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awardee. The awards—presented each year by ASTC—honor member institutions and/or their staff and volunteers whose work represents exceptional achievement. These awards celebrate efforts that not only enhance
The late Mar Dixon helped millions of people see themselves in cultural spaces. Her legacy continues through #MuseumSelfieDay. Mar Dixon’s Legacy of Good Troublemaking Mar Dixon, a self-proclaimed “troublemaker for sectors that need a kick up the bum,” was a self-taught digital strategist who became a global champion for cultural
This project from Terre Haute Children’s Museum was a 2024 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awardee. The awards—presented each year by ASTC—honor member institutions and/or their staff and volunteers whose work represents exceptional achievement. These awards celebrate efforts that not only enhance the performance of an individual institution but also
This project from The Wild Center was a 2024 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awardee. The awards—presented each year by ASTC—honor member institutions and/or their staff and volunteers whose work represents exceptional achievement. These awards celebrate efforts that not only enhance the performance of an individual institution but also advance
This project from Explora was a 2024 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awardee. The awards—presented each year by ASTC—honor member institutions and/or their staff and volunteers whose work represents exceptional achievement. These awards celebrate efforts that not only enhance the performance of an individual institution but also advance the entire
The Osher Rainforest inspires awe at the California Academy of Sciences “The work taking place in natural history museums has never been more important, and the role that they play in safeguarding humanity’s future is only just starting to be realized.” (Jack Ashby, in Nature’s Memory, 2025) With the launch
This project from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, Santa Cruz, California was a 2024 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awardee. The awards—presented each year by ASTC—honor member institutions and/or their staff and volunteers whose work represents exceptional achievement. These awards celebrate efforts that not only enhance the performance
This project from the American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York was a 2024 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awardee. The awards—presented each year by ASTC—honor member institutions and/or their staff and volunteers whose work represents exceptional achievement. These awards celebrate efforts that not only enhance the performance
ASTC recently launched Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), a suite of tools—the Framework, Self-Assessment, and Learning Plan—and complementary resources that support professional learning and career development for ISL professionals across the field. Our Communications team sat down with four ASTC staff involved in the development of Pathways to