Association of Science and Technologies Centers

Association of Science and Technology Centers

Archives: Dimensions

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.

Equity Audits as a Tool for Change: Holding Up a Mirror to Organizational Practices

March 14, 2023
Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education
March 14, 2023

By Cecilia Garibay, Rabiah Mayas, Jamie Bell, and Shannon Sullivan An increasing number of informal STEM education (ISE) institutions and organizations have committed to become more equitable and inclusive in their strategic approach and organizational practice. Centering equity requires organizations to recognize the interconnectedness of internal operations and externally-focused work

Congratulations AAAS Fellows

AAAS elects Fellows with a connection to our field

February 3, 2023
February 3, 2023

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named its new class of AAAS Fellows. Election as a AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor in recognition of diverse accomplishments, including, research, leadership, teaching, mentoring, fostering collaborations, and advancing public understanding of science. Fellows are nominated by AAAS’ 24

Congratulations to new AAAS Fellows: Gabriela Chavarria, Jeremy Hoffman

Congratulations to new AAAS Fellows committed to public engagement with science

January 31, 2022
January 31, 2022

Among the new class of AAAS Fellows announced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) are several individuals affiliated with ASTC members and other committed to public engagement with science. Since 1874, AAAS has been electing Fellows in recognition of diverse accomplishments, including research, leadership, teaching, mentoring,

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The challenge of measuring gender

November 8, 2021
Margaret Middleton
November 8, 2021

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

Multiple hands holding puzzle pieces

Learn how to grow your corporate sponsorship program

March 24, 2021
Kirsten M. Ellenbogen
March 24, 2021

Early in my career, I worked in a museum with a storied history of corporations’ dictating content. There were even instances of corporations creating entire exhibitions. It was a difficult introduction to corporate partnerships. Thankfully, there were a few stellar colleagues at that museum who modeled alternate paths. I spent

“Look-fors”: A tool for teachers

February 23, 2021
Emily Weiss
February 23, 2021

  The Lawrence Hall of Science (known as “the Lawrence”) at the University of California, Berkeley, has long offered field trip workshops for students. In recent years—and especially now, during the COVID-19 pandemic—we’ve found that teachers may need these experiences just as much as their students to support their own

Photo of the entrance to the RACE exhibit

Revising RACE

February 4, 2021
Susan Straight
February 4, 2021

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

Child in summer camp at Great Lakes Science Center

Lessons learned from a COVID summer

December 9, 2020
December 9, 2020

The variety of activities ASTC members conducted in the summer of COVID-19 have provided valuable lessons for all members of the ASTC community. With a bit of time to reflect on successes and not-so successful activities related to summer camps, a few U.S. ASTC members were willing to share their

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