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.

Big Contributions

March 7, 2019
Cristin Dorgelo
March 7, 2019

By Cristin Dorgelo The history of science, technology, and innovation is filled with novel ideas, creative approaches, and impressive accomplishments generated by small teams faced with limited resources and pressing challenges.   Science museums themselves are hardly small in mission or purpose, and yet most face resource constraints common to many mission-driven institutions. Doing more with less, working smarter not harder, and prioritizing are solutions we all try to apply […]

Dimensions, March/April 2019—The Power of Small

March 5, 2019
March 5, 2019

IN THIS ISSUE March/April 2019 It’s generally easy to notice big things, but it’s the small things that often have a profound effect on our lives. As best-selling author Mary Roach points out in the Q&A interview, the things she couldn’t see while traveling recently in India—bacteria and viruses—were much more likely to take her down than the massive […]

Future Thinking

February 4, 2019
Cristin Dorgelo
February 4, 2019

By Cristin Dorgelo Charting a course for the future is one of the more difficult things we are called upon to do as leaders and as individuals. The futures of our institutions, the future of our communities, and the future frontiers of science and technology are inextricably linked. As we scan those horizons and set […]

Dimensions, January/February 2019—The Future of Science Centers

February 1, 2019
February 1, 2019

IN THIS ISSUE January/February 2019 At the forefront of informal science learning, we are, in some ways, naturally good at gazing fearlessly into the future. But while we may be better equipped than those in many other fields to strategize for upcoming changes, it’s difficult to see very far ahead, or to know the best […]

Looking Back to Look Ahead

January 28, 2019
David A. Ucko
January 28, 2019

By David A. Ucko From Dimensions January/February 2019 Science centers may seem commonplace today. However, that was not so four decades ago, when total attendance at my first ASTC conference was about 50. Reviewing the history of the field, beginning with those institutions that influenced its development, can offer perspective for considering future directions. Natural history […]

Science Museum of Minnesota Is Still In

November 8, 2018
Pat Hamilton
November 8, 2018

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 […]

ASTC, Members Join “We Are Still In” U.S. Climate Action Movement

November 7, 2018
November 7, 2018

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 […]

The Place of Soft Skills in Informal Science Learning

November 5, 2018
November 5, 2018

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 […]

Dimensions, November/December 2018—Beyond STEM: 21st-century Skills

November 2, 2018
November 2, 2018

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 […]

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