How can we build greener cities? What impacts do our everyday actions have on the global climate? ASTC is inviting science centers around the world to play Clim’City, an online game that allows players to measure how energy and development choices impact society over a 50-year period. The game encourages players to explore what works and what does …
Fun and games at COP15 Read More »
On September 26, the Museum of Science, Boston, was one of hundreds of sites in 40 countries that participated in the Danish Board of Technology’s World Wide Views on Global Warming (WWViews). Each site hosted a group of citizens who spent the day responding to questions about global warming and outlining what they expect global …
Fostering dialogue on climate change Read More »
On September 17, the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, unveiled a new permanent sculpture by world-renowned artist Maya Lin. The sculpture is one component of Lin’s last memorial, “What is Missing?”—a multi-sited, multimedia artwork dedicated to raising awareness about the current crisis surrounding biodiversity and habitat loss. Rethinking the traditional stationary monument, “What is …
Where Art Meets Science Read More »
IN THIS ISSUE July/August 2009 As science centers and museums welcome increasingly diverse audiences, many of them are working to accommodate the linguistic needs of their visitors and to foster a sense of ownership and belonging. Immigrants, indigenous populations, and visitors who are Deaf bring a variety of languages with them to science centers around …
Dimensions, July/August 2009—In Any Language: Serving Multilingual Communities Read More »
By Carlos Plaza From ASTC Dimensions July/August 2009 Over the course of 10 years, the exhibit team at the Miami Science Museum, Florida, has developed general guidelines and strategies for writing and designing bilingual exhibitions. These guidelines result from our experience producing Spanish-language interpretation for more than 40 bilingual exhibitions, and from much trial and …
In Other Words: Developing Bilingual Exhibitions Read More »
Are firefly populations declining? Last year, the Museum of Science, Boston, in partnership with Tufts University and Fitchburg State College, developed Firefly Watch, a citizen science project, to help find out. The museum is asking volunteers to check their backyards for fireflies, one evening a week for 10 minutes throughout the summer, and to report …
On June 10, the Carnegie Corporation of New York—Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) Commission on Mathematics and Science Education kicked-off a national mobilization to achieve much higher levels of math and science learning with the release of its report, The Opportunity Equation: Transforming Mathematics and Science Education for Citizenship and the Global Economy. The report …
Transforming Science Education Read More »
After three years of planning, Around the Americas, an ocean voyage organized by Pacific Science Center, Seattle, and Sailors for the Sea, is underway. On May 31, Ocean Watch, the project’s scientifically equipped sailboat, launched from Seattle to begin its 24,000-mile circumnavigation of the North and South American continents. During the 13-month journey, the boat …
Science centers regularly incorporate sustainable practices into their operations, educational programs, and exhibits. This week, the Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, is planting a BayScapes Garden on its front lawn, making landscaping and maintenance a greener process while at the same time creating a new outdoor exhibit that visitors can explore. The garden, developed in …
How green does your garden grow? Read More »
Science centers regularly provide their communities with science news and promote dialogue on current science issues. As concerns over the H1N1 virus continue to grow, ASTC members are serving as places where visitors can learn more about the virus and share information with others, both on-site and online. Adventure Science Center, Nashville, Tennessee, and the …
Science centers as news centers Read More »
On April 21, the PNC Foundation announced Grow Up Great with Science, a new initiative to foster a foundation in science for preschoolers. The foundation has awarded grants to 14 mid-Atlantic science centers and nonprofit organizations, including 10 ASTC members. The grants will fund professional development for local preschool teachers and free science center visits for …
Ten ASTC members receive grants for preschool programs Read More »
Science centers around the world will celebrate the third annual Earth Hour on March 28. Launched by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) in 2007, Earth Hour is an hour-long lights-out event that raises awareness and encourages action on energy and climate issues. To help the WWF reach its goal of one billion participants, ASTC members …
Science centers around the world are encouraging people to look to the skies as part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). Through a partnership with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), ASTC is promoting two cornerstone IYA2009 projects: Dark Skies Awareness and night-sky observing with a newly released high-quality, low-cost telescope named the …
On February 17, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Colorado. The museum, powered in part by 465 solar panels on its roof, was chosen as the event site to highlight the administration’s goal of creating new green jobs and opportunities. In his …
President Obama signs stimulus package at Denver Museum of Nature and Science Read More »
Throughout 2009, science centers will join people around the world in celebrating the Year of Darwin, marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of the Species. On February 12, Darwin’s 200th birthday, Denver Museum of Nature and Science is hosting an open house tour of its zoology collections and an evening lecture by …
Celebrating Darwin Read More »
By Susie Wilkening From ASTC Dimensions January/February 2009 Go to any science museum on a Saturday morning, and a sight awaits you. Children, in particular, are exploring science while having a great time. But what is going on in the heads of the adults, especially the parents, at the science museum? Are they equally engaged, …
Moms, Museums, and Motivations: Cultivating an Audience of Museum Advocates Read More »
Today, the (U.S.) National Research Council (NRC) released a highly anticipated report on learning in informal settings. According to the NRC, “tens of millions of Americans, young and old, choose to learn about science in informal ways – by visiting museums and aquariums, attending after-school programs, pursuing personal hobbies, and watching TV documentaries, for example. There …
Museums boost science learning, new report finds Read More »
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