We asked public relations (PR) professionals from science centers and museums around the world to send us their best practices, guidelines, practical tips, and pieces of advice. Here’s what they told us. (This is an extended version of an article that appeared in the September/October 2013 issue of Dimensions magazine.) Thanksgiving Point is currently in …
Best Practices in Public Relations Read More »
By Keith Ostfeld From Dimensions May/June 2013 Society has reached a point where everyone desires customized services and products—from coffee to computers to museum experiences—that meet their needs, expectations, and aesthetics. With today’s easy access to phenomenal computational power through personal mobile technologies (PMTs) like smartphones and tablets, we have new avenues to customize museum …
21-Tech: Engaging Museum Visitors Using Mobile Technologies Read More »
This is an extended discussion of the question that appeared in the Viewpoints department of the May/June 2013 issue of Dimensions magazine. Scitech has been running adults-only nights twice a year since 2009, the year we turned 21. We started doing these evenings as we realized that there must be an increasing number of young …
This is an extended version of an article that appeared in the May/June 2013 issue of Dimensions magazine. Science center and museum professionals from around the world share their experiences using technology—including smartphones, barcodes, and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags—to personalize the visitor experience. The National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) opened in New York City in …
A Custom Fit: Personalizing Experiences Using Technology Read More »
Interviewed by Joelle Seligson This interview appeared in the March/April 2013 issue of Dimensions magazine. Whether it’s the world’s biggest wardrobe malfunction or MacGyver meets Survivor, Ainissa Ramirez knows that generating interest in science requires a hook. A professor at Yale University, Ramirez prefers the title “science evangelist”—in her words, a person who “takes the …
Q&A with Ainissa Ramirez Read More »
By Lucilla Minelli From Dimensions January/February 2013 Water is critical for sustainable development and indispensable for human health and well-being. With this in mind, and to accelerate the implementation of internationally agreed goals relating to water, the UN General Assembly declared 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation (IYWC). The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and …
Building Peace and Sustainable Development Through Water Cooperation Read More »
This is an extended discussion of the question that appeared in the Viewpoints department of the January/February 2013 issue of Dimensions magazine. “If they had more special exhibitions, then we’d get a membership and come more often.” —Science Museum of Minnesota visitor, August 2011 Our most recent audience survey, conducted in 2011 (n=830), suggests that …
This is an extended discussion of the question that appeared in the Viewpoints department of the November/December 2012 issue of Dimensions magazine. My ideal museum experience is memorable. It requires only one cool exhibit experience where I spend significant time, engaged in a way that taps into previous interests and expands my thinking. It makes …
This is an extended version of an article that appeared in the September/October 2012 issue of Dimensions magazine. Science center and museum professionals from around the world share ways that they are engaging visitors in hands-on innovation. In July 2012, the Exploratorium launched its Global Tinkering Studio Initiative at the Saudi Aramco Cultural Program, …
Inspiring Visitors to Tinker, Create, and Innovate Read More »
This is an extended discussion of the question that appeared in the Viewpoints department of the September/October 2012 issue of Dimensions magazine. The central focus for science centers is serving the communities in their region. Many of the science festivals popping up in the United States are led by museums, reflecting the responsibility that science …
Should exhibitions be the central focus of what science centers and museums do? Read More »
This is an extended discussion of the question that appeared in the Viewpoints department of the July/August 2012 issue of Dimensions magazine. Groupon and LivingSocial are neither good nor bad for museums. However, they are a tool that must be used with great care. As museum professionals, we must ask: What is the value to …
This is an extended version of an article that appeared in the March/April 2012 issue of Dimensions magazine. Science center and museum professionals, artists, and educators from around the world share their projects, programs, exhibitions, and initiatives that combine science and art. In our new Art of Science Gallery, the Academy of Natural Sciences of …
An Art and Science Gallery Read More »
This discussion was originally published in the Viewpoints department of the March/April 2012 of Dimensions magazine. Along with traditional measures of financial performance and customer satisfaction, a successful science center needs to show how it achieves its mission of engaging the public in science and technology. An innovative approach would be to convert evaluation studies into …
How should a science center or museum’s success be measured? Read More »
This is an extended version of an article that appeared in the January/February 2012 issue of Dimensions magazine. We map our audience’s attitudes, knowledge base, and expectations—not in order to meet those expectations, but rather to overcome them, to surprise our visitors, and to create the aha! of the Heureka experience. More than designing objects, …
What is your institution’s exhibition philosophy? Read More »
This is an extended discussion of the question that appeared in the Viewpoints department of the January/February 2012 issue of Dimensions magazine. Science centers and museums should adopt overarching gift acceptance and ethical fundraising policies that should be approved by their governing boards. In addition, in order to ensure accountability and informed decision-making regarding corporate …
By Laura Huerta Migus From Dimensions November/December 2011 Science centers and museums fill a unique community role as centers of learning, research, entertainment, and community congregation. Beyond teaching scientific concepts, the underlying motivation for all science center activities is promoting the value of science and scientific thinking to the general public. Science centers and museums …
Shifting Paradigms: Embracing Multiple Worldviews in Science Centers Read More »
Interviewed by Joelle Seligson This interview appeared in the November/December 2011 issue of Dimensions magazine. The director of the Blackfeet Native Science Field Center on traditional knowledge, Western science, and understanding our place in the world In high school, she took an interest in science; at the University of Montana, she pursued business. Today, Helen …
Q&A with Helen Augare Read More »
This is an extended discussion of the question that appeared in the Viewpoints department of the November/December 2011 issue of Dimensions magazine. Yes, we should. Science and technology raise controversial topics, and as institutions that promote civil engagement, we should present these topics as part of our responsibility to society. (Pictured: Bloomfield’s Peace Labyrinth exhibition.) …
ASTC-member MadaTech—Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space, located in Haifa, is working to help those affected by the fire that broke out in the nearby Carmel Forest on December 2. The fire raged for four days, killing more than 40 people, displacing 17,000 residents, and destroying 10,000 acres of forest. Ronen Mir, MadaTech’s general director and …
MadaTech aids those affected by fire near Haifa Read More »
Who stole the theater tickets out of the school dressing room? And what dastardly villain drank that cream soda? Over the past three summers, 160 girls, ages 10 to 14, have used science and advanced technology to solve such mysteries at Click!, a camp designed by the Girls, Math & Science Partnership (GMSP), a program of …
Girls use science to crack the case Read More »
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