Association of Science and Technologies Centers

AAAS elects Fellows with a connection to our field

February 3, 2023 / Dimensions / By

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 sections, three previous Fellows, or …

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In Memoriam: Michael Templeton

May 17, 2022 / Dimensions / By

[Science centers] are generally more accessible in the community, and they allow one to playfully investigate one’s surroundings. Michael Templeton (in “Science Museums: Do-It-Yourself Teachers,” New York Times, April 22, 1979) With sadness, the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) shares that Michael Templeton, former executive director of ASTC, passed away on April 26, …

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Congratulations to new AAAS Fellows committed to public engagement with science

January 31, 2022 / Dimensions, Issues, Policy, and Advocacy, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / By

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, fostering collaborations, and advancing public …

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The challenge of measuring gender

November 10, 2021 / Dimensions, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion / By

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 Equity project and its aim …

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Reclaiming our science center: Youth co-design of the Dr. Katherine Johnson Room

May 7, 2021 / Dimensions, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion / By

Educators at Impression 5 Science Center in Lansing, Michigan partnered with youth representatives across the city and with University of Michigan STEM learning researchers to re-think and re-design the Center with a focus on social justice. Together, we embarked on a project we referred to as Reclaiming the Science Center (from January 2019 to February …

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Learn how to grow your corporate sponsorship program

March 24, 2021 / Dimensions / By

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 the next decade or so …

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“Look-fors”: A tool for teachers

February 23, 2021 / Dimensions / By

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 professional learning journeys. The Next Generation …

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Revising RACE

February 4, 2021 / Dimensions, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / By

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 National Science Foundation. The exhibition …

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From Fires to Floods: Science centers, natural disasters, and Teen Science Cafés

January 6, 2021 / Dimensions, Impact & Initiatives / By

As the ongoing pandemic is showing, STEM disciplines are vital to figuring out ways of coping with a range of disasters. There’s no better time than the present to capitalize on youth interest in increasingly common natural disasters and the technology used to address them. Science centers have been playing a significant role by connecting …

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Two ASTC members earn grants from National Endowment for the Humanities

December 21, 2020 / Dimensions, Issues, Policy, and Advocacy / By

Two ASTC member institutions have received grants from the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). They are among 213 projects supported by $32.8 million in grants and fellowships from this independent federal agency established in 1965. Although NEH generally supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities, science-based …

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Lessons learned from a COVID summer

December 9, 2020 / Dimensions, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / By

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 perspectives on what worked, what …

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New AAAS Fellows include those committed to public engagement in science

February 8, 2021 / Dimensions / By

December 3, 2020 A number of individuals involved in science engagement have been elected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as AAAS Fellows. Beginning in 1874, AAAS has been electing Fellows in recognition of diverse accomplishments, including research, leadership, teaching, mentoring, fostering collaborations, and advancing public understanding of science. James Bell …

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In Memoriam: Gregory Andorfer

November 13, 2020 / Dimensions / By

The Association of Science and Technology Centers is saddened to share the news of the passing of Gregory Andorfer on October 29, 2020. Our community has lost a true champion for public engagement in science and powerful advocate for the science center and museum field. Greg served as executive director and chief executive officer of …

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Combating food insecurity, ASTC members share fresh food with communities

October 2, 2020 / Dimensions, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / By

As the pandemic and social unrest have continued to ravage what remains of the status quo, science and technology centers and museums are stepping up their efforts to serve their local communities. One particular kind of activity that has proved vital, especially in recent months, has been addressing food insecurity through farmers markets and related …

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So you think you want to become a Community Science Fellow

September 11, 2020 / Dimensions, Impact & Initiatives, Science and Technology Center and Museum Stories / By

A Q&A with Kate Semmens, Thriving Earth Exchange Community Science Fellow Kate Semmens is the Science Director at ASTC member Nurture Nature Center in Easton, Pennsylvania, where she helps advance the organization’s scientific and environmental outreach efforts, especially related to floods, climate change, art and science, community science, and social science research. She holds a PhD in environmental and …

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Q&A with Vinton Cerf

May 7, 2020 / Dimensions / By

Interviewed by Susan Straight Vinton Cerf, along with his colleague Robert E. Kahn, won the U.S. National Medal of Technology for “creating and sustaining development of Internet Protocols” and for his continued leadership in this field. They were awarded the Alan M. Turing award (the “Nobel Prize of Computer Science”) for their work on the …

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