Panelists Jennifer Stancil of the Girls, Math & Science Partnership at Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, Karen Peterson of the National Girls Collaborative Project and the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, Lynnwood, Washington, Dr. Lisa Regalla of Twin Cities Public Television, and Georgette Williams of the New York Hall of Science, introduced participants to a number of best practices in designing STEM experiences for girls, followed by examples of hands-on activities developed based on these practices.

The conversations started during this session are continuing in a postconference online discussion on ASTC Connect, November 16–20.  The enrollment key for the “Beyond Painting Science Pink” discussion is “stemgirls.”

About the image: Session participants try out “speed networking.” Photo by Christine Ruffo

Following remarks from VanDorn and Rock, Lesley Lewis, outgoing ASTC president and CEO of the Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, introduced newly elected ASTC president Nancy Stueber, president and CEO of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland.

About the image: Bonnie VanDorn “passes the baton” of leadership to Bud Rock at the closing luncheon of the 2009 ASTC Annual Conference. Photo by Christine Ruffo

In “Galileoscopes Around the World,” a November 3 session at ASTC 2009, attendees learned about collaborative skygazing that is happening around the world with the new telescopes. So far, 110,000 Galileoscopes have been produced and distributed, many through programs including ASTC’s Twinning project. After learning about the Galileoscopes and how they are being incorporated into programs, participants had a chance to try using one. They also were given the opportunity to apply on behalf of their institution for 100 free Galileoscopes to use with their visitors and teachers.

Stephen Pompea of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, Arizona, and Walter Staveloz of ASTC led the session. Other presenters were Robert Sparks of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and Margaret Glass of ASTC.

About the image: Stephen Pompea demonstrates how to assemble a Galileoscope.

Presenters included Kasey McCracken of David Heil & Associates and Susan Foster of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Education and Outreach program, as well as Leon Geschwind of the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii; Eric Havel  of Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland, California; Rita Hoffstadt of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia; and Debbie DeRoma of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, San Diego, California.

Participants were able to learn about the impact of their food choices, examine their home energy use choices, and play an interactive greenhouse gas game. These activities are available  on the IGLO website.

As part of ASTC’s focus on building online learning communities, the session will continue on ASTC Connect in 2010. This will allow presenters to gather feedback from participants who have made use of the toolkit in their own institutions and share this information with ASTC members who were unable to attend the conference session.

If you are interesting in participating in the online follow-up for this session, contact Kate Crawford at kcrawford@astc.org.

Even with the abundance of digital libraries now online, informal educators often have a hard time finding hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities created especially with them in mind. SMILE, part of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL), aims to fill that gap. SMILE is collecting the best educational materials on the Web and creating learning activities, tools, and services—all designed for those that teach schoolage kids in nonclassroom settings. The program’s creators say they want to meet out-of-school educators where they live, so to speak, whether their “classroom” is a museum, an active volcano, the shark tank at the local aquarium, or (in the case of homeschoolers) their own backyard.

Coordinating the hands-on workshop were Keith Braafladt and Asia Ward of the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul. Session support was provided by Darrell Porcello and Joel Rosenberg of the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley; Erin Van Rheenen of the Exploratorium, San Francisco; and Tara Lang of the Children’s Museum of Houston, Texas.

Guest blogger Erin Van Rheenen is lead editor and metadata manager of SMILE and senior writer at the Exploratorium, San Francisco.

About the image: A workshop participant completes an activity listed in the SMILE digital library. Photo by Christine Ruffo

“Theater can provide science-rich learning experiences that immerse learners in a different and thoughtful place,” said Kristin Leigh of Explora. “It can cause learners to question things they thought they knew about the world and give opportunities to engage in dialogue about scientific issues.”

Following the performance, session presenters discussed various kinds of science and museum theater, including full-length productions, original short pieces, interactive courtroom dramas, theater programs for students, and the use of theatrical techniques for interpretation on the museum floor. Leigh spoke about the role of theater in Explora’s education program. Tessa Bridal of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana, analyzed theatrical techniques as interpretation strategies. Finally, Brian Schwartz of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York explained how museums can collaborate with universities to create science theater. The session ended with a roundtable discussion.

About the image: Eratosthenes’ Shadow performed during “Lights Up on Science” session. Photo by Christine Ruffo

At the ASTC Annual Conference’s November 1 plenary session, “Angry Public vs. Grateful Public: Mixing Politics and Science,” Michael Halpern of the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, D.C., moderated a discussion with panelists from science organizations that have faced these challenges. Speakers Susan F. Wood, formerly of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Paul Sandifer of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and David E. Blockstein of the National Council for Science and the Environment shared their stories, both positive and negative, and discussed how lessons learned from their experiences can help science centers communicate effectively.

Wood described the roadblocks to FDA approval of over-the-counter distribution of emergency contraception in 2005 despite recommendations by agency scientists and her subsequent decision to resign from that agency. Among the reasons she said was that “it was very clear the scientific process was being ignored.” Her resignation received substantial media attention that she believes served as a teachable moment showing how the FDA should work and that controversy should not overtake science.

Sandifer followed up, restating the importance of “sticking to the science” and emphasizing the role science centers can play in communicating science in language the general public can understand. He gave as an example NOAA’s Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, which trains scientists to better communicate their work to policy makers to help them make informed decisions. “I’m not suggesting that [science centers] advocate for something,” he said. Rather, he urged science centers to continue to present the science facts to help the public become engaged in the decision-making process.

Blockstein talked about politicians’ views of science. “Science itself,” he said, “is one of the few common beliefs among politicians—science is good…. On the other hand, science is treated as a political football.” He also pointed out that politicians like to “split the difference,” describing how they will often try to broker a compromise between scientific facts and other interests. Science centers, he said, have an opportunity to shape decisions through communicating science to the public. “I think keeping museums contemporary, as the place to learn about current issues, may be the key to the survival of museums as well as the survival of life on Earth.” All three panelists agreed that the less formal venues of science centers can “take the edge off” the discussion and promote rational discourse.

Immediately following the session, attendees clustered in smaller groups to discuss the issues raised with each other and the panelists.

About the image: Sheila Grinell introduces the panel. Photo by Christine Ruffo

Leading Edge Award for Business Practice
Sustainability Intiative, Sciencenter, Ithaca, New York

Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience (small center)
Science Assets-Based School Partnership Program, The Bakken Museum, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience (large center)
BrainCake.org, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, Pennyslvania
Klima X, Norsk Teknisk Museum, Oslo, Norway

Leading Edge Award for Experienced Leadership in the Field
Dr. Christopher Andrews, director of the Steinhart Aquarium and chief of public programs, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
Rachel Meyer, executive director, Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education, San Mateo, California