Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE™) Continuing Education credits
CFRE Continuing Education credits will be available for the first time at this year’s conference. Only selected sessions indicated by the CFRE logo are approved for credit. More details will be included when the Preliminary Program is published.

Registration Deal
When you buy 4 full conference registrations from the same institution, you’ll get a 5th registration at HALF PRICE!

Poster Showcase
In an effort to reflect the variety of work and research going on in the field, the ASTC Conference Program Planning Committee has added a poster session to the 2010 ASTC Annual Conference. In line with the conference theme, “Ho‘okele–To Navigate: Science Centers as Wayfinders to New Horizons,” and ASTC’s Strategic Priorities, more than 40 posters will be grouped by category and displayed in the Exhibit Hall.

Social Media Opportunities
New this year, ASTC is setting up a site on the social network CrowdVine where attendees can meet and connect online before the event, create a personal agenda of sessions and activities, and discuss conference topics. Once you have registered for ASTC 2010, you will receive an e-mail invitation to join.

Thompson began his study under master navigator Mau Piailug of Satawal, Micronesia, in 1978. In 1980, Thompson made history as the first Hawaiian in hundreds of years to navigate a voyaging canoe from Hawaii to Tahiti using only the stars and other traditional wayfinding techniques. The canoe, Hokule‘a, has since sailed to every major island group in Polynesia, as well as to Micronesia and Japan. Plans are being made now for a worldwide sail. In 1994, under Thompson’s supervision, PVS completed the construction of a new Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Hawa‘iloa, made from authentic materials.

In Hawaii and throughout Polynesia, Thompson has led a revival of traditional arts associated with voyaging. He is currently developing an educational program designed to teach Hawaiian children about Polynesian voyaging traditions and conservation principles, along with modern scientific knowledge about the ocean, sky, and land environments.

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