Friday, September 23: Pre-Conference Activities: Hadley

Display of Ybor City in Tampa Bay History Center

Since I got in late on Thursday evening, I had time to explore my surroundings and get a little more familiar with the city where I used to live. The registration booths for the conference were open and I decided to get my badge early since it allowed you to  get free admission to the Tampa Bay History Center and the Florida Aquarium which were only a few blocks away from the convention center. I ended up spending nearly all of my time in the Tampa Bay History Center before meeting up with Angela later in the afternoon.

There were a great deal of interactive exhibits detailing Tampa and Florida history including immersive theaters regarding Spanish colonization and the infamous Seminole Wars. One of my favorites has an interactive map of the city that let you access then and now photos of various land marks.

Interactive maps of landmarks for Tampa Bay

After Angela arrived, we attended an exhibit showcase where we picked up brochures and heard over 42 (there were over 50 on the list) exhibitors talk about their upcoming traveling exhibits. There are some creative exhibits out there. The one that stuck in my mind was the  fully customization exhibit where everything was 3-D printed and, of course, the many exhibit focusing on dinosaurs. 

• Ontario Science Center has "Motion Mania" debuting in 2017, an interactive exhibit all about force and motion. http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/Rentals/
• Science Museum Grouphas an "create your own" 3-D printing exhibit
• Cincinnati Museum Center has "In the Dark" About nocturnal adaptations http://www.cincymuseum.org/traveling-exhibits/in-the-dark
• Michael Holland Productions-  "Marco/Micro" Exhibit https://www.facebook.com/macromicroexhibit/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf

Lots of options out there!

Hadley giving a presentation on the NASA grant

Monday, September 26

Session III: Disruptive Engagement: 
Reaching new communities, reaching for the starts with NASA

Hadley represented the Bishop Museum in this panel about the NASA Grant.  She also led a group discussion about the details of the project. They saved the best for last, what a great way to conclude the conference!

Utilizing the AmeriCorps VISTA Program at Science Centers
I had the privilege to represent the Bishop Museum as a participant in the panel discussion about the ASTC/VISTA project. In this session project leaders, VISTA members, and program directors enlightened participants about the VISTA program and helped them identify if the VISTA program is a right fit for their institutions.

3D Printing in Museums: Innovation, design, fabrication…and frustration

This session investigated the steps museums have taken to engage their audience in 3D printing.  The National Museum of Natural History let children explore paleontology by scanning individual dinosaur bones they printed with a 3-D printer, they also let general visitors make leggos with  3-D printers. A science Museum in Kansas City incorporates 3-D printers into their camp programs.  It is very difficult to financially maintain an educational program with 3-D Printers, the printer and the materials are very expensive.  All of the programs were fully funded by grants and corporate donations. Even though 3-D printers are a valuable educational tool, it is not a sustainable one.

Cultural Competence Learning Lessons in organizational change and inclusion

I learned about the Cultural Competence Learning Institute, an organization who encourages participants to engage in institution –wide initiatives for change by fostering a sustainable and healthy workplace culture. 

Sunday, September 24: Second Day of ASTC Conference: Angie

NISE BREAKFAST
Early bird gets the worm, or in this case science discovery kits. Hadley and I arrived at an informational breakfast session at 7:30 am to learn about National Informal STEM Education (NISE) Network. NISE is provides science centers with FREE educational products to aid communities in scientific discoveries.  NISE science discovery kits center around Space, Nano Technology and Synthetic Biology.  NISE is funded by the National Science Foundation. Check them out at nisenet.org

Session I: No Money, No Mission: Strategies for Building a Financially Strong Museum

Each candid presenter shared their challenges and successes on their road to greater financial stability in their institutions.  All of them increased earned income in their institutions to become more financially stable and less dependent on government and private company donations. 

What each of the speakers had in common was setting program and admission fees based on the product benefits perceived by the consumer rather than the exact cost of the program itself.  It has been proven that value based pricing is more profitable than traditional pricing. 

When each institution created fee based programs, they always did so with the Museum’s Mission in mind- one example being educational camps. 

Session II: Apps and Why? Or Sometimes Why Not?Some institutions have developed apps to engage their audience.  Check out the Apps developed by the Exploratorium: http://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/apps. Color Uncovered is one of my favorites.

Most of the apps had an interactive component, meaning users took an active role in their exploration.  I loved how the National Museum of Natural History incorporated their collection into the app they created. They took 3-D scans of the objects on display so app users could rotate the object on their device, allowing them to see multiple sides of the object and deepen their knowledge of the collection. So fun! 

Aloha from Florida!  Hadley and I are learning a ton from the ASTC conference.  We are thrilled to have this opportunity and share it  with the team.

ASTC Pre-Game Show: Traveling Exhibition Forum
Friday, September 23
We have been on the move since stepping of the plane late Friday afternoon.  The conference officially starts on Saturday, but there are some events that precede the official opening, one of them a Traveling Exhibitions Forum.  We only had a moment to drop luggage off at the hotel before heading to the traveling exhibit forum where representatives from both exhibit venues and providers gave short 2 minute presentations about traveling exhibitions available and forthcoming.  My favorite: Whales from the Te Papa Museum and Biorythm: Music and the Body.  I got a chance to connect with many of these exhibitors at their booth in the exhibit hall. 

We are bringing back contact information from all 32 presenters and a whole stack of informational brochures about the latest traveling exhibits.  Warning for Brad: The amount of paperwork I am bringing back for you may be overwhelming.  I tried to go through them and delete the ones that will not fit in Castle, but there is still a ton.

Saturday, September 24: Official first day of the conference.

Session1: Science Centers Affecting Formal Science Education Through Community Engagement Worldwide.

This was a truly inspiring session about a global approach to STEM education.  Speakers from Ethiopia, Israel, England, Canada and the U.S. All told how they engage their communities in STEM education beyond the traditional school field trip. 

Session 2: Building Strong Informal Science Learning Curricula: Institutional philosophies, standards and rubrics

Confession: I adore rubrics and enjoy writing curriculum, so this session was a perfect fit for me.  In this session I learned how institutions ensure that the curricula they develop is relevant, appropriate, rigorous, and aligned with institutional goals. One of the tools used to create new curriculum and evaluate existing curricula is a rubric.  If you are interested, I have examples these rubrics that can be adapted for use at the Museum.

Session 3: Creating Successful Programs for Teens

This session was all about recruiting, training and sustaining teen programs in Museums.  These programs are both beneficial for both the teens and the Museum. In the future, I would love to develop a volunteer teen program and have a stronger youth presence on campus.  

Opening Party: Museum of Science and Industry
This was a great networking opportunity, but I did not have much time to see the Museum.  I will have to wait for Museum Day on Tuesday to explore MOSI.  It looks like fun!

Aloha Everyone!

We are excited to announce that we will be traveling this week to the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) conference in Tampa, FL. We are eager learn from this conference and share the information with you!

We will provide you with updates throughout our journey September 23- 27. Please feel free to interact with us by commenting or posting questions that may be answered through attending the sessions.

Mahalo nui,

 Angela and Hadley