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!