Dimensions, September/October 2017—Co-Design for Transformation

IN THIS ISSUE September/October 2017 Read the full issue. When delegates convene in Tokyo from November 15 to 17 for the Science Centre World Summit (hosted by Miraikan—the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation), they will examine ways to build connections and work toward a sustainable future. How can science centers and museums work …

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Q&A with Diana Pardue: Museums, Immigration, and Controversy

Interviewed by Andrea Appleton This interview appeared in the September/October 2017 issue of Dimensions magazine. Since 1985, Diana Pardue has worked with two of the United States’ most treasured symbols. She is chief of the museum services division at the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island in New York City. She is also …

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Dimensions, July/August 2017—Inspiring Growth Through Mentoring

IN THIS ISSUE July/August 2017 The science center and museum field tends to be very supportive and collaborative. There are many stories of individuals and institutions mentoring one another, passing along knowledge and resources, and helping the field as a whole to grow and move forward. These mentoring relationships can be much more intricate than …

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Q&A with Emily Graslie: Science, Art, Curiosity, and The Brain Scoop

Interviewed by Andrea Appleton This interview appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Dimensions magazine. Emily Graslie has a pretty cool job. She is chief curiosity correspondent for Chicago’s Field Museum. She landed the position through her YouTube Channel, The Brain Scoop, in which she explores scientific topics with a disarming inquisitiveness. Graslie spoke with …

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Q&A with Anthony Leiserowitz: Climate Change and the Current Political Climate

Interviewed by Andrea Appleton This interview appeared in the May/June 2017 issue of Dimensions magazine. The evidence is conclusive: the planet is warming and humans are to blame. But there are still those, some in powerful positions, who don’t believe in climate change. Yet Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, …

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What misconceptions about science centers and museums do you wish you could correct?

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2017 issue of Dimensions magazine. The biggest misconception about science centers that I would like to correct is the idea that a science center is a place for children only. Many people associate interactivity with “for children.” Many adults see the interaction with an exhibit as playing and …

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Dimensions, Special Edition—Growing Toward a Future Where All Feel Welcome and Heard

IN THIS ISSUE Special Edition In 2001, ASTC’s Board launched a fieldwide Equity and Diversity Initiative in an effort to lead science centers toward a future in which their audience, staff, and board members more closely reflect the diversity of their societies. Since that time, we have made progress as a field on the path …

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Q&A with Ann Fumarolo: Making Diversity a Priority in Science Centers and Museums

Interviewed by Joelle Seligson This interview appeared in a special edition of Dimensions magazine on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Having been part of the ASTC Equity and Diversity Committee for much of its history, outgoing committee chair Ann Fumarolo has seen the difference equity and diversity initiatives can make. Fumarolo, who serves as president and …

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Out-of-School Time Programs: Advice and Lessons Learned

This is an extended version of an article that appeared in the July/August 2016 issue of Dimensions magazine. We asked science centers and museums to share their best pieces of advice and most important lessons learned regarding the following: 1) selecting topics and activities for out-of-school time programs, 2) partnering with afterschool providers and other …

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Do smartphones and their cameras enhance or detract from the museum experience (or can they do both)?

This is an extended discussion of the question that appeared in the Viewpoints department of the May/June 2016 issue of Dimensions magazine. I will not tell people whether or not they will have a better experience with or without those kind of media or technologies. We put up our “Photography Encouraged” signs [in the exhibition …

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Going Green

This is a supplement to an article that appeared in the March/April 2016 issue of Dimensions magazine. We asked science centers, museums, and aquariums to share how they are making their facilities and their practices more green and energy efficient, and how they have used these efforts to educate their visitors and communities about energy …

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ASTC Board Chair Linda Conlon Is Made a Member of the British Empire

Linda Conlon, chair of ASTC’s board and chief executive of the International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, was made a Member of the British Empire in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year Honours List on December 31, 2015. The New Year Honours List recognizes the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the United …

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Dimensions, September/October 2015—Addressing Global Issues

IN THIS ISSUE September/October 2015 As this issue of Dimensions goes to press, world leaders are preparing to convene at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York City to formally adopt the post-2015 development agenda, committing to 17 ambitious new Sustainable Development Goals. So many of the critical issues facing our planet—from climate change …

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Dwell on This

By Anthony (Bud) Rock A collective mass of youthful exuberance pulses through our science centers and museums on any given day. As I visit our ASTC-member institutions around the world, I find it extremely rewarding to watch all that energy being transformed into focused, intense contemplation of specific topics or experiences. I have always been …

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