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NISE Net ASTC Sessions

Vrylena Olney

Here's a full list of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference sessions that will be featuring NISE Net work or findings from our work, sorted by date and time. Please keep in mind that session descriptions are taken from the Preliminary Program.

  • Interpreting the Nanoworld through Juggling, Drama, Art, and Media
    As science and technology move into the nanoscale, they become more challenging to interpret, see, touch, and manipulate. Properties and behaviors are less familiar; concepts more abstract; applications more detailed; societal implications more complex. Find out how collaborations with artists can provide powerful new dimensions in engaging audiences with complex ideas. This session will explore several creative, dramatic, and visual-based approaches to interpreting the science and technology of the very small.
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 12:30 pm
    Convention Center room 204AB
  • Public Engagement with Science and Technology Policy: How Far Should We Go?
    What role should the informal science education community play in linking the public with scientists and policymakers? Should we simply teach about societal implications of science and technology? Should we provide our visitors with practice and skill development in making informed decisions? Or should we become active vehicles for public input into science and technology policy? Following up on a 2008 ASTC session, this open forum discussion will seek the wisdom of the crowd in exploring the potential policy role for science centers.
    Saturday, Oct. 31 at 12:30 pm
    Convention Center room 101
  • Making the Invisible Visible: Visualizing Emerging Science with Artists
    Many areas of science are "invisible"—too small, too large, too fast, or too slow for us to experience them directly. As new technologies increase the amount of data we have about invisible realms, the challenge is to find ways to visualize that data. Case studies will highlight artist collaborations on nanoscience, ocean sciences, social networks, and traffic patterns. A participatory discussion will explore some of the opportunities and challenges around working with artists to present the invisible in educational settings.
    Sunday, Nov. 1 at 4:00 pm
    Convention Center room 203A
  • Dimensions of Public Engagement: Finding Your Footing in a Paradigm Shift
    The March 2009 CAISE report Many Experts, Many Audiences: Public Engagement with Science and Informal Science Education maps out a new paradigm for connecting the public with science. Are science centers’ current educational goals, programs, and exhibits now obsolete? This session will discuss audience role, expert role, and content focus as dimensions for seeing how your current activities fit in.
    Sunday, Nov. 1 at 12:30 pm
    Convention Center room 203A
  • Public Impact Results for the Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) Network
    This session directly addresses ASTC’s Strategic Priority on partnerships. We will examine public outcomes of one of the largest current partnerships for educating the public on a topical science issue. More than 50 ISE institutions are involved in the development and delivery of the National Science Foundation–funded NISE Net programs, exhibits, forums, and events. Attendees will hear summative evaluation results from Project Year 4 (of 5) and have a chance to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this model for communicating current science.
    Sunday, Nov. 1 at 12:30 pm
    Convention Center room 102
  • Creative Programming and Current Science Learning
    This session presents creative projects and performances that engage visitors in current science. Come experience interactive theater productions, programs, art projects, and craft activities that stimulate critical thinking, reveal complex concepts, and illustrate the creativity of the scientific endeavor. Participants will be given access to resources for implementing the programs.
    Monday, Nov. 2 at 10:45 am
    Convention Center room 204AB
  • Sustainable Diversity Workshop: Conversation and Tools for Inclusivity
    Do your diversity programs really reach your intended audiences and achieve your inclusivity goals? Are free days and community outreach enough? Participants will learn about basic tools others are using to reach diverse audiences and will develop knowledge of how they can achieve sustainable diversity in their own institutions.
    Monday, Nov. 2 at 10:45 am
    Convention Center room 101
  • Science Alliance: Advancing Science Communication by Bridging Diverse Organizations
    Increase the impact of your exhibits and programs through partnerships that extend beyond the science center community. In this session, attendees will hear a case study of ground-breaking collaboration on DragonflyTV; discover strategies for working with diverse institutions, including universities, museums, and television producers; discuss what works and what doesn’t in collaborating with partners; and discover how one partnership made an intangible science topic (nanoscience) engaging, fun, and exciting.
    Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 10:45 am
    Convention Center room 203A
  • Public Engagement in Current Science and Global Issues
    This session showcases educational programming related to the application of nanoscale science and technology to key societal issues, including medicine, energy, and the environment. Participants will experience a variety of programs that bring current scientific knowledge and thoughtful discourse to bear on global problems. Program formats include public presentations, cart demonstrations, a museum theater performance, and a deliberative forum. Featured programs have been designed to be reproduced in a variety of informal science education contexts, to be relevant to a wide range of audiences from different backgrounds and demographics, and to be adaptable for greater relevancy to local audiences. Participants will learn how they can access complete instructions and resources to implement these programs at their own institutions through the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network.
    Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 9:00 am