NISE Network Blog

Partner Highlight: COSI Science Festival - A Digital Transformation

June 2, 2020

Josh Sarver, VP of Exhibits & Programs and Stephen White Esq., VP of Strategic Initiatives, COSI, Columbus, OH

With its sights focused on another record setting experience in 2020, COSI and its partners prepared for an assortment of exciting programs as well as the infusion of new cities from across the state. With a broader regional focus and a year’s experience under our belts, the possibilities seemed endless. However, as the impact of the pandemic grew, COSI was forced to execute a broad-based strategy to engage public, private, and nonprofit partners to produce digital experiences around science and technology.

Re-imagining a Sustainability Fellowship during COVID

May 28, 2020

Kayla Berry, Museum of Science

In May, the NISE Network's Sustainability Fellowship Program led by Arizona State University hosted its first virtual workshop, due to COVID-19, for its final cohort of fellows. Over four days, 28 fellows delved into defining what sustainability means to them, for their institutions, and how to apply this knowledge to a sustainability project over the next few months, especially as we all adjust to living in times of COVID-19.

Partner Highlight: Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center uses NISE Network Kits to Create Online Educational Videos for Families

May 27, 2020

Liane Usher, President, Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center

Since March 15th the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many children’s museums, we were faced with the challenge of keeping our families and the greater community engaged with hands-on interactive learning without a physical facility. While the Center has never done much online content development before, our staff quickly shifted gears and learned new skills in video production, editing and social media.

Partner Highlight: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Connects Local Students to Gardening through School Lunch Program

May 27, 2020

Erika Huber, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

During the quarantine, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has supplied gardening kits and flowers to the local school lunch program. In April, we made 180 mini garden kits that were made available to students at lunch pickup spots throughout the peninsula as well as delivered to individual homes.

Partner Highlight: NISE Network Partners Continue Sustainability Efforts through Challenging Times

May 5, 2020

Nich Weller, Arizona State University

In January 2020, thirty-four museum professionals from across the NISE Network came to Arizona State University as part of the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability in Science and Technology Museums Fellowship. Following their time in Tempe, fellows returned to their organizations with new tools, resources, and relationships cultivated from the workshop to conduct their projects, ranging from updating exhibits to planning museum renovations to providing professional development at their organization about sustainability.

Check out the NSF STEM for All Video Showcase and watch (and vote for) the NISE Network's Let's Do Chemistry video

May 4, 2020

Kayla Berry, Museum of Science

Take part in the free, interactive STEM for All Video Showcase, May 5-12. This online showcase gives you the opportunity to learn about the latest research efforts to transform STEM education, communicate directly with researchers and practitioners, and vote for your favorite videos. Be sure to take a look at this short 3-minute Let's Do Chemistry! New Attitudes about Learning Chemistry video!

Partner Highlight: NISE Network Partners Excel During COVID-19 Shutdown

May 2, 2020

Kayla Berry, Museum of Science

These past couple of months, NISE Network partners have continued to find creative ways to remotely engage their communities in fun science learning experiences and provide outreach throughout the coronavirus COVID-19 shutdown. Here are just a few partner highlights that...

Partner Highlight: Star Night's Annual Event Moves Indoors at White Mountain Nature Center in Pinetop, Arizona

May 2, 2020

Kalman Mannis, Arizona Science Center

Star Night is an annual event at the White Mountain Nature Center in the alpine town of Pinetop, AZ, the region’s crowning informal learning site. The annual early Spring Astronomy Night was planned for mid-March 2020, the amateur astronomers were geared up for a star party, NISE Net's Explore Science: Earth & Space toolkit and Arizona State University’s StarLab were on-hand, we were a go! Then a week prior to the event the Covid crisis erupted and a late Spring storm was in the forecast...we needed to pivot!

Children's Museum of Houston photo of kids jumping

Partner Highlight: Learn How Network Partners are Remaining Resilient and Adapting During Current Times – COVID-19

March 26, 2020

Kayla Berry, Museum of Science

The NISE Network continues to be amazed at the way partners are rapidly adjusting to changing times, learning how to adapt in-person programs, demonstrations and activities into virtual and at-home learning experiences. This is no small feat and we want...

wikihow creative commons Set-Up-an-Ergonomically-Correct-Workstation

Tips for working from home

March 20, 2020

Catherine McCarthy, Science Museum of Minnesota

revised 9-30-20 As many of us engage in social distancing to try to slow the spread of coronavirus, we know many of our partner staff are being asked to work from home and to engage the public online. For some...