The National Science Foundation has asked CAISE (Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education [3]) to explore creating a focus on networks at it's PI Summit [4]in the spring.  CAISE is using the ASTC session that NISE Net Manager Vrylena Olney proposed, with me as moderator, as a jumping off point for their planning their network strand, along with a meeting in DC in November.  Here's what the announcement in a recent issue of ASTC Informs says about it.  Our ASTC session takes place at 9 AM on Sunday, October 16 in Baltimore.

CAISE to Explore Effectiveness of Networks: Building on a conversation that will begin at the ASTC conference session, "Net Working: Lessons Learned from Working in Networks," the Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) will be convening a group of NSF ISE Program Principal Investigators on November 17-18 in Washington, D.C., to further explore the particularities of networks as a mechanism for doing effective, cross-sector informal science education work. For further information, contact Jamie Bell at jbell@caise.insci.org.

It's also time for me to write the final report about the first award, which covered the first 5+ years.  So in a reflective mood, networks are on my mind.  Here's one abstract way of representing the NISE Net.