Happy Anniversary!
The year 2025 marks the twentieth anniversary of the NISE Network! It is wonderful to still be working with a community of informal educators and scientists dedicated to engaging the public in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) across the United States. Although the start of 2025 has brought significant uncertainty and challenges for many of us, we look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts with you in the year ahead and beyond.
As we move forward with our work, we are pleased to announce a transition from Rae Ostman to our new director Catherine McCarthy. In celebration of our 20th anniversary, we also caught up with our founding director, Larry Bell, to share what he’s been up to during his retirement.
The NISE Network’s original project funding from the National Science Foundation began on October 1, 2005, with a focus on nanoscale science and technology. Over the years, we have continued to evolve and grow with different partners and projects. We've explored a wide range of STEM topics, always with a commitment to enhancing our capacity to engage the public.
Larry Bell served as the director
of the NISE Network from 2005-2017.
As the founding director, Larry played a pivotal role in shaping the network, and despite being retired, he continues to keep himself very busy. Here are some reflections from Larry, shared in April 2025:
"It’s amazing to realize that NISE Network has been supporting informal science education efforts at organizations all across the country for 20 years! I remember thinking, when we were working on the proposal to the National Science Foundation in 2005 that if we got the award and a progress-based non-competitive renewal, a couple of us would reach retirement age before that first project was over!
Now I am 77 years old and have been retired from my position as Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the Museum of Science in Boston since 2019. But I have continued to work very part-time for the Museum as a Senior Advisor focused almost totally on the Museum’s history. I’ve worked at the Museum of Science since 1971 so have direct personal experience covering over 50 years and have been going through materials in the Museum archive department to fill in the gaps. I’ve been writing this all up in anticipation of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Museum’s parent organization, the Boston Society of Natural History, which is coming up in 2030.
With the rest of my time, I’ve been consuming as much classical music and opera as I can, both in person and online; baking when I get time to try out a new recipe; engaging in a self-taught, empirical course in non-alcoholic red wines; and enjoying food and friends across multiple generations. I am looking forward to attending a full week-long presentation of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelungen in Brattleboro, Vermont, this summer (Aug 18-24, 2025)."
Rae Ostman served as the director
of the NISE Network from 2017 to 2025.
Although she is stepping down from her role as director, Rae will continue to serve as a member of the network’s core leadership team. Rae Ostman is a research professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University and co-director of the Center for Innovation in Informal STEM Learning. During Rae’s years of leadership the NISE Network has focused on many topics including sustainability, Earth and space science, neuroscience, and STEM Learning Ecosystems.
Catherine McCarthy is taking the lead
as the new NISE Network director.
While she may be the new director, Catherine is certainly no stranger to the network. Catherine has been deeply involved with the NISE Network since its founding in 2005, first through her work at the Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY and then through the Science Museum of Minnesota in Saint Paul. Currently, she serves on the network’s core leadership team and is based at Arizona State University at the Center for Innovation in Informal STEM Learning (CIISL) in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Catherine is excited to take on this new role and to continue supporting the network’s efforts to develop open-source, capacity-building resources for informal educators.
Christina Leavell continues to serve
as the NISE Network’s community manager.
Christina has been involved with the network since 2009 in a variety of roles, including kit development and fabrication, regional hub leadership, and professional learning. She is a familiar face to many network partners, having led the network’s online workshops since 2022. Christina is currently based at Arizona State University at the Center for Innovation in Informal STEM Learning (CIISL) in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, though she began her work with the network at the Science Museum of Minnesota in Saint Paul.
Looking towards the future
Although the start of 2025 has brought significant uncertainty and challenges for many of us, the work we do to engage the public in STEM continues to have a lasting and invaluable impact on the individuals and communities we serve. Your efforts to help people better understand the world around them and discover how they can participate in science throughout their lives truly make the world a better place.
Thank you for twenty amazing years of public engagement!
Here’s to many more to come.
Resources:
A professional development guide for educators and researchers considering developing a collaborative network.