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ASTC Annual Conference 2015

Date

-

Montreal, Canada

The NISE Network will have many activities and professional development opportunities at the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) annual conference:


Booth and Exhibit Hall

The NISE Network will have a booth #823 & #922 n the exhibit hall featuring public engagement activities and resources including information about upcoming projects opportunities including.


Communities of Practice Meet-ups

Public Engagement with Science Community of Practice
Informal get together - come learn and share about current and upcoming work:

Friday, October 16, 2015 
4:00 PM - 4:50 PM
Hyatt Regency Montreal 


NISE Network Happy Hour

NISE Network partners are invited to gather together informally (no need to RSVP); all are welcome!

Friday, October 16, 2015
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Location: BENELUX

245 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest (cross-street Rue Jeanne-Mance)
Montreal, Quebec
(514) 543-9750
http://brasseriebenelux.com/

 BENELUX is less than a 10 minute walk from the Hyatt Regency Montreal and Delta Montreal Hotel.


Celebrate NISE Network Director, Larry Bell!

Larry Bell is receiving the Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award at this year's ASTC Conference! Please join the Museum of Science, Boston as we honor Larry Bell and all his achievements.

Friday, October 16, 2015
7:00 - 9:00 PM (immediately following the NISE Net happy hour)
Location: Pullman Wine Bar

3424 Avenue de Parc (cross-street Rue Sherbrooke Ouest)
Montreal, Quebec
(514) 288-7779
http://pullman-mtl.com/en/

Pullman Wine Bar is less than a 5 minute walk from BENELUX, the location of NISE Net's happy hour.


Leading Edge Award

Alan J. Friedman Science Center Dialogues/Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards Presentation/ASTC 2016 Preview

Monday, October 19, 2015, 10:30 AM –12:00 PM
Following this session, the winners of the 11th annual Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards will be honored, followed by a brief preview of ASTC’s 2016 Annual Conference, which will be hosted by MOSI, the Museum of Science and Industry, in Tampa, Florida.

Awards will be presented to both Larry Bell and Marilyn Johnson


Sessions

The NISE Network activities and information about engaging the public in nanoscience, engineering, technology will be featured in the following sessions:

How Can Science Museums Adapt to Fundamental Challenges Raised by the Science of Science Communication? 
Saturday, October 17, 2015, 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM 
Recent research on science communication challenges our assumptions that understandable communication of science will bring the public to the best decisions about crucial issues for the future. What does the research say? How does this challenge our beliefs about informal science education? Let’s think together about what to do about it.

  • Session Leaders
    • Larry Bell, Museum of Science
  • Presenters
    • Dietram Scheufele, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Activities and Techniques for Synbio Engagement: Promoting conversations around synthetic biology between scientists and publics
Saturday, October 17, 2015, 1:45 PM - 03:00 PM
The field of synthetic biology raises issues scientists want to discuss with lay publics.  Learn about, experience, and provide feedback on draft engagement activities about basics and societal implications of synthetic biology, developed by 12 ISE-synbio scientist teams, and available in a free kit which will be disseminated to 200 organizations in 2016.

  • Session Leaders
    • Larry Bell, Museum of Science
  • Presenters
    • Frank Kusiak, Lawrence Hall of Science
    • Jayatri Das, The Franklin Institute
    • Keith Ostfeld, Children's Museum of Houston
    • Michelle Kortenaar, Sciencenter
    • Christina Akers, Science Museum of Minnesota
    • Elizabeth Kollmann, Museum of Science
    • David Sittenfeld, Museum of Science
    • Jeanne Braha, American Association for the Advancement of Science
    • Natalie Kuldell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Ali Jackson, Sciencenter
    • Catherine McCarthy , Science Museum of Minnesota
    • Timothy Hecox ,Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

But Why Should I Care?”: Making science center programs relevant to visitors
Saturday, October 17, 2015, 04:30 PM - 06:30 PM
Dust the cobwebs off your aging programs! We deliver our successful camps, classes, demonstrations, and activities for decades because they work. But do visitors connect the science to their lives? Explore techniques for adding relevance to your existing programs and take home resources and approaches you can use right away.

  • Session Leaders
    • Stephanie Long, Science Museum of Minnesota
  • Presenters
    • Rae Ostman, Science Museum of Minnesota
    • Heather Barnes, Museum of Science and Industry
    • Keith Ostfeld, Children's Museum of Houston
    • David Sittenfeld, Museum of Science

How Can Science Museums Tackle Quantum Materials? (and, what are they anyway?)
Sunday, October 18, 2015, 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
2D materials, topological insulators, diamond NV centers, oh my! Our group collaborates with the NSF Science & Technology Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM), and we're in the process of figuring out how to explain to our audiences why scientists are so excited about these newly-discovered materials and their startling quantum behaviors which may take us well beyond nanotechnology and into the realm of atomic-scale devices. Come over, and we'll show you what we're doing, and invite you to chat with us about anything you might be doing that could be related. Think: graphene, atomic spin, photonics.​

  • Poster Presenters
    • Karine Thate, Museum of Science
    • Carol Lynn Alpert, Museum of Science

The Network: A multi-pronged approach to understanding public impacts of organizations participating in NISE Net
Sunday, October 18, 2015, 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
This poster will present a study of the NISE Network to understand its public impact. The NISE Network aims
to increase public awareness of nano-related content. What are the public impacts when a museum engages
in professional development, adopts new programs, and receives exhibits and other materials from the centralized Network? Participants will learn about the cumulative impact of multiple changes among participating organi- zations, how organizations adapt programs and exhibits for their local audiences, and differences in how audience segments respond to their offerings.

  • Poster Presenters
    • Steven Guberman, Senior Evaluation and Research Associate, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul
    • David Milavetz and Eric LaPlant, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul

Moving the Field Forward through Evaluating Capacity Building
Sunday, October 18, 2015, 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Evaluation is becoming an increasingly central and critical aspect of our work, but how do we build the capacity of institutions and the field to respond to this need? Share your opinions and questions around integrating reflection into practice, using evaluation results to improve projects, and supporting field-building efforts.

  • Session Leaders
    • Sarah Cohn, Science Museum of Minnesota
  • Presenters
    • Jamie Bell, Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE)
    • Scott Pattison, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
    • Ryan Auster, Museum of Science
    • Amy Grack Nelson, Science Museum of Minnesota
    • Kirsten Ellenbogen, Great Lakes Science Center

Great Science in Small Packages: Successful approaches to development and fabrication of science activity kits
Sunday, October 18, 2015, 1:15 PM - 02:30 PM
Science Activity Kits are powerful outreach tools that can increase capacity to engage audiences, while also tackling difficult content with easily adaptable curriculum. However, kit creation can be intimidating, from developing versatile content to sourcing materials. Join us to discuss multiple kit models and how each successfully reached its audience.

  • Leader:
    • Catherine McCarthy, Science Museum of Minnesota
  • Presenters
    • Kurt Huffman, COSI
    • Jayatri Das, The Franklin Institute
    • Ali Jackson, Sciencenter

Alan J. Friedman Science Center Dialogues/Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards Presentation/ASTC 2016 Preview
Monday, October 19, 2015, 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Following this session, the winners of the 11th annual Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards will be honored, followed by a brief preview of ASTC’s 2016 Annual Conference, which will be hosted by MOSI, the Museum of Science and Industry, in Tampa, Florida.

Team-Based Inquiry: A practical evaluation approach for non-evaluators
Monday, October 19, 2015, 02:30 PM - 03:45 PM
Interested in incorporating evaluative thinking and reflective practice into your work? This hands-on session will introduce a practical, tested approach for building your evaluation capacity and using data to improve your educational products and practices. The session is particularly relevant for educators, program and exhibit developers, and their managers.

  • Session Leaders
    • Sarah Cohn, Science Museum of Minnesota
  • Presenters
    • Elizabeth Kollmann, Museum of Science
    • Scott Pattison, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
    • Brad Herring, Museum of Life + Science
    • Ali Jackson, Sciencenter
    • Anika Taylor, The Bakken Library and Museum

Recreate the Wheel? Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!
Monday, October 19, 2015, 02:30 PM - 03:45 PM
As educational programming providers, we all spend hours planning and creating content and experiences to inspire and engage our guests and participants.  However, we keep creating wheels that already exist. Join this collaborative session where we work smarter together rather than harder separately.  (Bring content and resources to share)

  • Session Leaders
    • RaeAnn Fox, Arizona Science Center
  • Presenters
    • Jonathan Barnes, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
    • Jeff Bassett, Discovery Place, Inc.
    • Amanda Fisher, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
    • Catherine McCarthy, Science Museum of Minnesota
    • Danyll Lockhart, Great Lakes Science Center
    • Frieda Smith, Saint Louis Science Center
    • Dana Semos, Wagner Free Institute of Science