ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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As a zoo person's perspective...

We have collaborated with some of our local science museums and science
centers on teacher workshops, informal science educators' networks, and
a local grant that provides funding for school field trips to our
facilities.

I have also worked for a science museum that partnered with the local
zoo when we had IMAX/OMNI films that fit with their collection on
developing joint teacher workshops and also they provided animals (and
staff to handle the animals) for us for press openings/previews for
those films.


For some time I was the person responsible for a live animal collection
in a science museum, and that's a bit of a different perspective...

I also feel that there is some untapped potential when it comes to
animal care, husbandry, and welfare; many museums that have live animal
collections can gain so much by partnering with their local zoo.  Being
the staff person who cares for a living collection can be difficult if
you do not have a local support system, and being "in the know" can open
the door up for basic supplies, emergency situations (like when your
freezer full of dead mice goes on the fritz and you need to feed your
owls), and animal acquisitions or placements.  Having staff members that
know USDA regulations is necessary, if they also know AZA standards
that's a big bonus.  Maintaining those standards, and even becoming AZA
accredited, can open up new possibilities for live animal exhibits and
how animals are used in a museum's educational programming.  Keeping
those standards also enables a museum to recruit and keep well-versed
animal care staff and curators who can grow a museum's collection to be
something truly remarkable, like the collection that the Museum of
Science in Boston maintains.  

Anyway...that's my two cents for what they are worth :-).  

Lucy

Lucy Hale
Education Coordinator, Public Programs
Conservation Education and Science Department
The Dallas Zoo and The Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park
[log in to unmask]
(214)670-7496
www.dallaszooed.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Deborah Massey
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 9:22 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A request for information

ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
************************************************************************
*****

Hi Martin,

Please see below. Would you please share your results with us? I am
particularly interested in what collaborations others have done with
zoos
- or other organizations.

Informal Science Education Network <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>institutions.
>***********************************************************************
******
>
>Dear Colleague;
>
>     The New York Hall of Science is developing a project that will 
>forge collaborations between
>science museums and zoos/aquariums. I am interested to hear from you 
>about any experiences you may have had with such a collaboration. I 
>would appreciate it very much if you could take just a few minutes to 
>answer three questions or pass them to a colleague for answering. You 
>can answer off-line or on-line. I will collate answers and post them 
>as anonymous information to the list. Thank you in advance for your 
>time.
>
>
>1. Have you or your institution been involved in collaboration on 
>joint programs with a zoo or aquarium? If you have, what were the 
>outcomes? What was the experience like?
>
We collaborated extensively one year with the Seneca Park Zoo around the
theme of black bears:
The zoo had a black bear as it's visiting animal.
We showed the giant-screen film: Bears. 
We chose as one of our speakers for our Distinguised Scholars Lecture
Series for that year someone from the zoo who spoke on bears. 
Some of our docents went to the zoo and facilitated programs on animals.
We offered a joint professional development with the zoo for teachers on
animals, Native Americans, and myths (we have extensive Native American
programs).

Every year the zoo has an Art Auction. Children do art work about the
animals during their visits to the zoo. This art work is then exhibited
at
RMSC for a week. We freature animals for the Science Saturday that week.
Then the art work returns to the zoo for the rest of the events.

We sometimes feature the Seneca Park Zoo Mobile at our Science Saturday
programs at the museum.

We also offer staff discounts to members of the zoo for all programs at
the RMSC.
>
>
>2. If you have not been involved in a collaboration with a zoo or 
>aquarium, why not? What are some of the perceived barriers to working 
>together?

(We don't have a local aquarium.)
>
>
>3. What interests you most about collaborating with a zoo or 
>aquarium? Why type of joint programming could you imagine? What 
>potential advantage do you see for your institution?

We see a lot of advantages to collaborating with the Seneca Park Zoo. We
have just expanded our natural science exhibit and it is a natural fit
to
work with the zoo. I'd like to do more joint programming and will be
interested to hear what other people have done. 
>
>Cheers,
>
>Martin
>-- 
>Martin Weiss, PhD
>Science Interpretation
>Consultant,
>New York Hall of Science
>
>***********************************************************************
>For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and
>the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
>
>Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at
>www.exhibitfiles.org.
>
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>



Deborah Massey
Head of School and Teacher Programs
Rochester Museum & Science Center
657 East Avenue
Rochester, New York 14607-2177
(585) 271-4320, ext. 521
[log in to unmask]

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For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and
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Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at
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For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
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