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Hello, all:

At the world science center congress in Toronto, I have put together a  
panel with Andrea Bandelli, Beverly Damonse, Jennifer Martin, and Nina  
Simon on the topic of innovation in science centers.  As we had  
originally conceived it, the panel was to be an inquiry into the value  
of innovation in science centers, rather than a simple celebration of  
innovation.  In part, this is a critical response to the mantra of  
innovation that one hears in the corporate, commercial, and government  
sectors, leading one (or at least me) to wonder about the intellectual  
and cultural underpinnings that value innovation over, for example,  
tradition, durability, or the-well-understood.   In exploring this  
idea with colleagues, I have discovered that many are concerned that  
the word innovation is elided with "shiny new things" or "new  
technologies,"  and that they are skeptical of the value of that type  
of innovation in science centers.

  At the Hall, as we put together strategic plans for the coming  
years, we have the opportunity and obligation to question the  
rationale for devoting so much of our time and energy toward coming up  
with new ideas (which I think is what innovation means, though I am  
open to other definitions).  A few rationales have emerged, in no  
particular order:

1) To explore important and influential new technologies and ideas.
2) To remain competitive in the merit-based grant funding marketplace,  
whether NSF, IMLS, or private sources, where new approaches are  
explicitly or implicitly valued more highly than time-tested or  
replicated ideas
3) To engage the most creative and energetic staff and partners
4) To increase the stature and impact of the Hall in our field
5) To identify new ways to serve our audiences more effectively

In our efforts to make our world science center congress presentation  
more engaging, we are gathering questions from colleagues about  
innovation that we might explore.

Are there other good rationales for innovation?  What are the costs of  
innovation? Is innovation the best way to meet these goals?  What are  
some projects that embody innovation? and what are some that explore  
more deeply the "well-understood?"  What does innovation mean to our  
audiences?  How do we know?

Any ideas?  We will be setting up a "voicethread" conversation shortly  
for those of you who would prefer to talk to your computers...

Thanks in advance.

Eric Siegel
Director and Chief Content Officer
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Queens, NY 11368
www.nyscience.org
718.699.0005 x 317
esiegel at nyscience dot org

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