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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
>
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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
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