ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Hi Jonah,
The reason the Science Museum of Virginia parking lot smells like cookies is because the Sauer's Spice Company is close by on West Broad Street. It always smells really good near them (I used to live in Richmond). Haha
Katie
Katie McCarthy
Administrative Assistant
Association of Science-Technology Centers
1025 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005-6301 USA
202/783-7200 x147 Fax 202/783-7207
[log in to unmask]
www.astc.org
www.exhibitfiles.org
Take the Youth Inspired Challenge!
ASTC's Major initiative to expand the impact of Science Centers and Museums
For more information: ASTC.org/YouthInspired
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jonah Cohen
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2010 1:48 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: A decade at the ASTC Conference
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
With 2010's festivities in Honolulu, I realize that I have now been to
10 Annual Conferences of ASTC. There are two conclusions to draw from
this:
1) I am old. Really old.
2) Especially for someone at a small museum, like mine, it has been
unbelievably valuable to meet up with and exchange ideas with my cohorts
from the science center world. So to everyone I say, as they would in
Hawaii, Mahalo.
And now, a trip down memory lane. Here are a few of the things I recall
from the hosts of our last 10 shindigs:
2001, Arizona Science Center: the freaky psychology exhibit, the video
display with the 3 second delay
2002, Discovery Place: an awesome chemistry demo area, the terraced
exhibit space, lots of robots
2003, Science Museum of Minnesota: Cell Lab, Experiment Gallery,
Collector's Corner, the terminator pigs, the demo where they dropped
stuff off of a balcony
2004, The Tech Museum: The Tech Challenges, the drawing robot, the
high-tech kids area, The Revolver
2005, Science Museum of Virginia: The earth + moon kugels, Newton in
Space, rat basketball
2006, Louisville Science Center: World We Create, the waterless stream
table, maze-like design of every building in town
2007, California Science Center: Big Lab, the rose garden, Tess the
giant robot, the chick hatchery
2008, Franklin Institute: the heart, the sports exhibit, pirates, the
kids area
2009, Fort Worth Museum of Science & History: the noise-making pinball
game, the activity rooms, the construction
2010, Bishop Museum: meet me at the hot spot, the ocean/volcano exhibit
combo, the main hall in Hawaii Hall
And a few superlatives, IMHO, from the last decade:
BEST NEARBY MUSEUM: Have to fudge + go with a tie - The Exploratorium
(close to San Jose) & The Sonora Desert Museum (close to Phoenix).
Honorable mentions to Monterey Bay Aquarium/SJ Children's Discovery
Museum/Lawrence Hall of Science (San Jose), the Baaken Museum (St.
Paul), Louisville Slugger Museum (Louisville) & The Mutter Museum
(Philadelphia)
BEST FOOD: Philadelphia, hands down. Thank you, Reading Terminal Market.
BEST CONFERENCE SPEAKER: Has to be Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem
Children's Zone. (Los Angeles). Honorable mentions to astronaut Mike
Melville (Richmond), biologist EO Wilson (Louisville), author Steven
Johnson (Philly) + the Mythbusters (LA)
MOST NOTABLE WEATHER: Holy smokes, it was cold in St. Paul.
BEST TOYS IN THE EXHIBITOR HALL: I liked the hurricane booth, that
buffeted you with 80 mph winds. Props also to the strobe-powered OI that
made it look like water was dripping upwards.
BEST ANIMAL GUEST STAR: Close call. Smithfield the painting pig
(Richmond) had artistic talent, but like all artists was kind of
temperamental. Sticker the longhorn steer (Ft. Worth) was friendlier,
but had some drool issues.
BEST ENTERTAINMENT: They Might Be Giants (Ft. Worth.) I'm impressed.
BEST SMELLING PARKING LOT: Science museum of Virginia. Really, it smells
like cookies.
BEST CONVENTION SWAG: In Philadelphia, everyone's conference tote
included one of the plushes from Giant Microbes. I got the T-4
Macrophage.
WILDEST DEMO: OK, a few contenders---
Sherry Marshall of the Oklahoma Museum Network, whose LN2/ping
pong ball explosion in Honolulu won't be forgotten soon
The London Science Museum, their outreach live presentation in
LA on the digestive system wowed everyone with actual footage from
inside the human body, and made jokes I didn't know you were allowed to
make in a school
Steven Walvig of The Baaken, for the Thunder-house demo he set
off in Fort Worth
The traveling science crew of The Franklin Institute, who added
to their host-party with an extended, fire-and-LN2 affair dubbed Random
Acts of Science
William Katzman of the Catawba Museum, who fascinated/frightened
attendees in Richmond by walking barefoot on glass shards
BIGGEST SERENDIPITY: As ASTC'ers were enjoying open house at The Bishop
this month, they were treated to a huge rainbow above Honolulu.
My friends, thanks for all the Manao (sharing of thoughts), and I hope
to see you next year in Baltimore.
Jonah Cohen
Outreach & Public Programs Manager
The Children's Museum
***********************************************************************
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
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]
***********************************************************************
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
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]
|
