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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To state the obvious, a number of museums have portable exhibits that are set 
up (and often accompanied by classroom workshops or family science events) 
for a day or two in community settings, festivals, school libraries or 
auditoriums, etc., in effect creating a museum experience for the day.

As part of the Celebra la Ciencia project (www.celebralaciencia.org), we have 
a set of about thirty bilingual interactives -- most tabletop or small 
suitcases -- on the human body.  We use the whole set or selected components for 
community festivals, afterschool programs, health fairs, family science nights, 
and the like.  The exhibits are in use every week in a different location.  
These exhibits were designed with the Pacific Science Center, which uses a set as 
part of their very extensive statewide science outreach program.  We are 
currently adding some additonal units on exercise, microbes, and specific health 
issues.

The advantage of this approach is that it is relatively inexpensive, the 
exhibits are light and easily moved around (and can be set up flexibly), and that 
a "mix and match" approach can be used to design a set of exhibits appropriate 
to the amount of space available and the focus of an event.

Other museums that have such programs include OMSI (Portland), COSI 
(Columbus), the Science Museum of Virginia, and in a variety of smaller museums, such 
as the Catawba Science Center (Hickory, NC).

Bob

Robert L. Russell, Ph.D.
Learning Experience Design
(202) 997-5539
[log in to unmask]

Interim Executive Director & Science Advisor, Self-Reliance Foundation
Project Director, Celebra la Ciencia
http://www.celebralaciencia.org/
(202) 360-4117

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