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Charlie,

I understand where you are coming from, but they actually have not eliminated funding for all STEM museum projects outside of the Smithsonian, which was my first reaction to reading the news months ago.   
What they have done is reorganized the governmental programs.  Instead of allowing every governmental agency to fund STEM programs, only a select few can with an emphasis on accountability.  Yes, the era of  evaluation is upon us!  I doubt that will ever go away.  In a sense it has always been there:  every time a person walks through your museum's doors, that visitor is evaluating your efforts - it's just less of a formal evaluation.  

Remember:  IMLS and NSF's AISL programs still exist.  The ones that had the most revamping seem to be agencies like NASA and Dept. of Energy, who really did seem to get their EPO efforts taken away and given to the Smithsonian.  If this proposal proceeds it will likely remove a number of good programs (the Smithsonian could conceivably keep the programs working though).  It will also likely remove a number of programs that although well intentioned may not have been conducted with enough expertise (how hard could it be to do science outreach - give it to the grad student/intern/etc). 

-William "not speaking for my institution" Katzman



On Jun 5, 2013, at 2:38 PM, Charles Carlson wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
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> 
> Martin,
> Thanks for posting!  Re-reading this plan for the umpteenth time, it feels to me like the only museum that counts is the Smithsonian and the only STEM affects that need be considered are ones measurable in the classroom.  The vast majority of museums and informal science activities fall outside of those narrow parameters, and embrace a much wider, self-identified engagement and interest in science, math, engineering and technology.   It's a shameful oversight, pennywise and pound foolish.
> 
> It makes me sad and angry!
> C
> 
> P.S. Apologies if this shows up on the listserve twice.
> On Jun 5, 2013, at 11:17 AM, Martin Weiss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
>> 
> 
> The opinions and thoughts expressed here are my own and should in no way be construed or attributed to the Exploratorium or related organization, and do not represent an institutional position.  
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> Virus Notice:  Neither I nor any of my agents accept any responsibility for any viruses that may be contained in this email or any attachments, and it is your responsibility to scan the email and any attachments.
> Charles Carlson
> http://blogs.exploratorium.edu/whyintercept/
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