ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions. ***************************************************************************** Interestingly, most of the science museums I've seen that have a research arm seem to have some real challenges in connecting their research to public exhibitions. Either the research/researchers are too complex and/or obscure to get across easily, or there is real dispute between educators and scientists as to what an appropriate exhibit should include, how it should be presented, how it can be made accessible to the lay public. I would love to see some kind of a process whereby willing scientists and researchers could work directly with museums and science centers to create truly meaningly science education. I think this happens all too rarely, in is surprisingly hard to manage. In my mind, one of the best examples of this is the WINS (women in natural sciences) program which ran (runs?) for years at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Girls, most from disadvantaged backgrounds, were in the program over the course of several years. They were not only "taught," but actually did teaching themselves, went on serious field trips to do real hands-on work, and then worked with and for researchers in the labs. The two kids I kept in touch with (because they worked as teens for my husband, then the overnight and weekend coordinator) went straight from Philadelphia public schools to, in one case, become a Ph.D. engineer and then professor, and in another case a masters student in education at Columbia. This was not a one-shot visit, or even a several week program. this was a multi-year program that built kids' awareness, engagement, skills and self-confidence to the point that they actually went on to DO science and/or science educaiton -- even though they were NOT typical scientist types (mostly African American girls and then women). It involved not only women educators but also men scientists -- and got the girls into the lab doing real research. Amazing, in a way, since the scientists at the Academy are systematists -- not astronomers, for example, which is obviously much cooler. Proof that it can be done if done right. ***************************************************************************** yikes. i admire your passion Clifford, but think its a wee bit extreme to declare science centers as being the public face of science. in the time i've worked in/with science centers, i can only think of a couple of instances where we were tapped for our expertise, and most often it had to do with astronomical events. the cynic in me would say that most science centers are to science as People magazine is to serious biographic writing. but i'm not as cynical as i used to be :) the point: most science centers i've visited are not scientific institutions, nor are they educational institutions (please note the use of the qualifier "most" in both instances) and thank goodness for us, and for the public. the better institutions (better only in a personal sense - i liked them) are those that understand they grow in an overlap between two expert cultures - science & education (and sometimes a third culture, art - like the exploratorium.) i have always thought it was pretty well signified in the phrase 'informal science education' just my 2 cents..... jeff courtman shreveport, la *********************************************************************** More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org. 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] *********************************************************************** More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org. 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]