ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

William;

I wonder if inks which are solvent based(?) can harbor the virus. The  
problem maybe in hand touching between the visitor and the hand- 
stamper during the stamping process. However, that can be easily  
controlled.

I think the problem is fomenting unwarranted fears amongst the public.  
We should be presenting information that presents the risks clearly.

Maybe a sign at the hand stamping station with appropriate information  
and training for the hand stamper about how to minimize hand contact  
and information for visitors..

Martin
On Oct 15, 2009, at 11:25 AM, William Katzman wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Jonah,
>
> I must agree with Mary.
>
> A couple of things:
>
> 1) If visitors don't feel comfortable with a stamp, then some will  
> refuse to come and you've eliminated your whole message of  
> understanding science.  Mary says that it is better to veer on the  
> side of making people comfortable so that they can receive the main  
> messages we support.  You are either saying: educate the people  
> (which if you have studies to support your understanding that you  
> share with the public that might be good - but it's rarely if ever  
> done), or that you would be willing to forsake getting your main  
> messages to people who disagree with you.
>
> 2) What harmful pseudoscience are you supporting???  My  
> understanding is that hand contact is a major contributor to much  
> illness.  So yes, you are correct that most visitors will interact  
> with exhibits that have been handled by others, so they have already  
> exposed themselves to contaminants - but this may not be true for  
> all science center visitors.  Many science centers have multiple  
> Natural History exhibits that are hands off - perhaps the visitors  
> are going to view those, in which case they could be against hand  
> stamp contact for more valid reasons.
>
> -William
>
>
>
> You presume that
> On Oct 15, 2009, at 9:50 AM, Jonah Cohen wrote:
>
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
>> Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
>> institutions.
>> *****************************************************************************
>>
>> See, now we're veering close to another border that I think is one to
>> tread carefully around.
>>
>> Essentially, it's the one that says "We do things that won't actually
>> protect visitors from the flu, we're willing to support potentially
>> harmful pseudoscience about health, as long as we don't get blamed  
>> for
>> anything. Better that than have deal with mistaken preconceptions."
>>
>> Just my opinion,
>> Jonah Cohen
>> Outreach & Public Programs Manager
>> The Children's Museum
>>
>>
>> "There's where I come from, where I'm going, and I am lost in  
>> between."
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Informal Science Education Network
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
>>
>> ACM's Hand to Hand spring 2008 issue was focused on the theme of
>> cleanliness and safety in children's museums. In an article about the
>> 2007 Reach Advisors Survey of children's museums (5,459 responses),
>> Susie Wilkining, Reach senior consultant, commented on Gen-X parents'
>> attitudes towards cleanliness, "If...kids get sick after a museum  
>> visit,
>> no matter where else a child might have been, [parents] tend to blame
>> the museum."
>>
>> The hand stamp question seems directly related to the hand sanitizer
>> one.
>> About hand sanitizers, Wilkening summed up the survey data by saying,
>> "If I were running a children's museum, I'd have [hand sanitizers.]
>> Whether or not they work, or whether or not kids use them, they give
>> visitors the perception that the museum cares about their well- 
>> being."
>>
>> From a visitor services point of view-not a scientific one-for  
>> folks who
>> are highly sensitized to the flu issue, offering a "non-touching"  
>> option
>> for stamping/banding/stickering museum visitors seems like a good  
>> diea.
>>
>> Mary Maher
>> Editor
>> Hand to Hand
>>
>> ***********************************************************************
>> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers  
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>>
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>
> William Katzman
> Program Leader
> LIGO Science Education Center
> [log in to unmask]
> (225) 686-3134
>
> ***********************************************************************
> 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- 
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______________________________
______________________________
Martin Weiss, PhD
Science Interpretation Consultant
New York Hall of Science
mweiss at nysci dot org

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