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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Hi, Diana:
Maybe you said this in an earlier post that I missed: can you give examples of the kinds of research you have conducted at NEMO?
Hope you are well,
Eric
On Apr 2, 2011, at 3:19 AM, Diana Issidorides wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Thanks to all who replied to my post re museum visitors as experimental subjects.
>
> The research programs I’m interested to know about are not those about visitor learning in museums, nor about how visitors experience certain exhibitions or exhibits. I’m curious to know which museums or centers, worldwide, invite scientists to the museum to carry out real, peer-reviewed scientific research (on for example cognition, memory, perception, genetics, or any other topic whose experimental design requires human subjects and is non-invasive (with the exception of saliva swabs or spiting)). Sara Poirier’s post on what the Ontario Science Centre is doing sounds most similar to NEMO’s Science Liveprogram.
>
> I didn’t realize that rules in the States are so strict regarding human subjects. We are in this sense lucky, for in the Netherlands we don’t have to go through government agencies, as long as the research conducted in the museum has been approved by the university’s ethical committee… And of course, consent forms have to be filled and signed. We offer this program to whole families (kids from age 8 upwards) and it is so rewarding to see families participate together, discussing the experiment, results etc! We have run three research studies with scientists up till now: on the genetic basis of intelligence; how music affects the perception of emotion; how facial expressions influence age estimation and personality perception.
>
> We have organized a session at the Ecsite Annual Conference in May 2011 to encourage the science center community to implement live research programs. They are relatively easy to implement, cost little and have a great pay-off. National NSF-type organizations are willing to open their wallet. Scientists whose research is predominantly based on 20+ year old students are enthusiastic because of the age range and socioeconomic background range found in our museums and the sheer amount of subjects at their disposal. Visitors feel empowered by the idea that they can actively contribute towards scientific knowledge. And we as science center feel we are fulfilling an important mission: our museums not only as a place where science is show-cased, but a place where science is generated and where the scientific process becomes alive. A place that provides the public at large insights into the kind of questions scientists are grappling with and the methods they use to answer them. And last, but not least, a place where scientist and public interact.
>
> I would like to be able to mention in my Ecsite session which other science centers/museums offer such live research programs…
>
> Thanks,
>
> Diana
>
> ==
> Dr. Diana Issidorides | science center NEMO | Exhibitions & Programs | Senior Scientist & Senior Exhibition Developer | tel: +31 (0)20 5313 201 | fax: +31 (0)20 5313 535 [log in to unmask] | www.e-nemo.nl | Postal address: Postbus 421, 1000 AK Amsterdam, Netherlands | Visiting address: Oosterdok 2, 1011 VX Amsterdam, Netherlands
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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
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