Scientists gather all the time at conferences and meetings to share ideas, research, and discoveries. But how often do high school students get to actively participate in these meetings – especially ones with global consequences? This week, scientists and world leaders met at the Rio+20 Summit in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, to discuss environmental protection and sustainable development. And youth from around the world were there too, through a global videoconference that was the culmination of the SCEnaRioS (Science Centers Engagement and the Rio Summit) project. During the Summit, youth from TechnoMuses (Canada), Museo Interactivo de Economia (Mexico), Museu da Vida (Brazil), Madatech (Israel), and of course the Miami Science Museum, gave presentations to the world about their concerns for their respective environments.

Each presentation was the result of a team project between science centers around the world, so in addition to those science centers that presented live, lots of others were involved in this global collaboration – including Chabot Space and Science Center (California), SciPort (Louisiana), Experimentarium (Denmark), Museo Nazionale della Scienza (Italy), Kankhomba Secondary School (Mozambique), Questacon (Australia), Macau Science Center (Macau, China), and Science Centre Singapore, and of course the Miami Science Museum’s partner, Maloka Interactive Center (Colombia). The SCEnaRioS project is based on the convictions that youth will be an essential part of the solution to global problems, and that global partnerships and collaboration between youth is a big part of ensuring a better future for the Earth.

Partnerships? Check. Informed youth? Check. Solutions to environmental problems? In progress.

What kind of voice can young people have regarding global issues related to the sustainability of the planet? Very often, they are the ones who are the most enthusiastic about new technologies, and the most eager to use these tools to instigate actions that can make a difference. The SCEnaRioS (Science Centers Engagement and the Rio Summit) project partnership between the Miami Science Museum and Maloka Interactive Science Center in Colombia is bringing students together with these challenges in mind.

Students participating in youth programs in Miami and Bogotá contributed their thoughts and concerns about water resources in their respective locations, and created a video to be shown at the Planet Under Pressure conference in London at the end of March. Miami, with its low-lying coastlines and coral reefs, and Bogotá, with its high altitudes and alpine tundras, may seem very different. But water is universal to all of us.

In the world of museums and education, it’s just as important to share your projects, challenges, and accomplishments, as it is to learn about the projects, challenges, and accomplishments of others. Miami Science Museum staff recently attended the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) conference in Baltimore to do just that.  Museum staff presented at multiple sessions:

Girls RISEnet: The goal of this workshop was to enhance the participants’ knowledge of equity issues involving girls, and in particular girls of minority backgrounds, with respect to pathways to careers in science and engineering. Workshop participants became more familiar with the project’s nationwide network of 11 museums and science centers which serve as regional hubs, and also learned about opportunities for mini-grants for institutions seeking to create gender-related programs. www.girlsrisenet.org

Heart Smart: Museum staff gave a presentation related to a SEPA (Science Education Partnership Awards) grant project and the Museum’s Heart Smart exhibit. It focused on the unique collaboration between a museum and a university (University of Miami) in conducting research in museum settings. UM brought content and research expertise to the table, and learned how to translate research to other audiences. The Museum brought to the table established relationships with schools and the community, and obtained more evidence-based findings on using Museum visitors as research participants in order to create more personalized experiences. www.miamisci.org/www/heartsmart.html

YouthEXPO: At a NASA meeting for all NASA grantees, Museum staff gave updates to other grantees about the achievements and special events associated with YouthEXPO. And at NASA’s Astronomy and Aerospace Showcase Session, which features innovative programs and materials, the Museum shared information and the video created for a special event in which Leland Melvin, NASA Associate Administrator for Education (and Astronaut and former NFL football player) spoke to students in the Museum’s youth development programs. www.miamisci.org/~youthexp/

It’s important to wind down and have fun at the end of the day, so conference attendees were asked to dress in costume for the annual ASTC Tinkerer’s Ball. This may conjure up images of eccentric scientists and inventors fiddling with creative new inventions, but that image isn’t far off the truth. There were lots of museum educators and scientists who were there to tinker with creative new ideas for museums and science centers. They just mixed in some hors d’oeuvres and dancing.

The ASTC Tinkerer's Ball Photo Booth: An empty gold frame waiting for attendees (like the Museum's Ted Myers) to create their own works of art. (Photo from The Tinkering Studio)

]]> http://www.miamisci.org/blog/astc-tinkering-with-creativity/feed/ 0 http://www.miamisci.org/blog/miami-meet-bogota/ http://www.miamisci.org/blog/miami-meet-bogota/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:50:09 +0000 admin http://www.miamisci.org/blog/?p=910 Continue reading →]]>

Bogotá, Colombia is over 1500miles away from Miami on a different continent. But Digital WAVE students had the unique opportunity to interact via virtual worlds with students at the Maloka Science Museum in Colombia. Our two museums have a partnership through SCEnaRioS (Science Centers Engagement and the Rio Summit) and ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) to engage youth in climate change issues and its impacts on water and coastal management. Students met for the first time through Second Life to get to know each other and learn about each other’s environments. Their avatars met at the Digital WAVE island’s campfire, where both the U.S. and Colombian flags fly.

Some funny things happen along with the learning, when you meet across cultures, languages, and distances. Colombian students laughed when Miami’s students asked if they would be affected by rising sea levels or hurricanes as Miami would – Bogotá is in the Andes Mountains, at 8,500 feet above sea level! But Colombian students became very serious when they added that some communities in Colombia are already being affected by climate change. Melting glaciers are causing rivers to flood so badly that livestock are dying and being washed away. Miami students then showed off some of the virtual climate change simulations they are designing. One student even created a virtual dog as his simulation’s mascot – of course everyone wanted to know how to make the avatars pet the dog! Colombian students were also treated to a tour of the Digital WAVE island’s virtual reef, where they saw how climate change causes coral bleaching.

As the project continues, teams will collaborate to create real and virtual world videos to communicate their perspectives on how these issues affect their lives and surroundings. Project results will then be presented at the upcoming Planet Under Pressure conference in London and at the Rio+20 conference in Rio, Brazil, to illustrate the unique contributions science centers can make to help implement United Nations global policies. These students, as well as the rest of us, have a big – even global – project to accomplish.

For more about the Digital WAVE program: http://www.miamisci.org/~digitwave/about/

]]> http://www.miamisci.org/blog/miami-meet-bogota/feed/ 0 http://www.miamisci.org/blog/the-6th-science-center-world-congress/ http://www.miamisci.org/blog/the-6th-science-center-world-congress/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:49:47 +0000 admin http://www.miamisci.org/blog/?p=594 Continue reading →]]>

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a science center? There can be lots of answers. Some might say it’s a place to learn something new, have fun with your family or classmates, or do your own experiments. The 6^th Science Centre World Congress (6SCWC), supported by the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and held this September in Cape Town, South Africa, gathered 416 delegates from 56 countries to discuss everything a science center can be. One of these delegates was Ted Myers from our Miami Science Museum. He participated in discussions regarding the impact of science centers worldwide, how we may ensure that they continue to address science and technology related issues relevant to society, and how we may develop new collaborations with other international science centers.

International Collaborations shown on a global map.

A performance for the 6SCWC delegates.

One such collaboration has already begun. The Miami Science Museum and Maloka Museum of Bogotá, Colombia have been specially selected to partner on a project also co-sponsored by ASTC and discussed at 6SCWC. This SCEnaRioS project (Science Centers Engagement and the Rio Summit) will involve high school students from Miami and Bogotá in activities that use digital resources to learn about science issues that affect the south Florida and Colombian environments – mainly, accessibility to clean water, coastal management, disaster preparedness, and climate change. This project and other international SCEnaRioS partnerships around the world allow science centers to do what they do best: provide experiences that connect communities and young people with ongoing research and cutting-edge science and technology that affect our environments and lives. Initial plans for our project and other international collaborations were presented at 6SCWC, and SCEnaRioS results will be brought to the Planet Under Pressure Conference in London and the Rio+20 Earth Summit in 2012.

Not only did Mr. Myers meet delegates from all over the world to discuss effectively communicating science, he saw multi-cultural performances of song and dance, and even witnessed the Xhosa-style marriage blessing of two delegates from distant, international science centers. Looking forward to the 2014 Science Centre World Summit in Belgium!

Small group discussion on establishing partnerships between science centers and universities.

Ted with two other delegates in front of Table Mountain in Cape Town.

Karlisa Callwood, Public Programs Manager at Miami Science Museum, was recently awarded an ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) Diversity and Leadership Development Fellowship. The intent of the Fellowship program is to provide professional development experiences, a peer network, and opportunities to acquire and hone leadership skills that leverage the unique worldview and experiences Fellows bring to their work.

Karlisa first joined MiaSci in 2003 as a mentor for the Youth Programs’ IMPACT (Integrated Marine Program and College Training) program. She has also served as Youth Programs Coordinator, where she managed the Upward Bound Math/Science Program, the BioTRAC (Biomedical Training Research and College prep) program, and the Museum Magnet Program. Now, as the current Public Programs Manager, Karlisa’s role is to make sure visits are both enjoyable and educational. She organizes all group visits, develops additional hands-on activities and demonstrations, led by explainers, that encourage visitors to get involved with science and learn more about the exhibits. She also develops and supervises in-depth programs, such as summer camp.

Karlisa says of her ASTC Fellowship: “This is an exciting opportunity as I look forward to networking with other science museum professionals with similar backgrounds, who also understand the challenges faced by being a minority in this field, including developing an additional support system within this group. I also hope that by becoming an ASTC Fellow, I can learn additional strategies to better engage and encourage minorities in my own community, both children and adults alike, to develop an appreciation for science centers, so they can feel that these cultural institutions can be of value in their lives as well.”

For more information about ASTC, visit: http://www.astc.org

At the 2011 National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) conference, Museum staff presented a session entitled Building Skills for Raising Girls’ Interest in Science and Engineering.  The presentation focused on the Museum’s GirlsRISE program, which is in partnership with the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and the Southeastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering (SECME, Inc.). We talked about how we, as informal educators, can engage and motivate girls in science and engineering, and how our nationwide network of museums can work together to broaden these impacts.

 During the trip, we took advantage of some time to visit with staff from one of our GirlsRISE partner museums, the California Academy of Sciences, where we saw this working, glass-walled science lab completely visible to the public. It was great to see that everyone could be a part of the science happening there. That’s what we all want to do – have everyone feel like they can be a part of science!