“I would get rid of the majority of the staff and replace them with energetic, well-informed individuals with an open creative mind and the ability to focus on the needs of the customer (the general public) and its changing face.” In other words, this visitor’s main museum fantasy is a caring staff.

Maybe even more surprising is the expectation among core visitors that expect to feel this way.  There is a great deal Science Centers can learn from the retail industry.

when asked, “Is there anything where this organization falls short in meeting your needs (and your family’s)?” only 2% of respondents indicated that they “wished the staff cared more.”  Two percent!  What this tells us is that our Core Visitors don’t walk in the door expecting that museum staff members should care about them.

Most organizations will acknowledge there is room to improve but clearly Science Centers and other cultural institutions have a alarming problem – an organization that does not value its base of support will soon find it has no base of support.

Is there a solution?

A few Science Centers are starting to look to the customer-centric retail market for solutions.  Customerville, a real-time customer feedback and engagement service has recently signed on several cultural institutions including a nationally recognized science center as a customer.

Customerville measures customer satisfaction in real time at the unit level, which means you can spot changes in service levels before they impact sales numbers (or in this case survey results).  Our solutions, tailored to the needs of mid-sized operators, provide the information in the right way to the right people, resulting in dramatically improved service levels and greater sales through customer loyalty.

In addition to Customerville there are many feedback and communication tools that can help Science Centers reverse this trend.

Read the entire article

Palin’s conservative credentials certainly aren’t in question. Among other things, she has backed the teaching of “intelligent design” as an alternative to evolution. “I am a proponent of teaching both [evolution and intelligent design],” Palin said in a debate during her run for the governor’s office. “And, you know, I say this, too, as the daughter of a science teacher. Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject — creationism and evolution.”

“St. Louis’ selection from such an impressive group of cities is a testament to the quality of scientific research and development happening in Missouri,” said Doug King, President and CEO of the Saint Louis Science Center. “It’s also a unique chance for our region’s citizens to have a little fun with science and technology, talk to scientists on the cutting edge about what they are doing and why, and potentially impact scientific discoveries and policy at a national level.”

Monsanto Company is the presenting sponsor for SciFest 08 and has pledged to support the festival at the same level for its first three years. In addition to Monsanto, Pfizer, Inc. has committed to multi-year support for the project.

SciFest takes place October 9 – 13, 2008, at the Saint Louis Science Center. Public conversation, debates, hands-on workshops, and exhibits form the core of the festival, and events feature content beyond scientific statistics and facts. Dynamic in content, many presenters utilize music, comedy or drama. SciFest, to be held annually, is produced exclusively in the U.S. by the Science Center in partnership with Cheltenham Festivals International; the Cheltenham Science Festival is the model for SciFest.

“The festival will present science in a way that many people have never experienced,” said Naomi Joshi, Executive Director, Center for Science, who is serving as the Program Director for the event. “Events include entertaining subjects, like the science of dating, and tough and timely issues, like stem cell research and climate change. It will be real, it will be fun, but most important, the festival provides an opportunity for all of us to be entertained, engaged, and informed about issues that concern or intrigue us.”

One confirmed presenter for the festival is Mark Lewney, the 2005 winner of FameLab, an American Idol-esqe UK television program for scientists instead of singers. Mark is a physicist who plays rock guitar to explain the physics of rock and what this reveals about our universe. Other proposed sessions sport the titles, “Extreme Weather and Climate Change,” “Science of NASCAR,” “The Seven Rules of Dating” and more.

Due to the timing of the festival, less than one month before the 2008 election, organizers plan to facilitate discussions on the science and environmental platforms of the state and presidential candidates, as well as issues that are likely to be hot topics in the political arena, including climate change, bio-fuels, renewable energy sources and others.

Winning the competition for SciFest in St. Louis was an enormous regional effort, King said. In addition to sponsors like Monsanto and Pfizer, local media partners include the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, KETC/Channel 9, Emmis Radio and St. Louis Commerce Magazine. The Convention & Visitors Commission and the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA) are active supporters, as well as the Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri Botanical Garden and the Academy of Science-St. Louis.

Mayor Francis Slay hailed the festival as a critical tool to “highlight the importance of science and technology to our economic development and the positive role it plays in our future.” St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said, “The St. Louis region is a perfect choice for this event. St. Louis County believes in the important value of public engagement with science. It is, in fact, critical to participate in the world at large.”

“Washington University faculty, students and staff will become engaged in the festival which has great potential to improve the perception of St. Louis as a great American city for people interested in science,” said Chancellor Mark Wrighton.

Missouri Botanical Garden President Peter Raven predicted SciFest will be a “major success,” and Jeffrey Bonner, President and CEO of the Saint Louis Zoo, said the project “has my enthusiastic support and we look forward to this collaborative effort among the ZMD institutions and the City of St. Louis.”

The Cheltenham International Science Festival has been very successful, drawing more than 26,000 visitors over five days last year alone, the majority from destinations more than two hours away by car. The St. Louis RCGA has estimated the American festival will draw similar numbers, growing each year.

“Something that attracted us to this festival is the fact that it strives to make science fun for people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds,” said King. “We hope, in turn, the festival will encourage more people to participate in scientific dialogue and inspire more U.S. students to pursue science-related careers,” said King.

King noted SciFest will elevate the national and international reputation for the region’s science and technology fields. “This is yet another category where St. Louis will grow as a destination for ideas,” he said.

Though the official schedule is still being completed, Joshi said there will be something for everyone, from those fascinated by the advances in science and technology to those who never knew they could have fun with science. The final schedule and information on ticket sales will be available in August.

“Advances in science and technology are changing our world every day. It’s thrilling to be able to offer this insider’s look at what the future might bring,” said Joshi. “Ideally, we should all have a say in what lies ahead.”

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Trademarks:
Thank you for your interest in covering the Saint Louis Science Center. We ask that you include the full names of our institution: Saint Louis Science Center, OMNIMAX Theater, and James S. McDonnell Planetarium when writing your story.

Saint Louis Science Center
The Saint Louis Science Center is one of the top five science centers in the United States, serving 1.2 million visitors annually. Recently named one of America’s most visited museums by Forbes Traveler Magazine – the only museum in Missouri to be named to that list – the Saint Louis Science Center complex includes a four-story OMNIMAX® Theater, the air-supported EXPLORADOME, the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, and the state-of-the-art Taylor Community Science Resource Center. The goals of the Saint Louis Science Center are to educate, inspire and motivate visitors of all ages and engage the community in public dialogue about science-related issues of the day. For more information about the Saint Louis Science Center and its programs, visit slsc.org

Cheltenham Festivals
Cheltenham Festivals hosts four internationally renowned festivals in Jazz, Science, Music and Literature that each boast enviable reputations as leaders in their field. With programming that features the most up-and-coming, controversial and entertaining international performers, the festivals have justly earned their place at the centre of the UK’s cultural scene.Cheltenham Science Festival is a five-day celebration of science, engineering and the arts which seeks to respond to public interest in scientific issues by creating opportunities for participation in dialogue and debate. A rare opportunity for the public to come face-to-face with the world’s leading scientists and thinkers, it annually brings together a record 26,000 members of the public and over 300 speakers to explore, discuss and celebrate science.

No building, “even one as beautiful as ECHO,” can last long without an endowment to keep it strong, McLure said in announcing her gift on Friday.

McClure, now 82, joined her husband J. Warren McClure in making the earlier gift to the ECHO center when it was founded five years ago. J. Warren McClure, a former owner of The Burlington Free Press, died in 2004.

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Proposals for a 130, 000-square-foot science center due Friday included locations across Northwest Arkansas, including Bentonville, Springdale, Johnson and Fayetteville.

The science center is being planned by the Northwest Arkansas Museum Foundation, a group commissioned by the late Fayetteville banker John Lewis, who envisioned the project.

The location for the museum will be selected by board members, and it should be determined by the end of the summer, said Brent Robinson, the foundation’s executive director.

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“We are thrilled to have exceeded our target to raise $250,000 in sponsorships for the Congress,” says Lesley Lewis, CEO of the Ontario Science Centre and Chair of the 5SCWC. “We have achieved an exciting balance of private/public partner support for the congress, This reflects the importance that all our sponsors place on the central role of science centres in increasing public engagement in science and technology.”

The lineup of other partners comes from an impressive range of leaders in innovation, including Presenting Sponsors Nortel and Siemens Canada; Plenary Sponsor Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; and IMAX Corporation as a Keynote Sponsor.

“The 5^th Science Centre World Congress will bring together senior leaders and decision makers from science centres and museums around the globe. Our sponsors support the Ontario Science Centre’s commitment to provide an enriching forum for dialogue among leaders interested in the cultivation of an informed and creative population that is ready to understand, and respond to, the challenges and opportunities of the 21^st century.” says Ms. Lewis.

Some of these partners are contributing to 5SCWC programming: In the Frontiers of Science plenary on Thursday June 19^th, senior scientists supported by granting programs of the Ministry of Research and Innovation and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada will speak about the passion that drives them to pursue leading-edge scientific research.

The Ontario government recognizes the contribution science centres make – not only in supporting excellence in science education, but also helping to develop our next generation of researchers and innovators,” said Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation, John Wilkinson. “By working together to spark interest in science and technology, we are capturing and inspiring today’s young minds who, we believe, will solve our greatest global challenges and create Ontario’s next generation of jobs.”

The theme for the Congress is ‘Science Centres as Agents of Change – locally, nationally and internationally.’ More than 1,000 delegates from six continents are expected at the conference, which takes place every three years. The 5SCWC, being held for the first time in North America, will engage delegates with an extensive array of keynotes, plenaries and parallel sessions beginning June 15^th. http://www.5scwc.org/

The Ontario Science Centre uses science as the lens to inspire and actively engage people in new ways of seeing, understanding and thinking about themselves and the world. The Centre is a leading developer of interactive exhibitions for science centres around the world. The Ontario Science Centre is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For more information, please visit: www.OntarioScienceCentre.ca.

Racing cars, planes boats and eccentric custom vehicles, are featured in the exhibit which engages guests of all backgrounds and ages. The experiences focus on the science and technology of pushing the envelope to achieve record setting speed while explaining the limits of getting there. Visitors learn the way speed affects objects, for example, the Penny Smasher actually allows guests to see the affect of speed during rapid deceleration (slowing down).

Stories throughout the exhibit highlight people who have tested the limits of speed and the resulting consequences. Air Force Colonel John Paul Stapp has done what no one before him dared to do. He survived a rapid deceleration totaling 45 g’s in a controlled experiment. Stapp went from 632 mph to 0 mph in 1.4 seconds, causing bruises over 90% of his body, including the inside of his eyelids. The exhibit also follows ongoing attempts to break the sound barrier like the story of Cheryl Stearns, the twenty-one-time US women’s skydiving champion, who is preparing to accomplish this unusual feat.

SPEED Exhibit’s Five Sections

The exhibit, created by COSI Columbus with support from the National Science Foundation and the Science Museum Exhibits Collaborative, presents five sections.

1. GO! – This area investigates speed as a quantity. What is speed and how fast do we achieve it? What are the features that enhance or retard speed? What are the mathematical relations that govern the concept of going fast? In Go! guests can build their own car to find out how different designs impact speed and experience Carvolution to find out how design has affected 90 years of Indianapolis 500 winners’ times.
2. STOP! – The causes and consequences of rapid deceleration. What happens when speed vanishes? What does it mean to say that stopping is really accelerating? Guests will hear stories of what its like when racecar drivers Hit the Wall and crash. They will also get to smash pennies with the Penny Smasher to find out what happens to objects during rapid deceleration.
3. DRAG! – Despite Newton’s Laws, common experience shows us things slow down. Here we find out why. What are the various impediments to speed, both on solid ground and in the air? In Drag! guests can Spin Their Wheels while they try to manage friction relative to speed and learn how aerodynamics help vehicles preserve speed.
4. PUSH! – Explore the sources of speed and where it comes from. How do you get speed and how do you keep it? Guests learn about g-force, acceleration and thrust and how they effect how fast we go. Visitors climb into the Bobsleds and feel the effects of a human push and build their own roller coasters to find out how design can give them the push they need to go fast.
5. ZOOM! – Strange things happen at high speeds, things that defy common sense. Find out just how fast the speed of sound is and why we call the speed of light the ultimate barrier. Here watch and listen as a cord is pulled on a bullwhip to create a sonic boom and break the sound barrier.

Note to Editors:

Pacific Science Center is located under the arches near the Space Needle at 200 Second Ave. North, Seattle. Enter visitor parking at Denny Way and Second Ave. North. Pacific Science Center is open daily at 10 a.m. Admission to Pacific Science Center is $11 for adults; $8 for juniors 6 to 12; $6 for kids 3-5 and $9.50 for seniors 65 and over. Children under three receive free admission. Admission includes exhibits and a planetarium show. For more information, please call (206) 443-2001 or go to pacificsciencenter.org. Both the Science Center and the IMAX theaters are wheelchair accessible.

Pacific Science Center inspires a lifelong interest in science, mathematics and technology by engaging diverse communities through interactive and innovative exhibits and programs. Pacific Science Center began as the United States Science Pavilion during the1962 Seattle World’s Fair. Millions came to explore the wonders of science during the World’s Fair and upon the closing ceremonies, the Science Pavilion was given new life as the private, not-for-profit Pacific Science Center, becoming the first U.S. museum founded as a science and technology center. For more information about Pacific Science Center, please call (206) 443- 2001 or visit the web site at www.pacsci.org. Pacific Science Center is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and relies on admissions, memberships, and donations to continue our educational mission, programs, and exhibits.

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Baseball As America was organized by The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, New York and will be at the Museum of Science from June 15 through September 1. The exhibition features more than 500 artifacts and highlights baseball’s influence on American culture. To complement the exhibition’s Boston run, the Museum of Science has created a number of interactive exhibits to examine the role science plays in the game as well as how technology influences baseball over time.

As part of the Museum of Science’s efforts to showcase the science and technology behind the game, it will invite baseball fans to be part of the exhibit by submitting their own video-taped baseball story or a photograph to be featured in the exhibit and online. Stories and photos will be submitted via the Museum’s web site at mos.org/baseball.

“In Baseball fans are such a huge part of the game,” says Emily Bottis, director of interactive media at the Museum of Science. “We wanted to give them the opportunity to be a part of the exhibit as well.”

Fans submitting baseball stories or photos in advance of their visit will have the opportunity to access them on mounted video monitors in the exhibit. Fans who can’t make the trip to Boston this summer will be able to see their story on the Museum’s web site. To kick off the project, the Museum of Science enlisted the help from some very notable baseball fans to film their stories.

Among those who have participated are Senator Ted Kennedy, former Red Sox great Johnny Pesky, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, Boston Globe sportswriters Dan Shaughnessy and Jackie MacMullan, Boston Herald sports writer Tony Massarotti, Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, and more.

“We had such a great time filming their stories—they ranged from funny to emotional, but each of them had a personal story to tell and that’s just what we are hoping to capture from the public,” says Bottis.

The Museum will be accepting videos and photos throughout the exhibition’s run through September 1. Stories can range from experiences as a fan to great moments playing baseball or softball. While she expects a large number of stories revolving around the Red Sox, Bottis notes that there are no restrictions.

“As long as it’s a great story, we don’t care what team it’s about, even the Yankees,” she says. “But we have been finding that best stories are about regular people simply sharing their experiences playing and watching the game they love.”

The national tour of Baseball As America is sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP. The Museum of Science gratefully acknowledges the Yawkey Foundation’s support of Baseball As America in Boston.

Admission to Baseball As America is included with Exhibit Halls admission: $17 for adults, $15 for seniors (60+), and $14 for children (3-11). For more information, the public can call 617-723-2500, (TTY) 617-589-0417, or visit mos.org.

Museum of Science, Boston

One of the world’s largest science centers, the Museum of Science takes a hands-on approach to science, attracting approximately 1.6 million visitors a year through its vibrant programs and over 700 interactive exhibits. Highlights include the Thomson Theater of Electricity, home of the world’s largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator; the Charles Hayden Planetarium; the Mugar Omni Theater, a 180-degree IMAX® domed theatre; and the Gordon Current Science & Technology Center (GCS&T), which offers breaking news stories to the public with interpretation by Museum staff. In 2004, the Museum launched the National Center for Technological Literacy® (NCTL)® —helping facilitate a nationwide expansion of technology literacy by working with regional schools, offering educational products and programs for pre-K-12 students and teachers, creating curricula, and supporting an online resource center. For more information, visit mos.org.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum preserves history, honors excellence, and connects generations. An independent, not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of baseball and its impact on our culture, the Hall of Fame was established in Cooperstown, New York, in 1939 as the definitive repository of The Game’s treasures. With more than 35,000 artifacts and 2.6 million documents, recordings, and photographs, the Hall of Fame displays and interprets its vast collections for a global audience. The Hall of Fame also bestows the highest individual honor awarded to players of our national pastime by marking their achievements with a plaque in the Hall of Fame Gallery. For more information, visit www.baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME.

Press Contacts:

Mike Morrison: 617-589-0250 or mmorrison@mos.org Sofiya Cabalquinto: 617-589-0251 or scabalquinto@mos.org

ST. LOUIS— The University of Minnesota announced Dr. Christine Roman, PhD has been named a 2008 “Alumnus of Notable Achievement” for its College of Liberal Arts (CLA). Roman is a 1975 graduate of the University, and currently is the Associate Director of Emerging Technologies for the Saint Louis Science Center.

CLA Interim Dean James A. Parente and other University officials noted that Roman has distinguished herself as a leader in the community through her role at the Saint Louis Science Center and her tremendous civic engagement, particularly through her years of work with the FIRST Robotics program.

The College of Liberal Arts “Alumnus of Notable Achievement” (ANA) initiative was created in 1994 to honor the significant achievements and contributions of CLA alumni. Of the College of Liberal Arts’ nearly 110,000 graduates, Roman is one of only 1,200 who hold the “Alumnus of Notable Achievement” distinction. All ANA members are nominated by CLA alumni, faculty and staff.

Doug King, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Science Center said, “This is a tremendous honor for Chris, and we are very proud of her many accomplishments.” King added, “We’re fortunate to have such a consummate science professional and educator as a part of the Science Center staff.”

In her role as Associate Director, Emerging Technologies at the Saint Louis Science Center, Roman oversees all exhibits, programs, grants and collaborations related to emerging technologies, including the Cyberville and Infomachines galleries, the community-wide FIRST Robotics programs and several NSF grants. Roman joined the Saint Louis Science Center in 1990 and has directed the development of numerous exhibits and galleries for the institution, including Cyberville’s Nano Center, Saint Louis Science Center:  20th Anniversary, Space and Popular Culture, Mental Health: Your Brain Matters, and others.

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Trademarks:

Thank you for your interest in covering the Saint Louis Science Center. We ask that you include the full names of our institution: Saint Louis Science Center, OMNIMAXÒ Theater, and James S. McDonnell Planetarium when writing your story. 

Saint Louis Science Center

The Saint Louis Science Center is one of the top five science centers in the United States, serving 1.2 million visitors annually. Recently named one of America’s most visited museums by Forbes Traveler Magazine – the only museum in Missouri to be named to that list – the Saint Louis Science Center complex includes a four-story OMNIMAX Theater, the air-supported EXPLORADOME, the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, and the state-of-the-art Taylor Community Science Resource Center. The goals of the Saint Louis Science Center are to educate, inspire and motivate visitors of all ages and engage the community in public dialogue about science-related issues of the day. For more information about the Saint Louis Science Center and its programs, visit http://slsc.org.

For further information, contact:

Beth Bishop

Saint Louis Science Center

(314) 289-1455 or (314) 267-9916

Mary Hediger

For Saint Louis Science Center

(314) 725-5645 or (314) 910-7895

mary@sequel-llc.com

That’s the cover story, anyway.

What’s really happening is that kids are learning about science and enjoying it.

Whether there is a long-lasting payoff in future scientists won’t be known for a long time. But science educator Lisa Silverman is doing her best with her underage surgical team and the wide-eyed young audience watching them.

“Can everybody say the word ‘autoclave?’” Silverman asked the other day while holding up some surgical instruments. “That’s a fancy word for an oven-dishwasher that goes at a very high temperature and actually kills the germs.”

As she guided the children through the operation, she wove in lessons about infections, surgery, the roles of operating room staff and the kinds of schooling her young audience would need to get those jobs.

To education experts, this is “informal” or “free-choice” science learning, which means it’s happening outside of school.

This summer the National Academies, a congressionally chartered nonprofit group that advises the federal government, will release a report on what’s known about the learning of science in such informal settings. That includes not only museums but also such places as zoos and aquariums.

The report comes as experts bemoan a lack of scientific education and literacy among Americans. They warn of a shortfall in homegrown engineers and scientists to keep the nation competitive, a general work force ill-equipped to function in an increasingly high-tech workplace, and a citizenry struggling to grasp complex public issues like stem cell research.

While that has led to calls for changes in schools, science museums — broadly defined to include a range of science-oriented places to visit — can also play a big role in teaching and promoting science to both children and adults, expert say.

(read entire article by Malcom Ritter of the Associated Press)