Majority of Visitors Do Not Feel Museum Staff Care

A recent study published by Museum Audience Insight looks at why almost 90% of visitors feel that staff does not really care about visitors.  One visitor went as far to comment:

“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.

ECHO Lake and Science Center Recieves $1m Gift

URLINGTON, Vt.—Philanthropist Lois McClure, who joined her late husband in donating $2.5 million to found the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center on the city’s Lake Champlain waterfront, is donating another $1 million as an endowment.

New Science Center planned for Arkansas

According to an articlein the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, plans for a new science center for Northwest Arkansas are moving forward as the Northwest Arkansas Museum Foundation begins the process of site selection for the new 130,000 square-foot facility.

Ontario Science Centre exceeds sponsorship target for Fifth Science Centre World Congress. International conference to explore the role of Science Centres as Agents of Change.

The Ontario Science Centre is pleased to announce that it has surpassed its fundraising goal of $250,000 to support the 5th Science Centre World Congress (5SCWC). The Government of Ontario is the lead sponsor of the event, taking place June 15 to 19, 2008 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

SPEED Exhibit Opens at Pacific Science Center May 31-Sept. 1

SEATTLE — In a society often obsessed with moving at an ever faster pace, the exhibit SPEED chronicles this cultural and technological fascination with a 6,000 square-foot experience that transports guests into the world of high performance, barrier smashing motion.  SPEED, a national traveling exhibit, opens at Pacific Science Center May 31, 2008 and continues through Sept. 1, 2008.

Museum Issues Call to Baseball Fans Across The Country: Be A Part of New Exhibit

BOSTON — Beginning May 1, the Museum of Science, Boston, one of the world’s largest science centers and New England’s most-attended cultural institution will offer baseball fans from around the country the opportunity to be featured during the Boston run of the traveling exhibition Baseball As America.

SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER’S DR. CHRISTINE ROMAN RECEIVES UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ALUMNI AWARD

College of Liberal Arts Names Science Center Director Alumnus of Notable Achievement

 

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.

Experts see impact of museums in science education efforts

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Three or four times a day, a banana shows up at the Liberty Science Center and complains about a pain in its side. And that means it’s time for some visiting kids to dress up like surgeons and scrub nurses, take a scalpel and go to work.

That’s the cover story, anyway.

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

SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER UNVEILS “NANODAYS 2008”

What’s larger than an atom but smaller than bacteria?…The world of nanotechnology, and it’s part of our everyday life…from flooring materials to your last visit to your dentist, nanotechnology is entering many areas of our life.  Today’s stain resistant clothing, sunscreen lotions, computers, bicycles, and even our daily vitamins are affected by nanotechnology.

The Saint Louis Science Center is one of more than 100 science centers around the country celebrating this phenomenon in a small way this week with NanoDays.

 

Taiwan Winds Soar in St. Louis

The Saint Louis Science Center and the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the Taiwanese Association of America (TAA-STL) present Taiwan Winds Soar in St. Louis, an outdoor, heritage festival on Saturday, May 3.

The highlight of the day, which celebrates Taiwanese American Heritage Week, comes when internationally recognized kite-maker Buteo Huang flies, for the first time, his new masterpiece, a prehistoric pterosaur kite with a wingspan of more than 20 feet that will be placed on permanent display at the Science Center.