Vincenzo Lipardi, President of Ecsite, International Affairs and Strategy Delegate, Fondazione IDIS - Città della Scienza, Naples, Italy
10:15 - 11:00 Plenary Session
Edoardo Boncinelli, Professor of Biology and Genetics, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy
Sergio Escobar, General Director, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Italy
Discussant: Giulio Giorello, Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of Milan, Italy
11:00 Opening of the Business Bistro
11:30 - 13:00 Roundtable session What's Changed? Past perspectives on present outcomes
Convenor: Sally Duensing, Visiting Professor, King’s College London, London, UK
Presenters:Remo Besio, Former Director, Technorama, Winterthur, Switzerland Asger Høeg, Executive Director, Experimentarium, Hellerup, Denmark Ramon Nuñez , Director , Museo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Madrid, Spain Steve Pizzey, Director, Science Projects, London, UK Presentation
Wendy Pollock, Director, Research, Publications, and Exhibitions, ASTC, Washington DC, USA Tamás Vásárhelyi, Deputy Director General, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary Presentation
As part of the 20th anniversary of Ecsite, this roundtable session will focus on the history of science centres and museums. To focus and launch the conversation, discussants will each speak for a few minutes on two points: two key things that are still in science centres twenty years later, two key things that are not there any more. For both points discussants will add their views. The session will then be opened up for at least 30 minutes of discussion with everyone attending the session.
11:30-13:00 Panel Session
Planning for intergenerational learning through design, content and policy
Convenor:Jean Franczyk, Head of Learning, National Museums of Science & Industry, Science Museum, London, UK Presentation
Presenters:Tim Molloy, Director of Creative Design, Science Museum, London, UK Agnès Parent, Natural History Museum of France, Paris, France, Presentation Sue Allen, Programme Officer, Division of Learning in Formal and Informal Settings, the National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia, USA Presentation
Children don’t visit museums alone, yet too often the adults who bring them sit by the side and passively watch as their children physically, intellectually and emotionally connect with the content we have created. Have these adults fallen into a trap that we have inadvertently laid? How can design facilitate intergenerational learning? Are national policies working in our favour? Jean Franczyk chairs a panel of practitioners from both content and design backgrounds.
14:0 - 12:45 Poster session Cutting-edge science exhibitions: a possibility or an elusive ideal?
Convenor:Wim De Vos, Head of Communication, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
Presenters:
Clara Lim, Science Interactives Curator, Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, UK Holly Cave, Contemporary Science Content Developer, Science Museum, London, UK Presentation Vincent Blech, Science Communicator, Miraikan, Tokyo, Japan Presentation
Cutting edge science excites and inspires those who are in the know but how do we bring our visitors to connecting with scientists and understanding the impact of their work? Within this conceptual framework, the session will focus on two key points: How do we close the gap between cutting edge science and technology and the layman’s knowledge? How do we make this science relevant and engaging to the individual? Cutting edge science and technology are fast-changing with new ‘truths’ and developments emerging continuously. How can we present such information in permanent galleries without being out-dated with the limited resources that most of us are subjected to?
14:00 - 15:30 Roundtable session
Building sustainable relationships between science centres/museums and school teachers
Convenors:Sheena Laursen, Head of International Affairs, Experimentarium, Hellerup, Denmark
Speakers: Lene Hybel Kofod, Science Education Manager, Experimentarium, Hellerup, Denmark Presentation Amito Haarhuis, Head of Education, Nemo Science centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands Presentation Justin Dillon, Senior Lecturer in Science and Environmental Education, King's College, London, UK Presentation Preeti Gupta, Senior Vice President, Education and Public Programmes, New York Hall of Science, New York, USA Sofia Lucas, Science Education Manager, Pavilion of Knowledge, Lisbon, Portugal Presentation David Brostorm, Teknikens Hus, Lulea, Sweden Presentation
This session is a round table with delegates from science centres, science museums and universities focusing on the area of 'working with or training in-service and pre-service teachers'. The discussions and short presentations will partly focus on the role of informal learning institutions as partners for higher education and partly on how we can guide teachers in navigating through the complex challenges of ensuring exciting and educational visits to science centres. Examples of networks of teachers being established in order to make these partnerships sustainable will also be given. The session can ruminate on how to develop similar programmes.
11:30- 13:00 Workshop Fast food or science?
Convenor:Maarten Okkersen, Head of Design and Productions, Museon, The Hague, Netherlands Presentation
As science centres adjust to the rules of the market economy, the fast-food restaurant emerges as the new paradigm. Sharing ideas and exhibitions is wonderful but we can’t go on using the same exhibits forever. In recent years there has been a trend for science centres to stop developing their own exhibits and to go shopping for whatever they can get and as a consequence all science centres start looking the same… the McDonaldisation of science communication! This funky and creative workshop will stimulate the participants to be innovative and imaginative again.
11:30 - 13:00 Panel Session Particle physics outreach in science centres and museums
Convenor:Michael Kobel, Particle Physicist and Co-chair of EPPOG, Technical University, Dresden, Germany
Presenters:Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Director General, CERN – European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva, Switzerland David Barney, Particle Physicist & Co-chair of EPPOG, CERN – European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva, Switzerland Presentation Stavros Katsanevas, Astroparticle Physicist & Head of European ASPERA Network, University Paris, Paris, France Presentation Jo Quinton-Tulloch, Head of Exhibitions and Programmes, Science Museum, London, UK Presentation
The fascination of particle physics and cosmology for the public calls for the use of effective and innovative communication methods suitable for permanent exhibitions. This session will cover recent first-hand outreach experiences of research labs like DESY and CERN, of the astroparticle network ASPERA and of the London Science Museum. Discussion should reveal how communication experience in terms of methodologies, exhibits and support from scientists can be shared with science centres via international networks like EPPCN (European Particle Physics Communication Network) and EPPOG (European Particle Physics Outreach Group).
11:30 - 13:00 Panel Session Strategic partnership - value and money
Convenor:Tuomas Olkku, Development Manager, Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre, Vantaa, Finland
Presenters:Anne Jorunn Foyen , Jærmuseet, Naerboe, Norway Presentation Olle Nordberg, Director, Teknikens Hus, Lulea, Sweden Presentation Kim Gladstone Herlev, Director of Development, Experimentarium, Hellerup, Denmark Presentation
Strategic partnership is an effective tool for science centres in order to fund new activities and to share values and knowledge. A new partnership must not be a blind date. It requires time and energy; you have to prepare yourself carefully and show great sense of occasion. Nevertheless it is often worth the effort. This session will give you an idea of how to approach a new potential partner – national or international, how to avoid pitfalls and how to make sure that the process of working together is successful.
13:00-14:15 Lunch
14:15-15:45 Panel Session Measuring impact: New lessons from around the world
Convenor:Per-Edvin Persson, Director, Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre, Vantaa, Finland
Presenters:Penny Fidler, Director, ASDC, Bristol, UK Presentation Wendy Pollock, Director, Research, Publications, and Exhibitions, ASTC, Washington DC, USA Presentation Jennifer Palumbo, Projects Coordinator, Ecsite, Brussels, Belgium Presentation
For science centres and museums to continue to survive and thrive in the future, we will increasingly need to provide robust measurable evidence of our value for money and our impact, both at community and national levels. This is key to securing both political and financial support. In this session we will explore recent lessons and findings from the USA, UK and Europe, including the latest learning from ASTC and the Centre for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) in Washington DC, the recent Nationwide Impact Study on Science & Discovery Centres by the UK government and the 2007 impact study undertaken by Ecsite.
14:15-15:45 Panel Session Museums and science centres in the space of flows
Convenor:Maarten Okkersen, Head of Design and Productions, Museon, The Hague, Netherlands
Presenters:Benoît Légaré, Director, Montréal Science Centre, Montreal, Canada Presentation Jorge Wagensberg, Director, Area of Science and the Environment, CosmoCaixa, Barcelona, Spain Silvia Singer, Director,Museo Interactivo de Economía, Mexico City, Mexico Presentation
“Space of Flows” was used by Castells to describe the networks that constitute the new social morphology of our societies. This session is a sequel to the “New Identities” session from last year and we’ll start where we ended: we need a new museography in the information age! What is the function of a science centre as “physical space” in a virtual world? What are the key dimensions of a relevant and authentic museum as an “intellectual space”? Can Web2.0 transform science centres into interactive “social spaces” where science and society meet
14:15-15:45 Panel Session Communicating science communication in scientific museology journals
Convenor:Vincenzo Vomero, Director and Editor, Scientific Museums of Rome, Scientific Museology Journal, Rome, Italy Presentation
Presenters:Florence Belaen, Project manager, OCIM, France Presentation Presentation Nico Pitrelli, Associate Editor, Jcom Journal of Science communication, Trieste, Italy Presentation
European journals devoted exclusively to study, research and dissemination of scientific museology are relatively few and badly need to address a growing concern about management, curation, communication, museography, education, professionalism and history. This session will focus mainly on items related to an imperative understanding of the diverse array of new theories on science communication in science centres and museums. Secondly this session will analyse an optimisation of editorial strategy to provide a useful and powerful tool to keep the whole staff of our institutions satisfied and motivated.
14:15-15:45 Panel Session Provocative subjects in exhibitions: A kamikaze operation?
Convenor: Olivier Retout, Head of International Relations, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
Presenters:Katrina Nilsson, Contemporary Science Manager, Science Museum, London, UK Presentation Paul Martin, Vice President, Exhibits, Science Museum of Minnesota, Saint-Paul, Minnesota, USA Louise Julie Bertrand, Head of Exhibitions, Montréal Science Centre, Montreal, Canada Presentation
How do we deal with controversial or provocative subjects in exhibitions? Some subjects, like human races, animal experimentation, genetically modified food or sexuality, are delicate. Covering some scientific subjects makes provocative content inevitable. How do you make the decision whether or not to include content you know your visitors will find provocative? How do you make visitors more comfortable with these subjects? This session will focus on how we have handled confrontational content in exhibitions, or events, to make it an asset… or a genuine learning experience for the organisation rather than a kamikaze operation! .
14:15-15:45 Panel Session Adults Only: What turns older audiences on to science?
Convenor:Michael John Gorman, Director, Science Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
Presenters:John Durant Director, MIT Museum, Cambridge, USA Presentation Heather Mayfield, Head of Content, Science Museum, London, UK Presentation Don Pohlman, Exhibitions Manager, Science Gallery, Dublin, Ireland Presentation
For many science centres, families with younger children are the audience of interest, and older visitors an afterthought, at best. But a few new centres have chosen from the start to focus on older users, and some existing centres have recommitted to serving an older audience. This session will report on experimental efforts from three centres in Europe and the US and will examine what worked and what didn’t in specific exhibition and programme initiatives from each. Panellists will present case studies with related audience research and will discuss how results might be transferred or adapted. .
Presenters:Harry White, Consultant, Techniquest, Cardiff, UK presentation Clara Lim, Science Interactives Curator, Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, UK Presentation Svein Anders Dahl, Chief Executive Officer, VILVITE, Bergen Science Centre, Bergen, Norway Presentation
Over time, exhibits degrade and require maintenance work. Are we able to notice this slow but constant deterioration? This session looks at how three institutions keep track of the quality of the visitor experience delivered by exhibits. Amongst other things, we will address the following questions: a) What qualities should we be auditing? And how can we do it? b) Who are the best people to carry out this audit and what skills do they require? c) How can the results of these audits be reported, and how do they complement other work such as annual visitor studies to determine visitor satisfaction? .
14:15- 15:45 Poster Session
Face(s) to face diversities: THE group session
Convenor:Matteo Merzagora, Freelance science communicator, Paris, France
Discussants: Paola Rodari, Senior Researcher, Innovation and Communication of Science Group (ICS), Trieste, Italy Sally Duensing, Visiting Professor, King’s College London, London, UK Presentation
Rachel Church-Moore, Disability Access Co-ordinator, Science Museum, London, UK Preeti Gupta, Senior Vice President for Education and Public Programmes, The New York Hall of Science New York, USA Saiful Bahri, Director of Programmes, PETROSAINS The discovery centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Erika Zimmermann, Professor, Universidade de Brasília - Museu de Ciência e Tecnologia, Brasilia, Brazil Luisa Massarani, Coordinator, Nucleus of Studies on Science Communication , Museum of Life, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Michaela Petrlíková, Programme Manager, Techmania Science Center, Pilsen, Czech Republic Luka Vidic, Activities Editor, House of Experiments, Ljubljana, Slovenia Andreas Heinecke, CEO and Founder, Dialogue Social Enterprise, Hamburg, Germany Esthy Brezner, Head of Educational Programmes, Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem, Israel Lara Albanese, Science Educator, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Florence, Italy Armelle Chaléon, Catherine Demarcq and Alexandre Foray, Education and Public Relations services, CCSTI Grenoble – La Casemate, Grenoble, France Paula Robalo, Coordinator of the Educational Department, Pavilion of Knowledge – Ciência Viva, Lisbon, Portugal
Explainers in science centres need to interact with very heterogeneous groups. Our public is very different in terms of values, beliefs, origins, cultural level, age, gender or simply motivations for visiting. How can we deal with such diversities in face to face interactions? The poster session is aimed at presenting and then discussing experiences and strategies to tackle these issues. It will draw on the results of THE Group’s pre - conference session. Posters will have a pre-defined structure, in order to facilitate the discussion.
15:45-16:30 Coffee Break
16:30-18:00 Workshop Hard science: exciting ways to engage with difficult concepts
Convenor: Noel Jackson, Head of Education, Centre for Life, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
Presenters: Maria Adlerbom, Director of Education, Teknikens Hus, Lulea, Sweden Robert Hoyle, Director of Science, Glasgow science centre, Glasgow, UK Sergey Lovyagin, Project Manager, Centre of Information technologies and Learning Environments, Moscow, Russia Ian Russell, Director, Interactive Science Ltd, Stockport, UK Luka Vidic, Activities Editor, House of Experiments, Ljubljana, Slovenia Rhys Evans , Commercial Assistant, Techniquest, Cardiff, UK Janos Cont, Energy Department, National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, Milan, Italy Wanda Guedens, Professor, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium Monique Reynders, Professor, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium Sanne Deurloo, Head of Exhibitions, Science center NEMO, Amsterdam, Netherlands Marieke Hohnen, Project Manager Exhibitions, Science center NEMO, Amsterdam, Netherlands Presentation Pietro Olla, President, Educator, Circus Performer, Le strede di Macondo - Circus&Science, Cagliari, Italy
Science is full of hard ideas. From when we are young, we have to work hard to understand the big ideas that explain the world around us. This session will explore successful ways that hard ideas can be made clear and comprehensible. This session will consist of exciting hands-on demonstrations which participants can try for themselves. We expect everyone to have fun and go away with lots of ideas for their own teaching.
16:30-18:00 Reverse Session CEOs on Human Resources
Convenor:Erik Jacquemyn, Chief Executive Officer, Technopolis®, the Flemish Science Center, Mechelen, Belgium Presentation
Presenters:Robert Firmhofer, Director, Copernicus Science Center, Warsaw, Poland Olle Nordberg, Director, Teknikens Hus, Lulea, Sweden Presentation Michiel Buchel,General Director, Science center NEMO, Amsterdam, Netherlands Camille Pisani, Director, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium Presentation
Any organisation is only as good as the people who work in it. Science centres and museums are no different. Managing the staff is one of the CEO’s major concerns: how to recruit the best people, how to motivate them and how to navigate sensitively through the process of change that affects every institution at some stage in its development. In this session, CEOs frankly answer all kinds of questions related to human resources topics.
16:30-18:00 Panel Session Do you live in a City of Science ?
Presenters:Vladimir de Semir, Associated professor of Scientific Journalism and Director of the Observatori de la Comunicació Científica, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, ESCITY project, Barcelona, Spain Presentation Linda Conlon, Chief Executive, Centre for Life, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UKPresentation Jill Robinson, Specialist Adviser to the Regional, European & International Division, Birmingham City Council, CASC project, Birmingham, UK Marie José Gama, Director of Inforsciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. Presentation
Cities have increasingly appeared to become or be promoted as the natural cradle for the realisation of new post-industrial economies based on science, innovation, and technology. As such, they are labelled, in various terms: “science cities”; “knowledge cities”; or sometimes “cities of scientific culture.” In these approaches, what are the roles of science centres and museums? How can cities and various science communication actors reach a common and effective agenda beneficial to the citizens; how can they define and implement a new social contract for science?
Convenor:Wendy Pollock, Director, Research, Publications and Exhibitions, ASTC, Washington, DC, USA
Presenters:Brenton Honeyman,Manager, Education and Strategic Communications, Questacon, Canberra, Australia Presentation
Carol Valenta, Senior Vice President and Associate Director, St Louis Science Center, St Louis, Missouri, USA Presentation Sue Cavell, Head of Research and Evaluation, Techniquest, Cardiff, UK Presentation
This session will address the questions: what do we mean by educational impact? How do we define and measure long-term impact? What do we look for or expect to see long-term? What are the issues, and what are the problems? Finally, what do stakeholders or prospective funders want to know? There will be 3 speakers who will discuss briefly their experiences in addressing these issues. The presentations will be followed by discussion with those present at the session. It is anticipated that the discussion will be a key part of the session.
16:30-18:00 Panel Session Removing barriers to Hands-On experiences
Convenor:Michael Bradke, Director and Driver, Mobiles Musik Museum, Düsseldorf, Germany
Presenters:Scott Denning Emily,Disability Access Co-ordinator, Science Museum, London, UKPresentation Nick Winterbotham, Chief Executive, ThinkTank, Birmingham, UKPresentation Hoelle Corvest, Accessibility Services, Cité des sciences et de l’industrie, Paris, France Presentation
Are hands-on experiences all about physical engagement? Is it possible to make these experiences fully accessible to disabled and special educational needs audiences whilst still maintaining the core interactive experience? Does establishing access – physical, intellectual and cultural – as an underlying principle at the start of a project guarantee that we can improve access for everyone? Does improving access for disabled audiences improve the learning experience for everyone? These important questions will be addressed in this session.
16:30- 18:00 Poster Session
The communication of science and the science of communication
Convenor:Sally Duensing, Visiting Professor, King’s College London, London, UK
Presenters: Olivier Retout, Head of International Relations, The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, BelgiumPresentation Justin Dillon, Senior Lecturer in Science and Environmental Education, Centre for Informal Learning and Schools, King's College London, London, UKPresentation Jennifer Palumbo, Projects Coordinator, Ecsite, Brussels, BelgiumPresentation
Throughout the European Union, informal learning spaces are inviting scientists to communicate their work to students and to the general public. However, although the scientist may be an expert in his or her field of science, this does not mean that he or she is an expert in communicating the subject to a lay audience. This session will explore the ways that scientists may be supported in their communication of science, and will share key findings and recommendations for practice emerging from recent research
16:30- 18:00 Poster Session
Science activities for young children: views on hottest tricks and treats
Convenor: Camilla Rossi-Linnemann, Department of Education and International Relations, National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, Milan, Italy
Presenters: Sue Grayson Ford, Director, The Campaign for Drawing, Enfield, UK Roos Franse, Department of Education, Science center NEMO, Amsterdam, Netherlands Presentation Bruno Filipe Correia Bastardo da Silva Ribeiro, Superior Technician in Geology and Mineralogy, National Natural History Museum - Department of Geology & Mineralogy, Lisbon, Portugal Steven Vols, Coordination Manager, Technopolis®, the Flemish Science Center, Mechelen, Belgium Presentation Xavier Limagne, Exhibitions Department, Cité des sciences et de l’industrie, Paris, France Sabina Cantarelli, President of Muba, Executive director of Hands on! Europe, Muba - Museo dei Bambini a Milano, Milan, Italy Livia Capocasale, Coordinator of the science activities for Young Children, Fondazione Idis - Città della Scienza, Naples, Italy Presentation Anna Gunnarsson, Teacher, NAVET - The Sjuhärad science center, Borås, Sweden Presentation Paulo Trincão, Director, Fábrica Centro Ciência Viva de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal Maya Halevy, Director, Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem, Israel Orna Cohen, Exhibition design, Orna & Co, Paris, France Aude Lesty, Exhibitions designer, Cité de l'espace, Toulouse, France Chris Jarvis, Education officer, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford, UK Becky Johnson, Hands on! Europe, France Maja Wasyluk, Project coordinator, Exhibition Department, Copernicus Science Centre, Warsaw, Poland Presentation Cathie Spencer, Project Consultant, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, Canada Rebecca Johnson, Play and Learning Director, Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax, UK
Through the years, science centres and museums have developed a range of programmes, spaces and materials to suit the needs of young children. But where are we today? The session aims to bring together cases of good practice to answer the following questions: what are the distinguishing features of scientific educational activities designed for 3 to 6 year old children? Can we identify basic differences between these activities and those designed for older visitors? What are the roles of play, narrative context, problem solving and collaborative learning? The session is devised as a space to start building a specialised professional network.
Programme Committee
9:00 - 10:15