1. science

advancing
Science and STEM Learning...
The Future Depends on It.
“I have no special talents,
I am just passionately curious.”
Albert Einstein
ASTC—Get to Know Us...
Each year over 90 million wide-eyed, inquisitive visitors are
amazed, challenged, educated, and transformed by learning
experiences in nearly 650 ASTC member institutions in close to
50 countries worldwide.
Founded in 1973, The Association of Science-Technology
Centers (ASTC) is a global organization providing collective voice,
professional support, and programming opportunities for science
centers, museums, and related institutions, whose innovative
approaches to science learning inspire people of all ages about the
wonders and the meaning of science in their lives.
ASTC works with these widely diverse institutions to help put
the “wow” in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)
education with mind-blowing, hands-on, interactive exhibits,
participatory experiences, and outreach programs that advance
STEM learning in new and innovative ways.
...and Join Us in Our Mission.
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The ASTC Member Community:
Widely Diverse, Uniformly Committed!
ASTC brings together, in one large community, the collective wisdom,
creativity, innovation, and skill sets of diverse institutions, hailing from the
very largest cities to the smallest towns around the globe.
ASTC serves:
Science Museums
Science Centers
Natural History Museums
Zoos
Aquariums
Botanical Gardens
Planetariums
Children’s Museums
Universities
Research Labs and Corporations
Rochester Museum and Science Center,
Rochester, NY
emy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University • Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum • Adventure Science Center • Alden B. Dow Museum of Science
& Energy • Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center and Imaginarium Discovery Center • Ann Arbor
Hands-On
Museum
• Anniston Museum of Natural
Science
Museum
of Minnesota,
stronaut Memorial Planetarium & Observatory • At-Bristol • Austin Children’s Museum • Bakken Library
and Museum
• Barlow Planetarium @ UW-Fox
St. Paul,
MN
Museum of Natural History • Berkshire Museum • Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute • Bishop Museum • Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem
oston Children’s Museum • Brooklyn Children’s Museum • Bruce Museum • Buffalo Museum of Science • Building for Kids (Fox Cities Children’s Museum)
d Culture • Burpee Museum of Natural History • California Science Center • Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation • Canadian Museum
ory & Science • Carnegie Science Center • Castle Science & Technology Center • Catawba Science Center • Centro de Difusión de Ciencia y Tecnología •
hallenger Learning Center of Tallahassee • Charlotte County Historical Center • Chicago Children’s Museum • Children’s Creativity Museum • Children’s
covery Museum • Children’s Museum • Children’s Museum at La Habra • Children’s Museum of Eau Claire • Children’s Museum of Houston • Children’s
useum of New Hampshire • Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh • Children’s Museum of Science and Technology • Cincinnati Museum Center (Museum of
anetarium • Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia • Cleveland Museum of Natural History • Clore Garden of Science • Coca Cola Space
e Museum • Columbia Memorial Space Center • Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science and Technology (CREHST) • COSI • Cranbrook Institute of
covery Center of Science and Technology • Delaware Museum of Natural History • Denver Museum of Nature & Science • Discovery Center • Discovery
of Idaho, Inc. • Discovery Center of Springfield, Inc. • Discovery Centre • Discovery Gateway • Discovery Museum • Discovery Museum, Inc. • Discovery
ter • Discovery Science Place • Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania • Discovery Station at Hagerstown, Inc. • Discovery World • Don Harrington
’s Museum • Durango Discovery Museum • EAA AirVenture Museum • East Tennessee Discovery Center • ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center •
• Emerald Coast Science Center • Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science • Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum • Explora • EXPLORA, Centro
ce • Exploration Place, The Sedgwick County Science and Discovery Center • ExplorationWorks • Exploratorium • Explorit Science Center • Fairbanks
Tropical Botanic Garden • Family Museum • Farmington Museum • Fernbank Museum of Natural History • Fernbank Science Center • Field Museum of
sity of Arizona Science Center/Mineral Museum • Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center • Flint Children’s Museum • Flint Hills Discovery Center •
m of Natural History • Fort Collins Museum of Discovery • Fort Worth Museum of Science and History • Franklin Institute • Gateway Science Museum •
um • Grand Rapids Public Museum • Great Explorations Children’s Museum • Great Lakes Science Center • Great Valley Nature Center • Grout Museum
• Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center • GWIZ - The Science Museum • Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University • Hagley Museum and
• Hands-On Science Center • Happy Hollow Park & Zoo • Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Ocean Discovery Center • Harvard Museum of Natural
Health Adventure, Inc. • Health Museum • Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary • Highlands Museum & Discovery Center, Inc. • Historical
• Hopewell Museum • Humboldt State University Natural History Museum • Imaginarium Science Center • Imagination Station • Imagination Station •
Impression 5 Science Center • Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites • Insights El Paso Science Museum • International Museum of Surgical Science •
epid Sea, Air & Space Museum • Iron Hill Museum • Jeddah Science Oasis • Kern County Museum • KidsQuest Children’s Museum • Kingman Museum •
Peak National Observatory Visitor Center • Kopernik Observatory & Science Center • Lake County Discovery Museum • Lakeview Museum of Arts and
ry • Las Cruces Museum of Natural History • Las Vegas Natural History Museum • Lawrence Hall of Science • Leonardo • Liberty Science Center • Lied
y Wildlife Museum • Loggerhead Marinelife Center • Long Island Children’s Museum • Long Island Science Center • Louisiana Art and Science Museum •
ville Science Center • Lowell Observatory • Lutz Children’s Museum • MadaTech, The Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, & Space • Madison
y Museum • Maloka, Centro Interactivo de Ciencia y Tecnologia • Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science • Mary G. Harden Center for Cultural Arts •
anetarium & Space Theater • McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center • McDonald Observatory/Frank N. Bash Visitors Center • McKinley Presidential Library
r • Meadowlands Environment Center • Miami Science Museum • Mid-America Science Museum • MIDE, Museo Interactivo de Economía • Mid-Hudson
stein Museum of Science & Technology) • Milwaukee Public Museum • Minnetrista • Mississippi Museum of Natural Science • Montréal Science Centre •
Center • MOSI Tampa • Mount Washington Observatory and Weather Discovery Center • Muncie Children’s Museum • Museo de los Niños de Caracas •
eum at Southwestern Michigan College • Museum of Arts & Sciences • Museum of Arts and Sciences • Museum of Discovery • Museum of Discovery and
m of Life and Science • Museum of Nature & Science • Museum of Science • Museum of Science & History of Jacksonville, Inc. • Museum of Science and
the PRI • Museum of the Rockies • National Museum of Nuclear Science & History • National Museum of Science & Industry • National Science Centre
Malaysia • National Watch & Clock Museum • Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County • Natural History Museum of Utah • Natural Science Center
attleship Wisconsin • Neville Public Museum • New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science • New Mexico Museum of Space History • New York
useum • New York Transit Museum • Newark Museum • North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences • North Carolina Transportation Museum • North
nce • Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre • Okanagan Science Centre • Omaha Children’s Museum • Ontario Science Centre • Oregon Museum of
nce Center • Orpheum Children’s Science Museum • Owensboro Museum of Science and History • Pacific Science Center • Palouse Discovery Science
ggy Notebaert Nature Museum • Petrosains, The Discovery Centre • Philippine Science Centrum • Pink Palace Family of Museums • Placer Nature Center
tnam Museum • QUESTACON • Randall Museum • Reading Public Museum • Reuben H. Fleet Science Center • Roberson Museum and Science Center •
Rocky Mount Children’s Museum & Science Center • Roper Mountain Science Center • Saint Louis Science Center • San Diego Natural History Museum
•
International
Centre for Life,
anta Barbara Museum of Natural History • Saskatchewan Science Centre, Inc. • Schenectady Museum & Suits-Bueche Planetarium • Schiele Museum ofNewcastle Upon Tyne, UK
• Science and Discovery Center of Northwest Florida • Science Center • Science Center of Iowa & Blank IMAX Dome Theater • Science Center of South
tre Singapore • Science City at Union Station • Science Discovery Center of Oneonta • Science East • Science Factory Children’s Museum & Planetarium
nce Museum of Virginia • Science Museum of Western Virginia • Science Museum Oklahoma • Science North • Science Spectrum • Science World British
r • ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum • Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center • Sci-Quest, the North Alabama Science Center • Sci-Tech Center of Northern
e • SciTech Hands-On Museum • SciWorks • SEE Science Center • Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum • Sloan*Longway • South Dakota Discovery
Denver Museum of Nature
er Manatee Aquarium, and Bishop Planetarium • South Florida Science Museum • Southern Museum of Flight • Spartanburg Science Center • spectrUM
and Science, Denver, CO
Association • Staten Island Children’s Museum • Stepping Stones Museum for Children • Sternberg Museum of Natural History • Sunriver Nature Center
novation • Techniquest • Teknikens Hus • Tellus Science Museum • TELUS Spark, the new Science Centre • TELUS World of Science - Edmonton • Terre
Wells Nevada Discovery Museum • Thanksgiving Point • Turtle Bay Exploration Park • U.S. Space & Rocket Center • University of Kansas Natural History
seum of Natural History • University of Nebraska State Museum • University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History • Virginia Air and Space
Pacific Science Center, Seattle, WA
What makes science centers and
museums so important?
It is equally important to inspire, particularly at
the elementary and middle school ages—a “make or
break” time for kids to develop an interest in science.
Most scientists first became interested in the field
by the time they were 11 years old and many claim
that informal science experiences at an early age
helped them decide on their chosen career path.
Igniting Long-Term Interest in STEM
Where else but in science centers and museums
can you partake of STEM knowledge, have fun in
a creative environment, and learn problem solving
and analytical thinking skills to serve you for
a lifetime?
Science centers and museums are uniquely
positioned to raise awareness, understanding,
and interest levels in science and the other STEM
disciplines. They know how to provide life-long
learning and stimulation to learners of all ages.
Where Play and Academics Come Together
Science centers and museums know how to put
pizzazz into science education. Using discovery,
fun, excitement, and hands-on learning, they lead
visitors toward understanding complex scientific
principles and ideas.
The fields of STEM come to life through informal
learning outside of the classroom, creating a
passion for curiosity and risk-taking...skills that
will be essential to face the challenges of a 21st
century workforce.
Most young people consider science too
daunting a subject (if not too boring and too dry!)
and are amazed that they can learn easily within
a museum environment. In fact, attitudes towards
science are formed primarily during out-of-school
time in early adolescence.
Science centers and museums specialize in
cultivating critical thinking and analytical skills—
two of the most important abilities that the STEM
fields require.
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Fostering Strong Science Teachers
Global Solutions to Local Problems
Often working with local school districts, 90%
of ASTC members offer workshops, webinars,
conferences, and full-fledged courses to increase
teachers’ knowledge of science content and to
provide them with the tools to use informal science
programs and exhibits to enhance science learning.
Science centers and museums are preparing a new
generation of responsible global citizens who will
be able to address the problems that will face our
world over the next century. From air and water
pollution to endangered species to human health
and nutrition—these challenges demand global
solutions that reach beyond geopolitical borders.
Learning and Exploration for a Lifetime
With the first wave of baby boomers now looking at
the next phase of life, science centers are expanding
their engagement with older audiences. In the U.S.
alone, ten thousand baby boomers turn 65 every
day and by 2030, 25% of the U.S. population will
exceed retirement age.
Science centers and museums provide expertise
in bringing the international science community
and the public together. They offer a platform for
people of all ages and backgrounds to explore,
understand, and relate to recent scientific findings
that affect the planet.
Workshops, exhibitions, online learning programs,
lecture series, volunteer opportunities, and travel
adventures all lend themselves to older, more
mature audiences.
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Aboriginal Education Program. SciTech Discovery Center, West Perth, WA, Australia
ASTC in Action...
Strengthening the Foundation and Building the Future
Infrastructure for This Vibrant (and Valued) Field!
Global Scope and Reach
Networking Opportunities and Professional
Support
■■ ASTC serves as the voice of the worldwide science
■■ ASTC
provides continuing and specialized
professional education programs and communities
of practice initiatives for members and the field at
large.
center and museum field at global gatherings.
■■ ASTC works closely with the UN, UNESCO,
and other organizations to create new platforms
where informed citizens and other international
organizations work together to support evidencebased decision making about the global challenges
facing our planet.
■■ ASTC hosts an annual conference, the premier
professional development opportunity for the
global science center field, for 1,700+ member and
sponsor attendees.
■■ ASTC helps develop and grow the international
■■ ASTC
publishes award-winning newsletters,
magazines, and blogs to encourage dialogue and
communication among members, sponsors, and
the science center community.
science center field by assisting in capacity building
projects around the world. Projects have included
organizations in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Korea,
South Africa, Argentina, China, and more.
■■ ASTC offers professional tools to the field, including
A Collective Voice in Public Policy
websites, webinars, and online forums such as
ExhibitFiles.org for sharing ideas and researching
topics unique to our members (e.g., “Where can I
find an exhibit that explains the human genome?”).
■■ ASTC equips members with an easy-to-use online
advocacy tool so that they can be heard on key
local, regional, national, and global societal issues
that affect not only their institutions, but the
communities they serve.
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■■ ASTC creates dialogue with policymakers and
public officials, gaining the advantage of “strength
in numbers.” Through direct interaction with all
levels of government, ASTC and the science center
field are “at the table” when key decisions are being
considered on issues such as STEM, health, energy,
and the environment.
Science Center and Museum Services
■■ ASTC plans, markets, and manages dynamic
traveling exhibitions. ASTC has spearheaded over
200 traveling exhibition projects, collaborating with
science centers and other organizations worldwide.
■■ ASTC provides a Passport Program that allows free
admission benefits to science center members at
more than 340 science institutions worldwide.
■■ ASTC acts, on request, as matchmaker, facilitator,
and project manager between corporate sponsors
and its member organizations to ensure satisfying,
rewarding, symbiotic, and productive relationships.
■■ ASTC serves as a catalyst for STEM learning
throughout the membership network.
■■ ASTC works with its members to develop programs
and activities addressing the leading science
issues impacting society today—energy, health,
environment, agriculture, new technologies, etc.
Pipe Dreams. Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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ASTC Gets Results …
Just a few examples of successful
ASTC programs and partnerships:
museum members, who provide spaces where kids
explore, express, and create using digital media.
When teens follow their passions and collaborate
with others they become makers and doers, not just
passive consumers. Digital media grabs the attention
of young people and inspires them to stretch their
talents and interests.
Major funding for Learning Labs is provided by
the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Youth Inspired Challenge (YIC)
Promotes innovation, creativity,
and work outside the classroom
The Youth Inspired Challenge (YIC)
was a result of President Obama and
other world leaders’ commitment to
strengthen STEM knowledge in kids and to
give them the skills they need to be innovators
of the future. More than 100 science centers
and museums are participating by providing
2,095,000 hours of science enrichment and youth
employment, just two years into the program. Over
73,000 children have benefited from this hands-on
learning program and every young person involved
is provided with the equivalent of nearly four weeks
of full school-day instruction.
Earth Summit Rio +20
International voice for science centers and
museums
ASTC was the voice of the worldwide science center
and museum field at Earth Summit, Rio+20, in June
2012. Here we advocated the unique role of science
centers and museums in educating the public about
the complex science of sustainability in various ways:
■■ Through the promotion of a declaration on the
importance of public engagement with science
as part of the UN strategy at a major UNESCO
event during the Summit.
Learning Labs
Offers teens safe places to “hang out, mess
around, and geek out”
Learning Labs help teens explore their personal
interests while developing 21st-century skills like
critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration.
Partnering with the Urban Libraries Council, ASTC
introduced this innovative program to 13 of its
■■ Through our partnership with the scientific
community, discussing new solutions for the
planet’s challenges based on scientific evidence
at the “Planet under Pressure” conference, which
convened in London in March 2012 .
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■■ ASTC orchestrated 250 simultaneous events
for the public connected to the conference
worldwide.
■■ ASTC organized 15 “twinning programs” by
pairing youth on different continents to compare
their local evidence of a changing planet and to
discuss global solutions via teleconferencing.
Girls RISEnet
Empower, stimulate, and motivate minority girls
in science and engineering
Girls RISEnet, a partnership between ASTC, the Miami
Science Museum, and SECME, Inc., trains informal
science educators to engage minority young women
in exploring and pursuing science and engineering
careers. More than 500 informal science educators
have attended Girls RISEnet workshops. More than
720,000 girls have benefited from this program.
Note to Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland, CA
“Today, more than ever, science is emerging as an
instrumental factor in decisions affecting stability, security,
and improved quality of life for the entire planet. We have a
responsibility to fuel that curiosity and to encourage it as a
process of life-long learning.”
Anthony “Bud” Rock, President and CEO, ASTC
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Join Us in Our Mission!
Eight Reasons to Become an ASTC
Corporate Partner/Sponsor
5. A
STC keeps administrative overhead low and
performance high.
1. ASTC members do REALLY cool projects with
partners and sponsors. ASTC-member institutions
are full of hip, intelligent, creative, and innovative
superstars who know how to make science and
technology fun and engaging.
6. ASTC offers worldwide exposure for your company
and a rich variety of PR opportunities.
7. A
STC places a high priority on measuring results,
so you know the impact and importance of your
valuable contributions.
2. A
STC members give you full geographical coverage
wherever you want—regionally, countrywide, or
globally.
8. ASTC is profoundly appreciative of the help
provided by our corporate sponsors. Your
support is not just welcome, it is NECESSARY to
maintain the levels of excellence that our member
organizations exemplify.
3. ASTC, like many innovative companies, is
committed to science literacy and hands-on,
inquiry-based science learning.
4. A
STC strives to match sponsors with initiatives
and members that support your corporate goals
and objectives.
Endless Ways to Engage with ASTC:
■■ Be a catalyst for STEM learning.
■■ Help science centers achieve the greatest impact in
their communities.
■■ Deliver YOUR message on the importance of
science in contemporary life.
■■ Support making science learning a global enterprise.
Opportunities abound!
Support ASTC’s educational programs; sponsor traveling exhibitions; help promote community dialogues and
citizen science projects; partner with ASTC to train educators; become a part of our mini-grants program; or
become a sponsor at our Conference.
And much more that we haven’t even imagined yet!
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“We look increasingly to science
centers to be institutions of
education and innovation as well
as to serve as ‘wonder places’
where people can meet, share
knowledge, and transform the way
they look at the world.”
Lidia Brito, Director of the Science Policy and Capacity Building Division, UNESCO
818 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006-2734
P: 202.783.7200
F: 202.783.7207