The goal of this project is to facilitate a conference (5/17-19/2010) between a representative delegation of science center personnel led by the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and three Chinese organizations (CTSM, BSTCC, BSTEC) on the merits of informal science education for STEM education of the public and youth. [The three Chinese organizations are: China Science and Technology Museum (CSTM); Beijing Science and Technology Consulting Center (BSTCC), and Beijing Science and Technology Exchange Center with Foreign Countries (BSTEC).] The three-day conference in Beijing, China will include 16 US participants. Presentations from both sides will be made followed by discussions providing a basis for comparisons and contrasts. The total number of participants at the conference is estimated to be 200.
China has recently decided to put considerable effort into informal science education, suggesting that science learning begins with "hands on" activities. The basis for this conclusion is derived from significant findings of research on cognitive aspects of childhood education. Since the US has considerable interest in this subject as well, this conference is timely. China is providing housing, meals and in-country transportation ($130,000) while NSF is providing US participants with airfare to China and logistical expenses.
A detailed final report from the US participants will provide a mechanism for dissemination of the conference results.
In 2007, ASTC organized the first US-China Science CenterDirectors Forum in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Technology in China, Three years later, American and Chinese directors gathered for the 2010 US-China Science Centers Directors Forum, which allowed experts from both countries to build on the common framework established in 2007, digging deeper into two important questions in the field: 1) What is the role of science centers in the broader informal science education? and 2) What does the future hold for science center development? Science center directors heard presentations on these topics from colleagues based in both the U.S. and China, with one day dedicated to each question.On the third and final day of the forum, participants had the opportunity to put the ideas developed during days one and two into practice during focused workshops. Workshop topics included the planning of the Beijing Science Center using the framework established in 2007, participants uncovered important differences in the two countries, namely that the U.S. and China are at different stages in the development of the science center field. The Chinese government has planned for a rapid expansion in the number of science centers in the country, and the field is currently involved in a conversation on how best to structure these centers literally from the ground up. Construction of the Beijing Science Center is under way, with plans for hundreds more in the near future. However, those working in the science center field in the U.S. are focused primarily on the details of existing programs. These differences did not limit productive conversation about the way forward, though. Discussions on the role of science centers in the broader informal science education (ISE) field focused on the importance of science centers establishing themselves as part of the community. In addition, many of the participants agreed that the future of science center development must include an emphasis on the strategic incorporation of new technology. Additional recommendations based on the forum are being collected by our partners in China are posted onthe forum’s web site: www.scicentersforum.com. The directors who participated in the forum received a number of professional benefits. They were able to network with science center professionals they would not ordinarily have access to. They had the opportunity to present their work, receive feedback, learn from colleagues, and form working partnerships.The forum allowedparticipants to bridge a culturaland geographic divide in the field. Many of the conversations were focused on innovative techniques for engaging the public in science, which was achieved through presentations by science center directors from both countries who have demonstrated excellence and innovation on these topics in their own science centers. These presentations have been disseminated to the field online:www.scicentersforum.com. The conclusion of the forum saw a number of institutional and individual commitments to continued conversation and collaboration, going far beyond the organizers’ original expectations. The forum culminated with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between ASTC and the Beijing Association for Science and Technology (BAST) and the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (BJAST), with the three organizations agreeing to work together promoting science and technology informal education. The memorandum expressed this goal and outlined future channels of communication to ensure its achievement, including cooperation at annual ASTC conferences, sharing of yearly activity plans of the signing organizations, and follow-up meetings. Plans for future cooperation were also generated on an individual level, with a number of the US and Chinese participants expressing interest in forming partnerships on projects discussed during the forum.
