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2008 Conference

ASTC and the Franklin Institute invite you to join us in Philadelphia, birthplace of a nation and home to one of the world’s icons of scientific curiosity, Founding Father and distinguished diplomat Benjamin Franklin. The 2008 ASTC Annual Conference will feature discussions and dialogue focusing on science centers’ place at the crossroads of the scientific community and the general public.

Across the conference schedule you will find sessions that challenge us to explore our responsibility to both our scientific and public constituencies. What role do we play in reflecting or supporting the views of these communities? How do we mediate the relationship between science and public audiences?

In support of the conference theme we have identified the following six areas for further exploration: Research in Learning, Current Science, Technology, Public Policy and Issues, Marketing and Communications, and Leadership and Management. Highlights of conference events are listed below.


EVENTS ORGANIZED AND SPONSORED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

Philadelphia Welcomes You! Receptions
Friday, October 17, 5:00pm–7:00pm

Bandstand Party at the Franklin
Saturday, October 18, 7:30pm–11:00pm

Open House, Big Screen Day, and Planetarium Day at the Franklin Institute
Monday, October 20, Noon–6:00pm

Bookmark this page and check back often for conference updates!

Program
Registration
Hotel & Travel
Guide to Philadelphia

All ASTC 2008 attendees will receive an Official Visitors Guide to Philadelphia. It’s jam-packed with helpful tips, maps, restaurant descriptions, activities, and attractions, and other details about the metropolitan area. Get a head start on planning your conference trip by visiting www.gophila.com, one of the best sites for information on what to do with your free time in the City of Brotherly Love.

Philadelphia Welcomes You!Receptions
Friday, October 17, 5:00pm–7:00pm

The Franklin Institute invites ASTC attendees to relax, catch up with old friends, and make new acquaintances at local happy hours on Friday evening. Franklin hosts will be on hand at each venue to welcome you to Philadelphia and to facilitate the good times. All venues are within walking distance of the Convention Center.

Each location offers its own happy hour beverage and snack specials.
• SoleFood: 12th & Market
Located in the historic PSFS building, SoleFood offers a comfortable, hip environment in its martini bar.
• McGillin’s Old Ale House: 1310 Drury St.
Hidden down a side street, the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philadelphia is warm, friendly, and inviting.
• The Field House: Reading Terminal Market
Catch a game on one of the many large screen TVs at this upscale sports bar next to the convention center.
• El Vez: 13th & Samson
Enjoy the blood orange margaritas at this contemporary Mexican restaurant known for its funky décor.
• Bump Lounge: Locust & Camac
Join us at Bump for the annual Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Transgender Welcome Reception. In the heart of the Gayborhood, Bump combines modern style with a relaxing atmosphere and fantastic cocktails.

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Bandstand Party at the Franklin
Saturday, October 18, 7:30pm–11:00pm
Every hep hipster in town knows that the Franklin is the most. Shine up your saddle shoes, grease up your hair, and get ready to go hoppin’ the Philadelphia way, as your ASTC 2008 host takes you back to the Bandstand at Studio B. 

Pow-wow with friends old and new while you dance the night away in the city that started it all. Revel in the food and the fun from four decades of American Bandstand. From milk shakes and the Mashed Potato to disco and Devo, Bandstand brought the best of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s into living rooms across America.

To celebrate ASTC 2008, the Franklin Institute invites you into its own living room. Kick up your bobby socks, get groovy and bust a move through 40 fabulous years of Top-40 hits. Enjoy cocktails, an open bar, and comfort food, Bandstand style, and relax at the feet of Philly’s very own big daddy-o: Ben Franklin! 

But while you’re hoppin’ and boppin’, don’t forget to explore exhibits that are the cat’s pajamas. Wander through The Giant Heart, an experience that proves the Franklin’s got a good beat—and you can dance to it! Get electric in Electricity Hall and learn about Ben’s most notorious experiments. Stop by the state-of-the-art Fels Planetarium to drink and dine at the center of the universe. Then check out The Franklin Air Show, featuring a full-sized fighter jet and an original Wright Brothers’ plane.

For a blast from the past, make sure to see Real Pirates, a new exhibition organized by National Geographic and AEI. Pirates features more than 200 artifacts—including coins, swords and jewelry—excavated from the ocean floor. The exhibition explores the history of the early 18th-century Caribbean and the process of recovery and conservation of the artifacts. 
 
And for a special treat, stop by the Franklin Theater to hear a live musical performance by award-winning filmmaker, music producer, and classically trained violinist Kenji Williams. Through his new “Gaia Project,” Williams provides unique perspectives on our planet in a presentation that blends musical entertainment, public outreach, and education.

So rock, roll, or stroll down to the Franklin, and join us for the ginchiest dance party in town

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Open House, Big Screen Day, and Planetarium Day at the Franklin Institute
Monday, October 20, Noon–6:00pm
Please join us as we open our doors to our colleagues to experience all that the Franklin Institute has to offer. We are home to an intriguing collection of permanent exhibitions, including The Giant Heart: A Healthy Interactive Experience, with its famous walk-through heart and arteries; The Sports Challenge and its batting cage; The Franklin Air Show, with a hanger full of hands-on stations and real aircraft, such as the original Wright brothers’ 1911 Model B flyer; and The Train Factory’s 350-ton Baldwin steam locomotive.

See the world’s first exhibition of authentic pirate treasure! From National Geographic and the team that designed Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs comes Real Pirates, an exhibition that tells the true story of the Whydah, a pirate ship found off the coast of Cape Cod by underwater explorer Barry Clifford in 1984. See more than 200 artifacts salvaged from the ocean floor, including treasure chests of jewelry, coins, and gold; weaponry such as cannons, pistols, and knives; and a full-size replica of the actual ship itself.

View the latest giant-screen films in our IMAX Theater; visit our newly refurbished Franklin Theater, with its newly installed surround sound system, acoustical treatments, and a state-of-the-art, high-definition, digital 3-D projection system; or spend the afternoon in the Fels Planetarium at ASTC’s new Planetarium Day programs.

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Read more in the conference blog.

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