ASTC 2024 Annual Conference
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Preconference Intensives
Preconference Intensives are a chance for conference attendees to participate in focused learning experiences on a single topic, as well as to connect and network with peers with similar job roles and topical interests—before the start of the main conference.
Given the interactive nature and extended time, all Preconference Intensives require preregistration and have limited enrollment. Submit your preconference registration early to ensure that space will be available. Preconference registration will close on September 6, 2024.
Please note that you must be registered for the ASTC 2024 Annual Conference in order to sign up for Preconference Intensives.
Full-day Intensives
(9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
Friday morning Intensives
(9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)
- Digital Immersive Spaces for Deepening Guest Engagement
- Evaluating with Purpose: Using Data for Audience-Driven Decision-Making
- From Page to Play: Storybooks as Starting Points for Creative Coding in Community
- Human-Centered AI: Developing Programs for Fostering Agency, Creativity, and Connection
- IF/THEN® Champions Network: Gain Resources, Share Ideas, and Make an Impact!
- Imagining Our Shared, Sustainable Future: Building Capacity to Imagine, Articulate, and Inspire
- Re-Making Archeology: Studying the Past through Engineering and Making
- Transformative Change toward Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access: Tools and Frameworks from iPAGE 2.0
Friday afternoon Intensives
(2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)
- Building Bridges to the Future: Grow Your Leadership Effectiveness through Expert and Peer Conversations
- Evaluation and Educator Leadership in Museum Makerspaces
- Exploring and Planning for Digital Immersive Exhibits at Your Museum
- Fo(u)r (H)our BIPOC Space: Code-Switching Not Required
- Foundations of the Next Generation Science Standards and Sensemaking for Museum Professionals
- Health in Space: A Local and International Collaboration at the International Museum of Surgical Science
- Learn About, Reflect On, and Plan Reciprocal Community Partnerships and Authentic STEM Learning Experiences
Make_X: Engaging the Creativity of the Individual and Unlocking the Potential of a Community
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (full day)
Engage in a day-long session with the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry’s Wanger Family Fab Lab. Make_X is a unique tool, giving both the educator and the learner multiple paths to unlocking the capacities and capabilities of a learning environment, over time and one belt at a time, building a digital mosaic of their learning.
Facilitators:
- Manny Juarez (Senior Director of Creativity and Innovation Programs, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
- Patrick McCarthy (Manager, Wanger Family Fab Lab, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
- Liz Bundick (Fab Lab Facilitator, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
- Jennifer C. Zurawicz (Fab Lab Facilitator, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
Track: Trends and Innovation
Location: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Fee: $180 per person
NEON: National Education Outreach Network
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (full day)
Bring science to the people! NEON addresses all things related to outreach, with speakers, hands-on activities, small group discussions, the nuts and bolts of demonstrations, how to serve a wide variety of audiences, and more! Rookies and veteran educators alike will benefit from the exchange of outreach ideas.
Facilitators:
- Jonah Cohen (Director of Science Education, McWane Science Center)
- Chris Syfrett (Tinkering Initiatives Manager, Science Museum Oklahoma)
- Kevin M. Seymour (Director of Offsite Education, COSI)
- Sarabeth Gordon (Education Director, Pensacola MESS Hall)
Track: Education and Events
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $180 per person
Digital Immersive Spaces for Deepening Guest Engagement
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (half day)
Participants will engage in multiple immersive experiences at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, discuss their potential for deeper engagement with science content, learn about advantages and limitations of these immersive platforms, and discuss early learnings for best practices in developing content.
Facilitators:
- Olivia Castellini (Senior Exhibit Strategist, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
- Olivier Goulet (CEO, Supply and Demand)
- Roderick H. Tate (President & CEO, TELUS Spark)
Track: Facility and Exhibit Design
Location: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Fee: $90 per person
Evaluating with Purpose: Using Data for Audience-Driven Decision-Making
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (half day)
This intensive will empower attendees to harness the invaluable insights of their visitors and utilize data to make audience-centered decisions, using purpose-driven evaluation. Whether you’ve tried your hand at evaluation or are brand new to the field, this intensive will offer actionable insights and skills to grow your evaluation practice. Bring your own questions about your audiences or visitor data for a dynamic work session with lessons that can directly guide your work.
Facilitators:
- Michelle Lentzner (Evaluation and Research Associate, J. Sickler Consulting)
- Jason Allen (Project Director, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES))
- Lauren Holley (Manager of Audience and Evaluation, Space Center Houston)
Track: Trends and Innovation
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person
From Page to Play: Storybooks as Starting Points for Creative Coding in Community
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (half day)
Join us for a hands-on session exploring books as sparks to create with code and physical materials. We’ll share learnings from our communities and reflect on how to activate these ideas in your space.
Facilitators:
- Michael Wong (Museum Educator, Exploratorium)
- Steph Muscat (Tinkering Specialist, Exploratorium)
- Téo C. Xisto (Creative Learning Coordinator, Lifelong Kindergarten)
- Celeste Moreno (Research Assistant, University of Colorado, Boulder)
Track: Organizational Culture and Workforce
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person
Human-Centered AI: Developing Programs for Fostering Agency, Creativity, and Connection
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (half day)
If we want Artificial Intelligence (AI) to prioritize our well-being, values, and thrive on diversity, we need to enable everyone to direct its future. This workshop will explore fostering human agency with AI through community engagement strategies and experiences in informal spaces for human growth, creativity, and social connection.
Facilitators:
- Dorothy Bennett (Director of Creative Pedagogy, New York Hall of Science)
- Anthony Negron (Director of Digital Learning, New York Hall of Science)
- Peggy Monahan (Director of Content Development, Oakland Museum of California)
- Pati Ruiz (Senior Director of Edtech and Emerging Technologies, Digital Promise)
- Clarissa Buettner (R&D Specialist, The Tech Interactive)
- Andee Rubin (Senior Scientist, TERC)
- Emily Reardon (Director of User Experience, Sesame Workshop)
Track: Audience, Diversity, and Inclusion
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person
IF/THEN® Champions Network: Gain Resources, Share Ideas, and Make an Impact!
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (half day)
Calling all gender equity advocates! We’re unveiling the IF/THEN® Champions Network. This half-day intensive, designed for current IF/THEN® Champions, will include time to meet with others to connect around the shared goal of increasing gender equity in STEM.
Facilitators:
- Emily L. Early (Senior Program Manager, National Girls Collaborative Project)
- Karen A. Peterson (Founder & CEO, National Girls Collaborative Project)
- Shannon Sullivan (Senior Manager of Programs, ASTC)
- Tara Cox (Senior Manager, Programs and Partnerships, National Girls Collaborative Project)
Track: Audience, Diversity, and Inclusion
Location: International Museum of Surgical Science
Fee: Sponsored by the IF/THEN® Champions Network
Imagining Our Shared, Sustainable Future: Building Capacity to Imagine, Articulate, and Inspire
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (half day)
Environmental communications are seldom uplifting. This is understandable given the gravity and urgency of the challenges, but this fatalistic discourse inhibits public participation in solutions. Participants will clarify their visions of a healthy, thriving future for all and build capacity to support their visitors and communities in doing the same.
Facilitators:
- Rose Hendricks (Seeding Action Research Director, ASTC)
- Theresa A. Donofrio (Seeding Action Civic Science Fellow, ASTC)
Track: Education and Events
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person
Re-Making Archeology: Studying the Past through Engineering and Making
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (half day)
Experience crafting a working cart using tools and materials that mimic what was available when the wheel was first invented. Learn tricks to accelerate the design process so that students can build as quickly as they can learn. Discuss how to make lessons that teach about people, without “othering” them.
Facilitators:
- Karl Bitikofer (Teen STEM Learning Coordinator, Field Museum)
Track: Education and Events
Location: Field Museum
Fee: $90 per person
Transformative Change toward Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access: Tools and Frameworks from iPAGE 2.0
September 27, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (half day)
In this half-day—iPAGE in a nutshell—workshop, we will engage participants in an exploration of the iPAGE Framework for Access and Equity, sharing several of the most powerful learning modules, tools, models, and frameworks that are emerging from the work.
Facilitators:
- Travis O. Sandland (Senior Project Lead, Science Museum of Minnesota)
- Cecilia Garibay (Principal, Garibay Group)
- Heather M. Norton (Chief Science Officer, Discovery Place)
- Tifferney White (CEO, Louisiana Children’s Museum)
Track: Audience, Diversity, and Inclusion
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person
Building Bridges to the Future: Grow Your Leadership Effectiveness through Expert and Peer Conversations
September 27, 2024
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (half day)
Change, disruption, and transformation challenges us to make sense of the future and develop long-term plans and commitments. We need new strategies, business models, project management methods, evaluation tools, impact analyses, and equity frameworks. Leaders need knowledge, support, and perspective from other near-peer leaders whom they can trust. This session will spark professional learning and lift up our field through excellence in management.
Facilitators:
- Charles H. Trautmann (President, Trautmann & Associates)
- Christian Greer (President and CEO, Michigan Science Center)
- Andrea A. Harp (Chief of Staff and Director of Culture and Community, Michigan Science Center)
- Heather M. Norton (Chief Science Officer, Discovery Place)
Track: Leadership and Direction
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person
Evaluation and Educator Leadership in Museum Makerspaces
September 27, 2024
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (half day)
Makerspaces and maker-based learning experiences have long provided generative learning experiences for museums. This workshop will interactively engage participants in evaluative and reflective activities built around maker-based learning experiences. Participants will leave this session with tools and activities for their own teams and partners.
Facilitators:
- Peter Wardrip (Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison)
- Adam Maltese (Professor, Indiana University)
- Prinda Wanakule (Senior Director, Inclusive R&D, The Tech Interactive)
- Mindy R. Porter (Chief Learning Officer, Scott Family Amazeum)
- Kelli Paul (Research Scientist, Indiana University)
- Jeff Evancho (Director of Partnerships and Equity, Northgate School District)
- Peter Kirschmann (Outreach Learning Designer, PLACE, University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Track: Education and Events
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person
Exploring and Planning for Digital Immersive Exhibits at Your Museum
September 27, 2024
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (half day)
Museums are creating digital immersive exhibitions, with some museums working to understand how these experiences can fulfill their missions. In this workshop, learn about different museums’ digital immersive exhibitions, and engage in discussions about the specifications and visitor interactions you might employ to make your spaces compelling, interactive, and flexible.
Facilitators:
- Elizabeth Kunz Kollmann (Director of Research and Evaluation, Museum of Science, Boston)
- Tim Porter (Senior Vice President, Exhibits, Research, and Collections, Museum of Science, Boston)
- Ben Wilson (Director of Interactive Media, Museum of Science, Boston)
- Erica Barrueto (Vice President, Learning, The Tech Interactive)
- Brad MacDonald (Project Director, Digital Experiences, Exploratorium)
- Roderick H. Tate (President & CEO, TELUS Spark)
Track: Facility and Exhibit Design
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person
Fo(u)r (H)our BIPOC Space: Code-Switching Not Required
September 27, 2024
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (half day)
So often, conferences only afford short moments to build connections, relationships, and share strategies to survive and thrive in our organizations. The first annual Fo(u)r (H)our BIPOC Space will provide an entry point for people holding BIPOC identities to begin their conference experience in joy, connection, strategy-sharing and community.
Facilitators:
- Aki Shibata (IDEAL Center Director, Science Museum of Minnesota)
- Melissa Ballard (Director of Programs, ASTC)
- Eric Buenrostro Azúa (Vice President of People and Culture, OMSI)
- Joseph Adamji (Senior Director for the Center for Equity & Systems Change, Science Museum of Minnesota)
- Veronica Garcia-Luis (Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Exploratorium)
Track: Organizational Culture and Workforce
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $50 per person
Foundations of the Next Generation Science Standards and Sensemaking for Museum Professionals
September 27, 2024
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (half day)
The Next Generation Science Standards promote three-dimensional, phenomenon driven, student-centered approaches to teaching and learning. In this session, you will develop an understanding of the standards themselves and how the instructional approaches required to enact them can inform, support, and improve programming in both formal and informal education settings.
Facilitators:
- Rex Babiera (ITW Director of Professional Learning, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
- Tara Flett (Senior Educator, Institute for Quality Science Teaching, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
- Melanie J. Snow (Senior Educator, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
- Garrett Gray (Senior Educator, School and Teacher Programs, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
- Karin G. Klein (Senior Educator, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
Track: Education and Events
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person
Health in Space: A Local and International Collaboration at the International Museum of Surgical Science
September 27, 2024
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (half day)
Join us at the International Museum of Surgical Science for an interactive session exploring how to create an exhibition providing multiple points of view using existing resources.
Facilitators:
- Michelle Rinard (Manager of Exhibitions and Development, Curator, International Museum of Surgical Science)
- Stephen Toyoda (President, Japanese Culture Center of Chicago)
- Nancy Harmon (Co-founder and Chief Curatorial Officer, Encurate)
Track: Community and Partnerships
Location: International Museum of Surgical Science
Fee: $90 per person
Learn About, Reflect On, and Plan Reciprocal Community Partnerships and Authentic STEM Learning Experiences
September 27, 2024
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (half day)
This workshop will explore how to develop reciprocal partnerships with communities, co-create STEM learning experiences, and center diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, and belonging. Participants will learn principles and practices from a study of four projects, take part in discussions and activities, and leave with resources to continue their work.
Facilitators:
- Rae Ostman (Research Professor, Arizona State University)
- Allison Anderson (Research and Evaluation Associate, National Collaborations, Museum of Science, Boston)
- Ali Jackson (Director of Programs & Partnerships, Sciencenter)
Track: Community and Partnerships
Location: McCormick Place
Fee: $90 per person