ECSITE conference 2008, May 29-31, Budapest, Hungary
Following up to our very successful "What is the Science Center of 2020?" Conversation at the AAM Annual Conference in April 2008, Mac West and Amsterdam-based museum consultant Andrea Bandelli will be hosting a similar discussion, this time with a European twist. The session will be at 2008 Annual Conference of the European Network of Science Centres and Museums (ECSITE). To assist the many visitors who have asked about these sessions, we've posted the session description and the session bibliography below.
Session description
The external societal environment in which science centers operate is
changing rapidly. Information is gathered and exchanged in new and often-uncontrolled
or supervised ways, applied research is generating new and exciting tools
of all sorts, basic research is revealing fascinating things about how
the physical and biological worlds operate and intersect, and society
itself is evolving along with all this. Science centers emerged in their
basic current configuration in the last three decades of the 20th century.
We have added some bells and whistles, are beginning to deal with Web
2.0 and various social networking systems, and are looking with interest
at the emerging virtual worlds. In addition, science center leaders are
examining the relationships between the public presentation of science
and the academic and industrial research centers that are so rapidly expanding
our knowledge and questioning the role of the science center as a research
organization itself. Typically characterized as attractions for children,
many science centers are struggling to be relevant to an older, adult
audience, while revising the economic model to remain sustainable and
viable. Where does the money come from and how is it used to further the
broad science education and awareness mission? This session, an extended
conversation among the panelists and the audience, will explore and discuss
opportunities and challenges and attempt to visualize the science center
of the near future.
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