OCTOBER 2007
Contents
Introducing the new Chair of Ecsite-uk
A welcome from the new Director of Ecsite-uk
Ingenious 2007 – grant scheme and workshop
Science Links in Museum Education
NEWS FROM ECSITE-UK 1
Introducing the new Chair of Ecsite-uk,
Dr Nick Winterbotham
Nick began his professional life as a Latin teacher in Norwich in 1976, moving to his first museum post in 1979. Since then has worked in a host of museums including as the Director of both Eureka! in Halifax and Tullie House Museum in Carlisle. He is currently the CEO of Thinktank and Millennium Point in Birmingham. In 2005 Nick was awarded a PhD in museum education by the University of Nottingham. His interests are cycling, travel, theatre and literature. He is married and has two children.
Nick’s manifesto can be found on the website.
“Penny and I will spend the next six months holding several regional Ecsite-uk workshops to get better acquainted with the activities, capacities, views, needs and expectations of our membership.
Armed with this updated understanding we will establish a programme of development and advocacy to build on our national reputation, so as better to meet the country’s needs in engaging with science and technology”.
NEWS FROM ECSITE-UK 2
A welcome from the new Director of
Ecsite-uk,
Dr Penny Fidler
Welcome to this month’s newsletter. September has been an interesting and busy month with our AGM, committee meeting, the BA Festival and a number of project meetings. A wonderful outcome has been that during my first four weeks in office I have had the great pleasure of meeting a large number of our members and partners, as well as getting to know the Ecsite-uk team.
It’s an exciting time for Ecsite-uk as we await the results of the House of Commons Inquiry in October. The UK’s science centres and museums represent an extraordinary resource for the future of science and scientific literacy in this country. As a network we are uniquely positioned to inspire large numbers of people of all backgrounds and ages, and to be at the very heart of a variety of science-related dialogue. Through a number of initiatives we aim to showcase how the network of UK science centres can assist the governments in delivering their nationwide long-term science strategy.
NEWS FROM ECSITE-UK 3
A big thank you
The Committee and the Chair along with the Director of Ecsite-uk would like to thank Linda Conlon for her leadership and dedication as Chair of Ecsite-uk for the past two years. Linda was instrumental in securing the House of Commons Inquiry - the culmination of a concentrated and concerted effort over a considerable time, and grants us a huge opportunity for the future.
We would also like to thank Gillian Pearson, from The Oxford Trust for her hard work and dedication over the past six years having served on the committee since the inception of Ecsite-uk, and as Deputy Chair.
Both Linda and Gillian stepped down at the AGM. Linda handed over to Dr Nick Winterbotham, the new Chair of Ecsite-uk.
Our thanks also to the Ecsite-uk team, Dr Rosalind Mist and Dr Louise Webb for their excellent work and for being instrumental in getting Ecsite-uk to this point, as well as to Rachel Simmons, Martin Glancy, Simon Chambers and Dr Jenny Search for all their great work, and of course to Dr Melanie Quin for leading Ecsite-uk for its first 5 years.
NEWS FROM ECSITE-UK 4
The new Ecsite-uk Committee
The Ecsite-uk AGM was held at the BA Festival of Science in York on 13 September 2007. Elections were held to appoint new members of the Committee.
We're delighted to announce the new Ecsite-uk Committee is as follows:
- Kelvin Boot, National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth
- Goéry Delacôte, At-Bristol
- Sean Gaffaney, Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester
- Judith Harvey, W5, Belfast
- Heather Mayfield, Science Museum, London
- Stuart Monro, Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh
- Leigh-Anne Stradeski, Eureka! The Children's Museum, Halifax
- Peter Trevitt (Treasurer), Techniquest, Cardiff
- Phil Winfield, Intech Science Centre, Winchester
- Roland Jackson, the BA
The minutes of the AGM, including a list of attendees can be found on this web site
NEWS FROM ECSITE EUROPE
Ecsite Annual Conference 2008
First announcement for 'Science centres and museums' commitment for a sustainable society’ - Call for proposals.
Ecsite invites you to the Ecsite Annual Conference 2008 and welcomes your session proposals. The conference will take place from 29 - 31 May 2008 and will be hosted by the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary.
The central focus of the conference will be to investigate the commitment of science centres and museums for a sustainable society. Discussions will include our role, our actions, and our impact in the coming decades.
For further information about how to submit proposals, including session proposal templates, and the first announcement for the conference please visit the Ecsite conference website www.ecsite-conference.net. The call for proposals is open until 26 October 2007.
If you have any enquiries please contact Aliki Giannakopoulou. agiannakopoulou@ecsite.net
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SECTOR 1
Ingenious 2007 – grant scheme and workshop
Ingenious – engaging citizens; engaging engineers is the Royal Academy of Engineering’s public engagement grants scheme. Grants (£5,000 to £30,000) are available for projects that enable engineers to: take part in debate with the public (both young people and adults) on engineering and its impact on society; enhance their public engagement skills and to consider the societal implications of their work. Application deadline: 30 November 2007.
Ingenious Pre-application Event 2007 is a free workshop for potential applicants wishing to find out more about the scheme, to exchange ideas and build partnerships. The event will take place on Wednesday 24 October 2007 at the Royal Academy of Engineering, London, and is free but booking is essential.
To book your place – please email lesley.paterson@raeng.org.uk with your contact details.
For further information about the grant scheme and a draft workshop programme visit:
www.raeng.org.uk/engagement
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SECTOR 2
STFC funding schemes
Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) would like to announce their latest round of Science in Society Award Schemes to fund projects communicating science and technology. This includes a Science Centre Award of up to £25,000 for projects that particularly target young people aged 11-16.
All STFC Science in Society Awards must relate to STFC science and technology and target their key audiences of young people aged 11-18 and their teachers; science inclined public; opinion formers; and audiences not previously engaged with science.
For full details and examples of previous awards visit: www.scitech.ac.uk – Public and Schools – Funding
Closing date for receipt of applications:
- 19 October 2007 (Small Awards and Science Centre Awards)
- 16 November 2007 (Large Awards)
NEWS FROM THE REGIONS
SCEAG Update
The five Science Centre and Enrichment Activities Grant scheme (SCEAG) consortia have had a busy summer. They recently attended an inter-project meeting at the BA Festival of Science in York. One highlight was an opportunity for the consortia to sample one of Projecting Science's new inflatable planetaria. Other highlights included:
- Northern Outreach has recently visited the most remote secondary school in the country.
- Partners from Science Explorers project were not all able to attend, as they were taking part in training that day.
- In a few months, Joining Forces have already significantly increased the audience numbers at Science Oxford.
- Finally, Investigate-uk now have many of their portable exhibits ready. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) they were all in school, so we were unable to try them out.
Over the next few months, all the consortia will be busy with extra visitors in their centres and trips out to schools. We hope to have some feedback from the schools to share in our December eNews.
www.sciencecentres.org.uk/projects/sci-cent-enrichment-activities.html
RESOURCE
Science Links in Museum Education
Science Links in Museum Education (SLIME) South East supports and promotes science in museums for school age children and other visitors.
At the start of 2007 SLIME organised a training day called ‘FUNdamental Science’ at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley.
Useful notes and briefing sheet resources from the training day can be found at: www.museumse.org.uk/learning/Science.html
DIARY DATES
TextWorkshop training day
10 October, 2007, Weston Park Museum, Sheffield
Join writer Dea Birkett and museum professional Rebecca Mileham for a TextWorkshop training course that will challenge and inspire you - as well as your audiences. Practical and interactive, the full-day programme covers top tips that can quickly make your text more accessible, appealing and effective at getting your message across.
For further details of TextWorkshop, please go to www.textworkshop.co.uk or email contact@textworkshop.co.uk
Science Education in School workshop
11-14 October 2007, Bucharest
An international workshop aimed at: researchers in the field of science education, managers and personnel of the institutions directly or indirectly involved in science education (universities, research institutes, science museums, theoretical, technical and vocational schools, education policy makers, non-governmental organisations and local authorities).
Additional information regarding registration, topics and participation conditions can be found at education.inflpr.ro
2007 ASTC Annual Conference
Lights, Camera, Action: From Vision to Reality
13-16 October 2007, California Science Center, Los Angeles
At the 2007 Association of Science – Technology Centres (ASTC) Annual Conference, ASTC members will explore the diverse issues involved in turning their museum's innovative visions into successful reality. Explore how we might realise our creative dreams, from articulating goals and securing resources to ensuring that the final story reflects your mission, your brand, and your core values.
For further details of the conference programme visit: www.astc.org/conference
Communicate 2007- Going Mainstream
18-19 October 2007, Bristol
Now in its fourth successful year, this is the UK’s only conference for professional communicators of environmental and conservation issues. Registrations are now open for Communicate 2007.
For a registration form and the latest version of the conference programme go to: www.communicatenow.org
Museums Association Conference and Exhibition
22-24 October 2007, Glasgow
Glasgow is the host for this year’s Museums Association conference.
Keynote speakers include John Falk and Lynn Dierking, Will Hutton and Muriel Gray.
www.museumsassociation.org/conference
JIVE Conference
30 October 2007, National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham
This year’s conference is a free event that aims to showcase the work of the JIVE Project, supporting positive change for women and girls in Science Engineering, Technology and the Built Environment.
Booking is now open for this FREE conference. For further information visit: www.jivepartners.org.uk/events/events.htm or book online at: www.jivepartners.org.uk/events/booking_form.htm
The Education Summit 2007
1 November, Royal College of Physicians, London
The Education Summit 2007 – Translating Vision into Practice. This national conference provides a unique opportunity for key stakeholders involved in the successful delivery of the Education agenda to come together to:
- acquire information on current and future planned Government policy and objectives;
- share knowledge and best practice across the education community; and
- network with those delivering on this agenda.
www.tenalpsevents.com/education2007
Ecsite Directors' Forum 2007
15-16 November, Stiftung Deutches- Hygiene Museum, Dresden, Germany
The Ecsite Directors' Forum, an annual meeting for directors of Ecsite’s full members, will take place in Dresden from 15-16 November and be hosted by the Stiftung Deutsches-Hygiene museum. The theme of this year’s forum is ‘partnerships with private companies and foundations’.
The Forum is open only to Ecsite full members.
Please contact Aliki Giannakopoulou, Ecsite Conference and Communications Coordinator at: agiannakopoulou@ecsite.net if you are interested in registering for this event.
Hands On & Brains On Conference
15-16 November 2007, NEMO Science Centre in Amsterdam
Hands-On & Brains-On is an international conference about Primary Education and the closing conference for this EU-project.
The recent Rocard Report "A renewed pedagogy for the future of Europe" will be discussed by representatives of the EU, science centres, headmasters, teachers, educational administrations and decision makers, researchers, journalists and other experts in science learning and communication. There will also be an opportunity to take part in hands-on activities created by eight science centres. Use it or lose it - that's the motto of the latest brain research - and also this conference!
For more information visit: www.e-nemo.nl/Handson-Brainson-conference2007
Ecsite-uk
Dr Louise Webb
Ecsite-uk: the Network of Science Centres and Museums
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