Update 7, Decem1ber 2005

What contributions are science centres and museums making in your community? What best-practice approaches by science centres and museums make a difference to important government agendas such as increasing young people's interest in science careers or communicating challenging science topics to the public? This is a monthly update on a project focusing on such questions in the APEC region.

Season’s greetings

Best wishes for the end-of-year holiday season to all our readers!

Making a difference in the Philippines

Since its opening in 1990, the Philippines Science Centrum has carried out a number of studies of the impact its activities have on its audiences. One study focused on school students visiting the Centrum during its first five years. A second one demonstrated the difference made to student performance and attitudes by a program providing interventions in a school classroom. Our third report summarises feedback from participants in a long-running professional development program for teachers. Download reports one, two and three (pdf).

A model for enhanced science education

The Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, USA, in partnership with De Kalb County Schools and a range of other organisations, has been very successful in reaching underserved audiences in its region. In the early 1990s, Fernbank’s Scientific Tools and Techniques program for students in grades nine and ten was shown to have a significant impact in terms of grade point average, number of science courses taken in senior year, and the likelihood of taking up further study or employment in science-related fields. Download the research report (pdf, 43 kB)

Promoting public understanding of S&T in Japan 1996–2005

Since 1996, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) has carried out a wide range of activities to promote the public understanding of science and technology (PUST). JST’s Yoshiyuki Maeda provided an overview of the decade’s achievements in PUST and outlined issues for the future in a presentation at the June 2005 Public Communication of Science & Technology Working Symposium in Beijing, China. Download Yoshiyuki Maeda’s report (pdf, 383 kB)

Attitudes to S&T in Europe

Our August update included reference to two 2005 Eurobarometer reports on surveys that explored Europeans' experience and perception of science and technology and their views on social values, ethics and decision making procedures. Key findings from these two reports (totalling more than 600 pages) have been summarised in a 32-page, easy to read special edition of the European Commission’s ‘RTDinfo’ magazine. Links to pdf and html versions of ‘RTDinfo’.

ASPAC 2006 conference

The conference team at Scitech in Perth, Western Australia, is busy with detailed planning of the conference program. The final day, Saturday 13 May, will be devoted to the APEC Science Centre Impact Project, with a special focus on how science centres and museums tackle the more challenging topics.

A reduced conference registration fee applies until the end of January – get in early to take advantage of this. Conference information and registration website.

New on our website

For a summary of what’s new on the website each month, check on the main news page of the site.

Contact

APEC Science Centre Impact Project Secretariat
Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre
King Edward Terrace, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
E apecproject@questacon.edu.au