Update 15, September 2006

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.

New Project Officer - Merryn McKinnon

After the novelty of moving intertidal snails with a paint scraper wore off, I moved from marine science into science communication – and have stayed there ever since.

I have been associated with Questacon in Canberra, Australia on and off since 2001 in various roles, the majority of which were in outreach programmes, enabling me to communicate science to people all around Australia. I have worked for private and not-for-profit organisations in other science communication roles in Australia, including the Australian Science Festival. I spent one and a half years in Timor-Leste, working in various roles to establish communication and marketing strategies, undertaking market research and evaluation to assist in the development of business strategy and the consolidation of customer networks for both national and international organisations.

Having lived, worked and travelled extensively throughout Asia, I am very pleased to be able to facilitate information sharing across the APEC Region to advance the APEC Science Centre Impact Project. I am very much looking forward to working with you all.

Evaluating interactive web sites

Web Designs for Interactive Learning is a useful resource for an educator who is, or is considering, designing, developing or evaluating an interactive web site. Arising from a June 2005 conference, the site lists a wide range of topics for discussion from the inclusion of web sites as an additional component of educational programs; how to understand your audience; and an examination of ideas and issues in interactive online informal science education.

PCST-10 in Øresund 2008

The Øresund region, which encompasses Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand and the Malmö-Lund region in southern Sweden, will host the PCST-10 conference in June 2008.

The tentative theme is “Building Bridges”, and the conference will explore the experiences, strategies and plans for creating new and innovative links and relationships in communication.

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