Update 22, May 2007

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.

The next steps for the project

The APEC Science Centre Impact Project has been running for three years. At the ASPAC conference in Tokyo, Japan (19 - 22 June) the morning session on the 22 June has been set aside to discuss how the science centre and museum sector creates connections with their audiences – a priority area of interest for the Project. The discussions from this morning will be used as a basis from which to determine future pathways and directions for the Project, as we aim to secure funding for a further three years. Your opinion and input is valued, and actively sought!

Have your say at the conference or if you are not attending or simply have an idea you would like to share, please contact the project secretariat.

The objectives of the APEC Science Centre Impact Project

When it was first established in 2004, the Project set out the following objectives:
• To strengthen the linkages and the sharing of data and best practice approaches among science centres and museums in the APEC region; in particular, to:
o obtain, collate and analyse data concerning personal, societal, economic and policy development impacts of science centres and museums in the APEC region
o capture and disseminate best practice approaches and innovative ways in which science centres and museums develop and deliver programs to benefit their communities
• To assist science centres and museums to articulate, to governments and stakeholders, their particular assets and their contributions to community and economy interests.

Progress towards these objectives has included:
- The establishment of an electronic newsletter providing linkages and regular communication between the participating economies and stakeholders. To date, twenty two issues have been sent. For each issue, three versions are produced – one for science policy and government contacts; one for science centre and museum directors; one for contact officers in participating institutions.

- The development of a project specific website that contains regularly updated research, reports and case studies of relevance to the sector to enable sharing of information, ideas and best practice.

- Organisation and delivery of several sessions at conferences with speakers of note from within the sector sourced from around the world. These speakers and sessions have facilitated future direction and progress for the Project.

- The publication of a study of the economic impact of science centres and museums on their local community in 2005.

Where to from here?

The session on Friday, 22 June will discuss how the sector maintains its relevance for its audience. In many ways, this discussion will form the basis for the future direction of the Project as the project itself must be relevant for its audience - all of you. Please share your thoughts, opinions and ideas as we move into the next phase of this Project to ensure that the APEC Science Centre Impact Project maintains vitality and relevance to all in the sector. Contact the Project Secretariat or we look forward to hearing from you at the conference in June.

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