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Contents are
News from the Ecsite-uk Office: Data update
Developments in the Sector 1: Science Line can help science centres
answer their visitors' questions
Developments in the Sector 2: Seeking science partners for Creative
Partnerships
Resources: Invitation from Professor Richard Gregory
News from the regions: Up North, Down Under
Diary Dates: November 2003, Ecsite annual conference call for
speakers
News from the Ecsite-uk Office: Data update
If you are/represent a science discovery centre, your organisation is listed on the website database of UK centres.
It's time for the annual updating/correction, and Rachel Fenton, Admin. Manager
has mailed you to ask you to check your entry at
http://www.ecsite-uk.net/centres/index.php
and let us know of any changes to be made, by 1st April 2003.
This is one of the most visited pages of the website, so do please make sure your information is accurate!
Developments in the sector 1: Science Line can help science centres answer their visitors' questions
Science Line is now in its 8th year of providing a free science information service for members of the public. The service operates a free telephone helpline (0808 800 4000) which is open between 1 and 7pm, Monday to Saturday and a website at [archived page - link removed]
The Science Line team is made up of experienced science communicators with research experience in a variety of different scientific disciplines. We can answer around 70% of questions straight away. For questions that need a more in-depth answer or the latest scientific opinion, we have a database of over 1500 scientists working in academia and industry to call on for help.
The questions we deal with range from the factual (Do penguins have knees?) through the theoretical (Will the Universe expand forever?) to those sparked by issues in the news (Can foot and mouth disease be spread by insects?). The telephone helpline enables us to really discuss science, and is a comfortable and familiar medium for those who are not computer literate.
Our aim for the coming year is to increase awareness of Science Line and improve access to our free services. To help us achieve this, we are offering all the science and discovery centres in the UK posters and cards which advertise our services. We would like these to be displayed as prominently as possible and for as many staff members as possible to know of our existence.
If you would like some FREE POSTERS and CARDS for your centre and your visitors, please email Caitlin Watson at caitlin.watson@bss.org
The cards come in boxes of 400 and each card is the size of a normal business card. The posters are A2 size.
Developments in the sector 2: Seeking science partners for Creative Partnerships
Creative Partnerships, a pioneering £40 million initiative, is set to be the most important cultural and creative programme in a generation. It will give thousands of school children in deprived areas throughout England the opportunity to develop creativity in learning and participate in cultural activities. Creative Partnerships will develop long-term partnerships between schools and cultural and creative organisations including architects, theatre companies, museums, cinemas, historic buildings, dance studios, recording studios, orchestras, web-site designers and many others.
The first Creative Partnership areas (selected by Ministers and taken from a list of the most economically and socially challenged neighbourhoods in England) are:
| Barnsley Doncaster and Rotherham Birmingham Bristol Cornwall Durham / Sunderland Inner London East Inner London South Kent |
Kingston-upon-Hull Manchester / Salford Merseyside Norfolk Nottingham Slough Tees Valley The Black Country |
Creative Partnerships aims to develop creativity in all areas of learning. Science, Geography and History projects are all within its scope. To this end we are building partnerships between schools and teachers and science professionals and science centres as well as others in the creative and cultural sector.
We are currently working with Killhope Mining Museum in County Durham and are keen to work with Magna, where our Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham team are based - as we have one or two schools who have caught the robot bug. We are also forging relationships with other centres including the Natural History and Science Museums in London in the hope of collaborating in the future.
We are very keen to make connections with other science centres - particularly those in our regions.
For further information:
T 0207 973 6438
helen.clare@creative-partnerships.com
www.creative-partnerships.com
Resources: Professor Richard Gregory offers this month's 'think bubble'
At the latest meeting of the ECVP (European Conference of Visual Perception) it was suggested It that our monthly journal, 'Perception', should add a special section for contributions aimed at Science Centres internationally. This will link ongoing perceptual research, with intriguing demonstrations and simple experiments for the public, including schools, to appreciate. Let's call this section of the journal: Public perceptions.
Ecsite members are invited to contribute ideas for demonstrations of phenomena or experiments, with brief explanations; or questions asking what is going on, so we may share our puzzles. Please keep these contributions down to a maximum of 500 words. Illustrations may be included. These contributions will be published from time to time in the new section, 'Public perceptions', available on the web at www.perceptionweb.com
For starters, we might have
If you'd like to contribute - or to find out more - please contact Richard.Gregory@bristol.ac.uk
News from the regions: Up North, Down Under
Graham Durant, former deputy director of the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, is - from 31 March - CEO of Questacon, the National Science & Technology Centre in Canberra.
Replacing Graham on the Scottish Science Advisory Committee is Stuart Monro, Scientific Director of Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh. The SSAC was established in May 2002, under the auspices of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, to provide independent advice to Scottish Executive Ministers on strategic scientific issues.
"Valete" Graham, and "thanks" Stuart for taking up the baton.
Diary Dates: 27-29 November 2003, Ecsite annual conference call for speakers
This year's conference is in Munich, hosted by the Deutsches Museum which celebrates its centenary in 2003. Following the record attendance at Ecsite2002 in London, Munich will again offer practical workshops on professional challenges, strategy sessions on major policy issues, and thematic plenary sessions. Topics and titles are under discussion.
If you'd like to speak, or suggest a speaker, contact Michaël Renvillard, Conference Manager, asap - the next Programme Committee meeting is 6 April: mrenvillard@ecsite.net
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