Explainers & visitor services
Ian SimmonsJohn DowneyElin Roberts
Humour eases all sorts of communication – where does it work when communicating science? Panellists will share their thoughts on successful uses of humour in science communication and on not so successful ones and invite thoughts from the...
Michael CreekJan RiiseErnesto Paramo SuredaAntonio Gomes da CostaLeonardo AlfonsiLuigi Amodio
Science communication at the urban level has been in the spotlight in the very last years and thanks to European projects, building partnerships at the local level is becoming more widespread. At the same time experiences developed in some...
Exhibit development
Luigi AmodioGuglielmo Maglio
Exhibitions on the human body are among visitors’ most remembered and enjoyed experiences. Even if the general topics tackled by human body exhibitions are similar, science centres and museums can deal with them in very different ways, reflecting...
Explainers & visitor services
Leonel AlegreIan BrunswickInês OliveiraCarmen Guerra
Everybody talks about it on the street, it stands on the front page of all newspapers and TV news programmes are fighting to get the best scientists in town. But how is your science centre addressing this hot topic?
In this gamified...
Research, theory & evaluation
Maria XanthoudakiPreeti GuptaAnne Kahr HällmanKevin CrowleyBrad IrwinJen DeWitt
Understanding the learning impacts of informal science settings is a topical and challenging issue. Learning in such places has been under-researched and under-theorised, hampering the field’s ability to address policy and broader concerns around...
Explainers & visitor services
Kayte McSweeneyJessica BradfordJulia EllrichLouise WindfeldtLucia MartinelliLing Lee
Science isn’t always appetizing. The nature and impacts of scientific research can sometimes be hard to swallow. This session explores the approaches taken by museums across Europe, including MUSE and the Science Museum in London, to engage...
Explainers & visitor services
Nathalie CapletAnna GunnarssonLa Vergne LehmannAlex Johnson
We throw things away because we want to forget them. But they don’t cease to exist. Dealing with the vast quantities of waste from our modern lives is a major environmental and economic concern. This is an important message, but engaging...
Explainers & visitor services
Amy SeakinsAmy SeakinsSarah FunkClaudia VelhasRooske Franse
Adults make visits possible but children often take the lead once inside the science centre or museum, directing the visit and acting as experts for the rest of their group. This session explores the role of children as experts in museums and...
Collections
Jessica BradfordMaarten OkkersenAnne PrugnonJane RaynerStan BoshouwersMarieke Meijers
In recent years, museums and science centres have been experimenting with bridging the gap between real objects and digital experiences. The meSch (Material Encounters with Digital Cultural Heritage) project has this challenge at its heart:...
Explainers & visitor services
Ronen MirRaffaella SpagnuoloGillian ThomasMiha KosAriel HeimannIan Simmons
How can science centres fuse meaningful collaborations with formal science education across the Globe? How can we contribute to deliver science curricula? This session highlights situations when formal science education calls upon science centres...
Explainers & visitor services
Luisa MassaraniSupara KamolpattanaShawn RoweKaren Bultitude
In the last two decades, hundreds of hands-on science centres have been opening their doors around the globe, many of them in the developing world. Some of them follow the “philosophy” of the Anglo-Saxon world (e.g. the San Francisco...
Tiina BrunettoKamil RogulskiAlberta Giovannini
Professionals from four different countries will share tools and tips about planning, budgeting and evaluating customer services. National laws and employment regulations might differ, but all speakers share the same goal: a happy customer served...