Ecsite's community manager put together a daily summary of the 2017 Ecsite Annual Conference using a platform called Storify, which allowed to gather and organise social media posts (here mostly Tweets).
As this platform is no longer available from 16 May 2018, we have exported each story as a pdf file - see below.
Tuesday 13 June 2017 - Pre-conference day 1
Participants mapped new roles for facilitators, developed tools for space science communication and ocean literacy and shaping transnational science centre networks’ collaborations. They prototyped games and drew a research agenda for learning in informal settings.
Wednesday 14 June 2017 - Pre-conference day 2
Participants investigated the learning value of tinkering activities, developed tools for space science communication and ocean literacy, and devised strategies for institutional change on diversity, equity and inclusion. They unlocked the potential of urban nature, prototyped games, mapped new roles for facilitators, and drew a research agenda for learning in informal settings.
At the end of the day, speakers and convenors were invited to attend the Speakers reception at Porto’s City Hall. They received a warm welcome from Nuno Ferrand, Director of the Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto; Rosalia Vargas, President of Ciência Viva; Michiel Buchel, President of Ecsite & CEO of NEMO Science Museum and Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto.
Thursday 15 June 2017 - Main conference day 1
Newcomers started early with a networking breakfast, before joining all other attendees at the Opening event, whose speakers included Manuel Heitor, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal.
The winners of the 2017 Mariano Gago Ecsite Awards were revealed at the same event. NOESIS - Thessaloniki Science Center & Technology Museum (Greece) got a Special mention for courageous leadership for welcoming children from the refugee camps of Thessaloniki and offering them a scientific, educational, cultural and social programme. TRACES – Espace des Sciences Pierre-Gilles De Gennes in Paris (France) won in the ‘Smart and Simple’ category for the Frugal Science exhibition, a smart, cost-effective project that proposes a new take on both exhibition making and tinkering. Dialogue Social Enterprise, Hamburg (Germany) won in the ‘Sustainable Success’ category for its Dialogue in the Dark exhibition concept, a long-standing success story with remarkable reach and an original and robust business model, true to our field's values of inclusion and diversity.
The conference’s Business Bistro opened its doors for the morning coffee break. For the rest of the day, participants were able to pick and choose between ten parallel session strands: the “bubble effect”, learning ecosystems, behavioural visitor research, tinkering with circuits and many more were discussed and debated…
In the evening everyone re-convened for the Gala Dinner, held in the lavish setting of UNESCO World Heritage Site Palácio da Bolsa.
Friday 16 June 2017 - Main conference day 2
Alice Roberts, Anthropologist, author and broadcaster, and Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham delivered a keynote speech at 10.30. For the rest of the day, participants were able to pick and choose between ten parallel session strands. Topics included science engagement in the post-truth era, designing for all, augmented reality games, guerrilla marketing and many more.
The Ecsite Annual General Meeting also took place and saw (among others) the election of a new President: Herbert Münder, General Manager at Universum, Bremen, Germany.
Participants enjoyed a lively Business Bistro Happy Hour, sampling through specialties brought by the trade fair’s exhibitors before gathering at the Hall of Biodiversity, one of the venues of the Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP), for the Nocturne. They enjoyed a rich programme of shows, demonstrations and music at the Hall of Biodiversity and in the adjoining Botanical garden.
Saturday 17 June 2017 - Main conference day 3
Nina Simon, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History and best-selling author (The Participatory Museum, The Art of Relevance), delivered a keynote speech at 10.30. For the rest of the day, participants were able to pick and choose between ten parallel session strands. Topics included the integration of migrant communities, museum cafés, financial literacy, designing for gender equality and many more.
The conference found its conclusion at Farewell Party: as Porto is getting ready for its traditional Saint John’s street festival, our hosts gave participants an anticipated taste of this mini-carnival with a popular atmosphere, just outside the Natural History and Science Museum – before moving onto the Museum’s atrium transformed into a fancy club.
