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2008 Conference
2008 ASTC Annual Conference In the Public Eye – Science Centers at the Crossroads of Science and Culture
October 18–21, 2008
Hosted by the Franklin Institute
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
*Saturday Keynote Announced: Steven Berlin Johnson
ASTC and the Franklin Institute invite you to join us in Philadelphia, birthplace of a nation and home to one of the world’s icons of scientific curiosity, Founding Father and distinguished diplomat Benjamin Franklin. The 2008 ASTC Annual Conference will feature discussions and dialogue focusing on science centers’ place at the crossroads of the scientific community and the general public.
Across the conference schedule you will find sessions that challenge us to explore our responsibility to both our scientific and public constituencies. What role do we play in reflecting or supporting the views of these communities? How do we mediate the relationship between science and public audiences?
In support of the conference theme we have identified the following six areas for further exploration: Research in Learning, Current Science, Technology, Public Policy and Issues, Marketing and Communications, and Leadership and Management. Highlights of conference events are listed below.
EVENTS ORGANIZED AND SPONSORED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE
All ASTC 2008 attendees will receive an Official Visitors Guide to Philadelphia. It’s jam-packed with helpful tips, maps, restaurant descriptions, activities, and attractions, and other details about the metropolitan area. Get a head start on planning your conference trip by visiting www.gophila.com, one of the best sites for information on what to do with your free time in the City of Brotherly Love.
Philadelphia Welcomes You! Receptions Friday, October 17, 5:00pm–7:00pm
The Franklin Institute invites ASTC attendees to relax, catch up with old friends, and make new acquaintances at local happy hours on Friday evening. Franklin hosts will be on hand at each venue to welcome you to Philadelphia and to facilitate the good times. All venues are within walking distance of the Convention Center.
Each location offers its own happy hour beverage and snack specials.
• SoleFood:12th & Market
Located in the historic PSFS building, SoleFood offers a comfortable, hip environment in its martini bar.
• McGillin’s Old Ale House:1310 Drury St.
Hidden down a side street, the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philadelphia is warm, friendly, and inviting.
• The Field House:Reading Terminal Market
Catch a game on one of the many large screen TVs at this upscale sports bar next to the convention center.
• El Vez:13th & Samson
Enjoy the blood orange margaritas at this contemporary Mexican restaurant known for its funky décor.
• Bump Lounge:Locust & Camac
Join us at Bump for the annual Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Transgender Welcome Reception. Bump combines modern style with a relaxing atmosphere and fantastic cocktails.
Keynote Speaker: Stephen Berlin Johnson Journalist, cultural critic, author, web site developer Saturday, October 18, 9:30-10:15am “Intersections: Science, Technology, and Personal Experience” Working, often simultaneously, in print and online media, Steven Berlin Johnson has both examined and experimented with ways that communities of many kinds organize themselves and create new forms of social engagement. While writing his 1997 Interface Culture: How New Technology Transforms the Way We Create and Communicate, he launched the pioneering Web magazine Feed. Johnson’s research for the 2001 Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software inspired the Webby Award–winning community site Plastic.com, where users discuss politics, pop culture, and technology. And insights arising from his most recent book, The Ghost Map, led him to collaborate on outside.in, a new site that gathers online conversations and information about U.S. communities into one place by Zip codes. Come learn what this journalist, cultural critic, web site developer, and best-selling author is working on now and where he sees the relationship among science, technology, and culture heading next.
Bandstand Party at The Franklin Saturday, October 18, 7:30pm–11:00pm
Every hep hipster in town knows that The Franklin is the most. Shine up your saddle shoes, grease up your hair, and get ready to go hoppin’ the Philadelphia way, as your ASTC 2008 host takes you back to the Bandstand at Studio B.
Pow-wow with friends old and new while you dance the night away in the city that started it all. Revel in the food and the fun from four decades of American Bandstand. From milk shakes and the Mashed Potato to disco and Devo, Bandstand brought the best of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s into living rooms across America.
To celebrate ASTC 2008, The Franklin Institute invites you into its own living room. Kick up your bobby socks, get groovy and bust a move through 40 fabulous years of Top-40 hits. Enjoy cocktails, an open bar, and comfort food, Bandstand style, and relax at the feet of Philly’s very own big daddy-o: Ben Franklin!
But while you’re hoppin’ and boppin’, don’t forget to explore exhibits that are the cat’s pajamas. Wander through The Giant Heart, an experience that proves The Franklin’s got a good beat—and you can dance to it! Get electric in Electricity Hall and learn about Ben’s most notorious experiments. Stop by the state-of-the-art Fels Planetarium to drink and dine at the center of the universe. Then check out The Franklin Air Show, featuring a full-sized fighter jet and an original Wright Brothers’ plane.
For a blast from the past, make sure to see Real Pirates, a new exhibition organized by National Geographic and AEI. Pirates features more than 200 artifacts—including coins, swords and jewelry—excavated from the ocean floor. The exhibition explores the history of the early 18th-century Caribbean and the process of recovery and conservation of the artifacts.
And for a special treat, stop by the Franklin Theater to hear a live musical performance by award-winning filmmaker, music producer, and classically trained violinist Kenji Williams. Through his new “Gaia Project,” Williams provides unique perspectives on our planet in a presentation that blends musical entertainment, public outreach, and education.
So rock, roll, or stroll down to The Franklin, and join us for the ginchiest dance party in town
Preregistration requested. Check event on the registration form. ASTC Badge must be displayed for admittance.
Open House, Big Screen Day, and Planetarium Day at The Franklin Institute Monday, October 20, Noon–6:00pm
Let your curiosity run wild at The Franklin Institute. As you enter the building, you’ll get a sneak peek at the newly refurbished Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, where Ben becomes your guide to all that’s changed over the last few years. Restored 1930s murals hang in the new Franklin Theater, matched with the latest in digital 3-D technologies. New exhibitions like Amazing Machine display one-of-a-kind interactives with equally unique objects from our extensive collection, and world-class traveling exhibitions like Real Pirates invite you to take new journeys into the unknown.
Of course, no visit would be complete without a visit to the Franklin’s signature exhibitions. A journey through The Giant Heart has been a must for more than 50 years. After its recent by-pass operation, the Heart centers a new experience that is sure to last another 50. The 350-ton Baldwin Locomotive has been moving along its tracks since 1934 in The Train Factory, and The Franklin Airshow is home to the Wright Brothers scientific collection, amid an exploration of the science of light.
In the mood for a show? Programming in the IMAX theater, the Franklin Theater, the Fels Planetarium, and special live programming will be running throughout the afternoon, along with more than a few surprises. From the mysteries of the human heart to the wonders of modern technology and everything in between – that’s The Franklin Institute. Curious?
2008 Conference
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