Genome Ambassadors: Promoting Public Understanding of Genomics

This ISE-University Partnership Spotlight was co-authored by Rachel O’Neill, Professor and Head of Genetics and Genomics at the University of Connecticut, and Hank Gruner, Vice President or Programs at Connecticut Science Center. Challenges in Genomic Literacy Advances in genomics are rapidly increasing our understanding of not only the human body, disease, and health-related issues, but … Read more

The Evolving Partnership between Museums and Universities in the Public Interest

This article was co-written by Emlyn Koster, Director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Adjunct Professor at North Carolina State University (NCSU), and Jason Cryan, Deputy Museum Director for Research and Collections at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Adjunct Professor at NCSU. Museums of natural history, the natural sciences, … Read more

University-Science Center Partnering in Ohio

The Ohio State University (OSU), one of the country’s largest public research universities, and COSI, one of the nation’s largest and most innovative science centers, have formed a deep partnership. Since the 2006 conceptualization and first agreement, COSI & OSU have created a “center of science” at COSI where research, science, and university outreach are … Read more

Next Generation Museum-University Partnerships

This article was co-written by Emlyn Koster, Director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Adjunct Professor at North Carolina State University (NCSU), and Jason Cryan, Deputy Museum Director for Research and Collections at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Adjunct Professor at NCSU. Collections-based museums of nature and science [1], … Read more

Quantum Coherence: Partnering Beyond Nano

This article was written by Carol Lynn Alpert, Director, Strategic Projects, Museum of Science, Boston, and co-director of the NSF Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (NSF-DMR 1231319) headquartered at Harvard University. As one of the founders of the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network, I’ve spent the past ten years encouraging science museum folks to partner with nearby … Read more

SENCER-ISE: Student Engagement in Informal Science Education Through Higher Education Partnerships

This article was co-written by Ellen Mappen, Senior Scholar & Project Director, Informal Science Education Partnership Programs at the National Center for Science & Civic Engagement, Washington, DC, and Hailey Chenevert, Project Coordinator at the National Center for Science & Civic Engagement. SENCER-ISE (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities – Informal Science Education) … Read more

Sciencenter and Cornell University Research on Early Childhood Cognition

This article was co-written by Sciencenter staff Michelle Kortenaar, Director of Education, and Alli Sribarra, Grant Administrator. Three years ago, the Sciencenter, a hands-on science museum in Ithaca, New York, was approached by researchers from Cornell University’s Early Childhood Cognition Lab (ECC Lab) who were in search of a real-world setting in which to study … Read more