Science Exhibitions: Dissiminating Science to the Public

The following information was brought to our attention, and FundScience would like to invite our community to collaborate on this book exploring science exhibitions and mechanisms by which to effectively disseminate science to wide audiences.

CALL FOR PAPERS

THE SCIENCE EXHIBITION: CURATION, DESIGN, COMMUNICATION

We invite papers for a forthcoming book which will explore three related themes in relation to science exhibitions in museums:

* the processes involved in developing new science exhibitions in and for museums;
* the issues involved in transforming scientific ideas or events into exhibitions;
* the challenges faced by museums in communicating science to a wide audience.

We are particularly interested in new, innovative and successful initiatives in this field.

Much has been written about the difficulties of disseminating science to the public through a variety of new and traditional media. It is, indeed, a complex subject to tackle in the exhibition space, yet a challenging and multidimensional one.

How best to understand the process of working from scientific data to the ideas-based exhibition? What exactly is lost during the transformation of factual information into an exhibition environment? And more importantly, how can the exhibition work most effectively as a tool for narrating science, its past and present?

We welcome a range of submissions including, but not limited to, the following issues/themes:
* both theoretical perspectives and case studies relating to science exhibitions
* exhibition design for science: problems and opportunities
* successful design techniques and approaches in relation to science displays
* science communication in the museum: interpretation issues
* learning activities and science collections
* developing learning resources for science exhibitions
* object stories and science learning
* exhibitions interpreting the history of science

Deadline for abstracts and bio: 30 September 2009
Selection for inclusion: 30 October 2009

Please submit an abstract (up to 400 words) and a biographical note (up to 250 words) by email to both:

Dr Anastasia Filippoupoliti
Museologist and Historian of Science
Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
afilipp@gmail.com

Graeme Farnell
Publisher, MuseumsEtc Ltd, UK
graeme@museumsetc.com

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