Annual Conference and Webinar series : CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS

Canadian Association of Science Centres 

Annual Conference and Webinar series 

CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS 

Deadline December 1, 2010

Annual Conference hosted by Science North in Sudbury, Ontario, June 9-11, 2011

NEW! Webinar series hosted online by CASC, Spring-Summer 2011

CHANGE !
Change is a constant in the science centre field. Science and technology are constantly changing, our audience demographic is changing, and our workforce is changing. Science centres strive to change their products and experiences on a regular basis by staging new exhibits and programs. How are we meeting these challenges of change across all facets of our organizations? We invite you to join us at the 2011 Canadian Association of Science Centres’ Conference or in an online webinar to inspire and share your change ideas and events with colleagues from across the country. 
The 9th Annual Conference will be hosted by the Science North in Sudbury with anticipated attendance of more than 120 delegates. This 3-day conference will include a pre-conference activity, more than 20 learning sessions, a keynote speaker, and events including a welcome reception, a tradeshow (Friday June 10) and our national awards gala (Saturday June 11). New this year, the CASC will offer a complementary series of webinars to enable travel-free professional development. All you need is a high-speed internet connection and a headset to benefit from these interactive, small-group learning sessions. 
All events are geared towards facilitating practical innovations in the development, delivery, and support of science engagement activities. Individuals from all areas of informal learning are welcome to participate.

Conference Subthemes   
Changing Science: Science centres share a common mission to engage visitors with current science and be resources for current topics in science. How do we involve and engage our visitors with current science? How do we keep our science exhibits and programs responsive to current science? Tell us about the mechanisms you have in place for changing exhibits and programs in your centre. How is technology helping you to keep science current in your centre? The program committee is interested in sessions that express innovative ways to keep science current in the midst of exhibit and program change.

Changing Audiences: The traditional science centre audience is changing. As the population ages and family sizes decrease, science centres can no longer be solely reliant on the family audience for attendance. Older adults and teens are becoming important and new audiences for our organizations. How are you reaching out to new audiences? Have you developed new content specifically to attract a new demographic? The program committee is interested in sessions that address both content development and marketing strategies that reach out to a changing audience.

Changing Organizational Development: Science centres are building staff teams that can develop, deliver, promote and fund the communication of current and responsive science. What are the trends in organizational development in our industry? How are we recruiting, training, inspiring, and retaining our work force to achieve these new and changing goals? The program committee is interested in sessions that address leadership, organizational models, team development and maintaining morale.

Change Management: From dealing with internal changes like departmental re-organization, new office layouts or staff turnover, to coping with changes in the greater social context, such as shifting visitor expectations, the process of change is challenging and potentially fraught with pitfalls. What are best practices in change management? How can we learn from others' mistakes and successes? Which models of communication can help ease the process? The program committee is interested in sessions that address communications strategies, organizational change models, analytical case studies of change and best practices. 

To send your session, visit:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CASC2011 

or 

http://www.canadiansciencecentres.ca/?n=29-139