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The Association of Science and Technology Centers has announced the winners of this year’s Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards, with each recognised for their dedication to increasing the understanding of and engagement with science and technology among all people
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 13 Oct 2023
Kenneth Monjero has been honoured for his leadership in championing science engagement in Africa Credit: ASTC
The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) has named seven of its member organisations and two individuals as winners of this year’s Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards.
Presented to members and/or staff and volunteers in recognition of extraordinary accomplishments in STEM operations, the awards are split into five categories - Business Practice, Community Service, Organisational Resilience, Visitor Experience and Individual Leadership.
The awards for Business Practice went to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and National Children’s Museum respectively, with each recognised for its outstanding accomplishments in the areas of administration and financial sustainability.
For The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, a long-standing partnership with local nonprofit Hosanna House was recognised, after the two organisations developed an innovative business model that sees all parties benefit from revenue generated by a travelling version of the Aim High exhibit. The agreement sees 30% of rental income from the exhibit paid as a royalty to Hosanna House, which will guarantee it an additional US$120,000 in support over the next three years.
The National Children’s Museum in Washington, DC, uses its location in the US capitol to develop a roundtable series that engages thought leaders from across sectors, industries, and areas of expertise, while exposing them to the museum’s work. This engagement has already yielded tens of thousands of dollars in new funding with more than US$2m in discussion.
The Awards for Community Service recognise a focus on service to the community beyond the STEM engagement mission central to the organisation, with the Children’s Discovery Museum in Illinois and the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Ohio picking up the awards.
For the Children’s Discovery Museum, the institution teamed with a local Head Start and Early Learning Center to establish the Growing STEAM Potential through the Power of Play program, which provides low-income and at-risk children with equitable access to STEM resources and playful learning experiences.
COSI, which is based in Columbus, stepped in to provide educational resources to underserved youth in urban and rural areas who were especially hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and often unable to connect to virtual learning. This included a partnership with meal providers to pair food boxes with Learning Lunchboxes and at-home STEM learning kits.
The Awards for Resilience category identifies organisations that have overcome a significant challenge with a focus on how the institution approached hardship to achieve new life, mission, and potential, with this year’s winners named as Ontario Science Centre and Palouse Discovery Science Center.
The Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada, was forced to completely re-envision its visitor experience and establish a new public entrance at the bottom of the property after a pedestrian bridge linking the entry pavilion with the rest of the museum was found to be at risk of potential structural failure. This saw the back-of-house space converted into a new public entryway,
For Palouse Discovery Science Center, which is located in Pullman, Washington, in 2019, the facility had just undergone a complete overhaul before the pandemic put the brakes on. The museum additionally discovered that its roof was in dire need of replacement. Faced with a bill totalling half its annual budget, the museum turned to the community, who responded by exceeding its fundraising goal.
The Visitor Experience Award went to Carnegie Science Center, with the award going to those who show outstanding accomplishments in the area of visitor experience .
Carnegie Science Center, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is recognised this year for its groundbreaking exhibition, Mars: The Next Giant Leap, as well as the community-focused, inclusive process by which it was developed.
Finally, the Awards for Individual Leadership went to Aimee Davis, senior director of learning at the Field Museum in Chicago, as well as Kenneth Monjero, president of the Fun and Education Global Network and director of Science Centre Kenya.
For Davis, after less than four years in the role, she has already been credited with having reinvigorated her department, bringing new thinking and energy. She has more than doubled the number of staff at the Learning Center, allowing it to dramatically expand its programs and partnerships, and has established a new division to cultivate relationships with community organisations across Chicago.
Monjero’s Science Centre Kenya now has eight paid members of staff and a growing number of volunteers, while the Fun and Education Global Network reaches throughout Kenya and in a dozen other countries, educating and inspiring in STEM. Monjero is honoured for his leadership in championing science engagement in Africa and for his perseverance in making Science Centre Kenya a reality.
“We continue to be inspired by the work of our community to serve their missions and to lead with their communities to increase understanding of and engagement with science and technology among all people,” said Christofer Nelson, president and CEO of ASTC.
“The work of the honorees is emblematic of the achievements of our members across North America and around the world.”
The Association of Science and Technology Centers is made up of more than 600 members dedicated to increasing the understanding of and engagement with science and technology among all people. The awards are named after Roy L. Shafer, a former ASTC board chair who served as president and CEO of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI). Following his death in 2005 the awards were named as a way to pay tribute to his progressive thinking, dynamic leadership, and devotion to his field.
STEM
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