Science Center Trends

90% of Visitors Think Staff Does Not Care

parkviewer — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:12:04 +0000

A recent study published by Museum Audience Insight looks at why almost 90% of visitors feel that staff does not really care about visitors. One visitor went as far to comment:

“I would get rid of the majority of the staff and replace them with energetic, well-informed individuals with an open creative mind and the ability to focus on the needs of the customer (the general public) and its changing face.” In other words, this visitor’s main museum fantasy is a caring staff.

Maybe even more surprising is the expectation among core visitors that expect to feel this way. There is a great deal Science Centers can learn from the retail industry.

when asked, “Is there anything where this organization falls short in meeting your needs (and your family’s)?” only 2% of respondents indicated that they “wished the staff cared more.” Two percent! What this tells us is that our Core Visitors don’t walk in the door expecting that museum staff members should care about them.

Most organizations will acknowledge there is room to improve but clearly Science Centers and other cultural institutions have a alarming problem – an organization that does not value its base of support will soon find it has no base of support.

Is there a solution?

A few Science Centers are starting to look to the customer-centric retail market for solutions. Customerville, a real-time customer feedback and engagement service has recently signed on several cultural institutions including a nationally recognized science center as a customer.

Customerville measures customer satisfaction in real time at the unit level, which means you can spot changes in service levels before they impact sales numbers (or in this case survey results). Our solutions, tailored to the needs of mid-sized operators, provide the information in the right way to the right people, resulting in dramatically improved service levels and greater sales through customer loyalty.

In addition to Customerville there are many feedback and communication tools that can help Science Centers reverse this trend.

Read the entire article

SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER UNVEILS “NANODAYS 2008”

parkviewer — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:16:05 +0000

What’s larger than an atom but smaller than bacteria?…The world of nanotechnology, and it’s part of our everyday life…from flooring materials to your last visit to your dentist, nanotechnology is entering many areas of our life. Today’s stain resistant clothing, sunscreen lotions, computers, bicycles, and even our daily vitamins are affected by nanotechnology.

The Saint Louis Science Center is one of more than 100 science centers around the country celebrating this phenomenon in a small way this week with NanoDays.

Friday, April 4

12pm – The Infinitesimal Fellow, the Miniscule Man, the Undersized Guy, the Minute Male, the Diminutive Dude, CLEANROOM JOE.

Saturday, April 5

12pm – Nanotechnology in Everyday Life

Both Days

10am – 3pm – Nano Film Festival, including films by the Science Museum of Minnesota and University of California, San Diego. Every hour on the hour.

10:30am and 2:30pm – A brand new “Amazing Science Demonstration,” created by the Saint Louis Science Center.

9am- 3pm – Hands-on nano educational activities

9am- 3pm – Stimulating presentations and discussions about nano research in the area from:

o Washington University

o University of Missouri, Columbia

o University of Missouri, St. Louis

o University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

NanoDays kicks off several months of important nanotechnology events at the Saint Louis Science Center, continuing in May with two NanoFuture Forums, where civic leaders, scientists and the public will discuss the impact of nanotechnology on the environment.

NanoDays is part of the National Science Foundation-funded initiative NISE Net, the Nanotechnology Informal Science Education Network.

WHEN: April 4-5, 2008. 9AM – 3PM

About the Saint Louis Science Center

The Saint Louis Science Center is one of the top five science centers in the United States, serving 1.2 million visitors annually. Recently named one of America’s most visited museums by Forbes Traveler, the Saint Louis Science Center includes a four-story OMNIMAX Theater, the air-supported EXPLORADOME, the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, and the state-of-the-art Taylor Community Science Resource Center. The goals of the Saint Louis Science Center are to educate, inspire and motivate visitors of all ages and engage the community in public dialogue about science-related issues of the day. For more information about the Saint Louis Science Center and its programs, visit slsc.org

For additional information contact Beth Bishop, Saint Louis Science Center, (314) 289-1455

Video Games to Teach Science

parkviewer — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:06:05 +0000

Although the concept is not new, the Orlando Science Center is having some success using video games to communicate concepts related to math and science.

In a flurry of recent news reports from Orlando the Science Center has been driving record attendance numbers around its third annual video gamed them event, Otronicon.

(Read article about the event.)

Article on video games to teach.

America’s Most Visited Museums: Saint Louis Science Center

parkviewer — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:00:25 +0000

Science Center is only Missouri Museum Included in Top 25 List from Forbest Traveler

ST. LOUIS – Forbes Traveler has named the Saint Louis Science Center as one of America’s 25 Most Visited Museums. The Science Center is the only Missouri museum to make to list, which is based on 2006 visitor counts, with the Science Center’s totaling more than 1.2 million.Joining the Saint Louis Science Center on the list are many of the Smithsonian Institute’s 19 museums; the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.; the Metropolitan Museum in New York City; the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles; and the Field Museum in Chicago. The American Association of Museums estimates that there are approximately 600 million visits to U.S. museums annually.

Science Center President Doug King notes, “We’re honored to be included on such a prestigious listing as the Forbes Traveler Top 25. Not only are we among the top five Science Centers in the country, now we rank among the top overall museums.?

Founded by the Academy of Science of St. Louis (the first scientific organization west of the Mississippi River), the Saint Louis Science Center has continued to grow and evolve over the years, adding or incorporating the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, the four-story OMNIMAX® Theater, the state-of-the-art Taylor Community Science Resource Center and the air-supported Montgomery Bank EXPLORADOME® along the way. Community educational programming and learning opportunities are available for all ages, ranging from in-school programs to the unique Science Café series.

Upcoming special exhibitions include GENOME: The Secret of How Life Works opening September 29; and Gunther von Hagens? BODY WORLDS 3: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies opening October 19, 2007.

For more information about the Saint Louis Science Center and its upcoming exhibitions, OMNIMAX® films, community education outreach and partnership programs, the public may call (800) 456-SLSC or visit slsc.org.
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Saint Louis Science Center
The Saint Louis Science Center is one of the top five science centers in the United States, serving 1.2 million visitors annually. Recently named one of America?s most visited museums by Forbes Traveler Magazine, the Saint Louis Science Center complex includes a four-story OMNIMAX® Theater, the air-supported Montgomery Bank EXPLORADOME®, the
James S. McDonnell Planetarium and the state-of-the-art Taylor Community Science Resource Center. The goals of the
Saint Louis Science Center are to educate, inspire and motivate visitors of all ages and engage the community in public dialogue about science-related issues of the day. For more information about the Saint Louis Science Center and its programs, visit http://slsc.org

Body Worlds at Saint Louis Science Center on Record Pace

parkviewer — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:11:00 +0000

BODY WORLDS 3 on Record-Setting Pace; Tops 100,000 Tickets Sold

Travelers at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport get a Sneak Preview of BODY WORLDS 3
Incredible “Six Meter Woman” plastinate installed in airport main terminal ticketing hall

The blockbuster exhibition BODY WORLDS 3 is on a record-setting pace at the Saint Louis Science Center, more than doubling the previous tickets sold in the first month of any prior presentation.

More than 100,000 tickets to BODY WORLDS 3 were sold as of Monday, November 19. It opened exactly one month ago. By comparison, ticket sales of Titanic in 2001?the previous record-holder?totaled 45,000 in the first month of public display. The popular Grossology exhibition opened in 2000 and sold 42,000 tickets in its first month.

“BODY WORLDS 3 has proven to be everything we thought it would be in Saint Louis and more.” said Doug King, President & CEO of the Science Center. “Our patrons are fascinated, amazed, and enthralled by this thought-provoking exhibition.”

The reach of BODY WORLDS 3 is expanding as air travelers making their way through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport over the busy travel weekend will get a special sneak preview of the highly-acclaimed exhibition. BODY WORLDS 3 has installed an incredible Six Meter Woman specimen in Lambert?s Main Terminal Ticketing Hall. The specimen will remain in the airport through the run of the exhibition, which ends on March 2, 2008.

The Six Meter Woman is a transparent, plastinated body comprised of 83 slices representing all of the body?s regions. Placement of the body slices at 12 cm intervals permits viewers to look more deeply into the body.

Created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, BODY WORLDS 3 is the culmination of the German scientist and physician?s 30-year career in anatomy. Like its predecessors, BODY WORLDS 3 presents more than 200 authentic specimens, including organs and whole body specimens, that have undergone Plastination?von Hagens? groundbreaking method of halting decomposition and preserving the body after death for medical study, which he invented in 1977.

Tickets to BODY WORLDS 3 are available and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com or by calling 314-421-4400. Advance purchase is recommended and group rates are available. For full ticket information, including a listing of extended hours, visit slsc.org.

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About BODY WORLDS 3
BODY WORLDS 3 is a collaboration between donor, anatomist, and visitor. It is the only public anatomical exhibition that relies on the generosity of body donors?individuals who willed that upon their death, their bodies could be used for the education of many. Excluding a small number of specimens from museum anatomical collections and anatomy programs, the plastinates on display stem from a body donation program begun in 1982 by Dr. von Hagens, now managed by the Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg. The exhibitions have now been seen by more than 20 million people around the world. For more information visit www.bodyworlds.com.

About the Saint Louis Science Center
The Saint Louis Science Center is one of the top five science centers in the United States, serving 1.2 million visitors annually. Recently named one of America?s most visited museums by Forbes Traveler, the Saint Louis Science Center complex includes a four-story OMNIMAX® Theater, the air-supported Montgomery Bank EXPLORADOME®, the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, and the state-of-the-art Taylor Community Science Resource Center. The goals of the Saint Louis Science Center are to educate, inspire and motivate visitors of all ages and engage the community in public dialogue about science-related issues of the day. For more information about the Saint Louis Science Center and its programs, visit slsc.org

About Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
Lambert is the 33rd busiest airport in the U.S. as ranked by Airports Council International-North America. Lambert serves more than 15 million passengers a year with 360 daily departures to 77 national and international destinations. For more information on flights and services at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, log onto www.lambert-stl.com.