A Conference with a difference
Perth 22 and 23 May, 2003

“Learning Outside of the Classroom: Are We Making a Difference?

The aim of the conference is to provide education, visitor service and marketing staff from educational excursion venues such as Museums, Art Galleries, Zoos, Parks and Gardens, National Parks and Scitech, with a forum to increase awareness and understanding of learning outside the classroom, to identify best practice, share knowledge and skills, to develop strategies to increase credibility with stakeholders, to widen audience and to work together on common, useful evaluation tools. People who should attend include:

• Education, Visitor Service and Marketing staff from educational excursion venues
• Education researchers
• Education Policy Makers
• Science Council and Education Working Group members
• University and TAFE educationalists
• Relevant State Government Agencies
• Department of Education, Catholic Education and AISWA Education staff
• Interested teachers and principals
• Interstate colleagues from science centres, museums, zoos and aquariums.

Outcomes for the Conference will focus on four main areas:
Learning: Improving understanding of learning in informal environments.
Research: Increasing strategies for the validation of informal learning.
Visitor Interaction: Increasing learning through effective interaction with visitors.
Broadening our Audiences: Increasing strategies for audience development

Venue: Scitech Discovery Centre, City West, West Perth
Numbers: Maximum of 120
Contact Name for Conference:

Angela Doyle
Director of Education
Scitech Discovery Centre
PO Box 1155
West Perth 6872

Phone: 08 9481 6295
Fax: 08 9321 1454
Email: angela@scitech.org.au

ASPAC CONFERENCE – a great success

The 4th ASPAC Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 2-5 March 2003. The Conference was hosted by PETROSAINS – The Discovery Centre.
The conference theme Science Centres: Learning Centres attracted over 100 delegates from its member institutions across the ASPAC region, and from further afield, including Finland, Qatar, UK and USA.

The results of the 2003 – 2005 Executive Council elections is as follows:
President: Mr Chee-kuen YIP
Director, Hong Kong Science Museum
Vice President: Dr Keiji HIGUCHI
Director, Nagoya City Science Museum, Japan
Secretary: Mr Brenton HONEYMAN
Executive Operations Manager, Questacon – The National Science & Technology Centre, Australia
Treasurer: Ms Tengku Nasariah IBRAHIM
GM/CEO, PETROSAINS – The Discovery Centre, Malaysia
Assistant Secretary: Mrs Gaye HAMILTON
Director, Scienceworks Museum, Australia
General Councillor: Mr Manop ISSAREE
National Science Museum, Thailand
General Councillor: Dr Yusheng WANG
Director General, China Science & Technology Museum
Members of the new Executive Council present at the 4th ASPAC Conference met to consider a number of co-opted positions. It is planned to announce these additional positions during April.

ASPAC Fellowships
Congratulations to the following science centre professionals who were awarded an ASPAC Fellowship in 2003:

Mr Hendra Suryanto
Head of Exhibition Division
Science & Technology Centre of Indonesia

Mr Narin Kijwisala
Educator
National Science Centre for Education, Thailand

Ms May Pagsinohin
Deputy Director
Philippine Foundation for Science & Technology

These Fellowship Awards provided financial support for each recipient to travel to Kuala Lumpur and participate in the 4th ASPAC Conference.

For further information, contact Geoff Snowdon, ASPAC Secretary, gsnowdon@tm.net.my

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