Night (And Day) At The Museum

Dinosaur bones, rocks, perhaps a rocket and more than a few microscopes. All ingredients of science museums but they could be so much more, says Alison Kadlec, in an article on "Science Museums as Sources of Civic Innovation."

Kadlec, director of our Center for Advances in Public Engagement (CAPE), points out that museums and science centers are well-positioned to frame important problems for productive public deliberation. They may also be uniquely equipped to help cultivate creative connections between policymakers, scientists and the general public.

In an age when an increasing number of pressing public problems are marbled with scientific or technical complexity, writes Kadlec, the need to bridge the gaps between science and public life is more urgent than ever.

Museums, she argues, hold public trust as nonpartisan cultural centers and as such are well-positioned to impact civic issues without becoming politicized, and promote public problem-solving on policy issues including 21st century workforce development and climate change.

Here at Public Agenda we've already seen this principle in action through our experiences as a production partner in Planet Forward, the web site and TV show which engages the public on energy issues. One of our earliest contributors to this effort was the Rochester Museum and Science Center: click here to check out their video on switching to solar energy.

For more on this issue, check out the full article, published in Museums & Social Issues.