The Annual Canadian Association of Science Centres conference is less than a week away! We look forward to connecting with our national network virtually from June 1-3, 2021.  View Full Newsletter.

CASC is a platform to share information and build capacity for its members and sector.

We are excited to partner with the Discovery Centre, Science North and The Exploration Place to deliver "Inspiring Youth to Climate Action"! This new program funded by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Canada.

View Full Newsletter.

Dear Friend of the London Children's Museum,

It is with heavy hearts that the London Children's Museum shares the loss of our best friend and founder, Carol Johnston, at 89 years young.

The London Children’s Museum was established in 1975, as Carol was transitioning from being a mother of five to studying at Western University’s London Teacher’s College. Inspired by a family visit to the Boston Children’s Museum, Carol had a vision of creating hands-on learning experiences for children in London. With the help of friends and family, especially her husband Bud Johnston who would become Dean of Western Business School (now, Ivey School of Business), she brought her vision to life.

“The London Children’s Museum began as a trunk in our basement,” recalled her daughter, Nancy Carson. “With the help of city staff members and forward-thinking educators, Mom tested museum ideas in local parks, garages and classrooms.” For the first year, it was, in effect, a pop-up children’s museum.

Through the generosity of the Ivey and Lawson Foundations and with tremendous support from the London community, Carol realized her vision with the purchase of the Riverview Public School building in 1980. This building, located at 21 Wharncliffe Road South, would serve as the London Children’s Museum’s home for the next forty years. “She inspired so many people to get involved. Mom has credited Shelly Siskind and Ann Gordon as her greatest champions and counsel, especially in those early years,” said Nancy. Carol’s dedication to her community was recognized when she was inducted as Member of the Order of Canada in 1985.

A natural communicator and teacher, Carol often quoted the Confucian saying: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” As Nancy put it, “When my mother was growing up, museums were all about looking and reading, not touching. In her original way, Mom wanted to create a space where children could come to learn about their community and the world, and give free rein to their curiosity and excitement.”

Carol’s belief in the power of play-based learning has been enthusiastically validated by the 2.5 million children and families who have played at the London Children’s Museum.

Over the decades, Carol’s passion for education did not wane. An active Board Member, Carol continued to make meaningful contributions and shape the vision for the new London Children’s Museum under construction at 100 Kellogg Lane.

"The passing of our founder is like losing a best friend,” says Amanda Conlon, our Executive Director. “The museum was Carol’s vision, and she has been its most dedicated supporter since we opened our doors almost 50 years ago. She will be missed beyond measure.”

Above all, Carol never lost her ability to see the world through the eyes of a curious child. The London Children’s Museum mourns the passing of a visionary leader and celebrates her decades-long dedication to the spirit of learning and discovery.

Carol's Last Story

Read Carol’s message to our community and the world, in her own words.

"I am so grateful to my family and so many others for the wonderful adventures of my life. Now, was I lucky or what!"

London Children's Museum is currently working with a group of PhD students at Western University to support their research project on inclusion in informal learning environments. 

Here is more information about the study:

Hello,

My name is Nicole Neil and I am an assistant professor at the University of Western Ontario. I have received your email address from your organization’s website. You are being invited to participate in a study assessing the barriers and facilitators to participation for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities within informal learning organizations. This information will be collected by researchers via an online survey as well as individual interviews which will take place over video conferencing or telephone.

To participate, you must be an English-speaking staff member (directors, curators, administrators, or other staff) of your organization. During the study, staff members will be provided a link to the online survey to complete assessing the barriers and facilitators to participation for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants will be given the opportunity to provide their email address if they are interested in participating in an individual follow-up interview. The online survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and the interview will take approximately 30-60 minutes and will occur through OWL Collaborate.

If you would like to participate in this study please click on the link below to access the letter of information and survey link:

https://uwo.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6nDvtC0tKLwAYkJ

If you would like more information about this study, please contact my graduate student, Julia Ranieri, at jranieri@uwo.ca.

Thank you,

Nicole Neil, PhD, BCBA-D, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education
 nneil@uwo.ca
519-661-2111 ext. 84761

Julia Ranier, Graduate Research Assistant
jranieri@uwo.ca

Join us, June 1-3, 2021, for our first-ever VIRTUAL CONFERENCE!

We want you! With your experience and expertise, we can jointly develop an innovative virtual conference experience.

We are now looking for people to share their case studies, ideas, and innovations with colleagues from coast to coast to coast. No travel will be required to speak at CASC 2021: Future Imperfect virtual conference and all speakers receive free entry to the conference. Below are the details to help you prepare your learning session proposal. 

What our program committee is looking for: 

• Fast-paced formats of thirty-minute learning sessions.
• Talks with a maximum of two (2) speakers with a diverse range of perspectives.
• Pre-recorded talks that are engaging and inclusive.
• Practical talks with actionable advice and ideas.
• Content that provides opportunities for questions and discussion.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

The deadline for proposals is April 15, 2021, at 11:59 PM PST.

As part of the weeklong 2021 Virtual Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF), STEM Expo enables visiting students and teachers (grades 5-11) to explore STEM exhibits.  It is free for all visitors and will take place May 19-21 from 12:00 noon to 3:00pm.

We are creating a virtual STEM immersion experience unlike any other and we invite museums and science centres to join us and help wow our 35,000 visitors across Canada! 

The details can be found in the STEM Expo Prospectus.

March 18, 2021

CASC is a platform to share information and build capacity for its members and sector.

We are excited to share several federal government grant opportunities uniquely suited to our sector! Over the past year CASC has advocated for new funding programs to support science centres and museums and we’re thrilled to see new opportunities emerging.

This week CASC also launched our Call for Session Proposals for our 2021 Virtual Conference - a great opportunity to share your experience and knowledge gained over the past year, as we look to the future.

View the full newsletter here.

The CSA is happy to announce the publication of their first Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to invest in the development, the delivery and the promotion of activities that engage Canadian youth in space-related initiatives.

The grants provided through this AO will support initiatives relating to STEM and the Moon that contribute to increased awareness, knowledge and/or experience of the space-related disciplines among Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) youth and educators. Priority will be given to projects focusing on robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), health, nutrition, lunar rovers missions.

• Eligible Recipients: Canadian elementary, secondary and post-secondary institutions, not-for- profit organizations established and operating in Canada
• Maximum amount per project: $50,000 for up to 24 months from the grant agreement signature
• Application deadline: April 30, 2021

After this initial posting, the AO will be reactivated twice a year with deadlines for submission on September 30 and January 30 of every year until 2024. 

This AO and more information on CSA’s grants and contributions can be found on its website.

Another Announcement of Opportunity should be published later this spring for the development of two new Moon-related STEM outreach projects. We encourage you to follow the CSA on social media to stay informed.

Don’t hesitate to contact magalie.renaud@canada.ca if you have further questions.

February 18, 2021

It’s official, the dates for the CASC 2021 virtual conference are set and soon we’ll be announcing the Call for Session Proposals.

We missed you last year, but we're planning on making it up with a 3 day single stream lineup of sessions around 4 sub-themes inspired by our overall conference theme: Future Imperfect.

SAVE THE DATE!

June 1 to 4, 2020 : A future imperfect is grounded in less perfection and more authenticity; where risk, experimentation, failure, and resiliency can be portals to discovery and innovation. In the past year, the science centre and science museum sector has faced disruption and has had the courage to evolve – to explore new ways of engaging our audiences, to acknowledge and work towards breaking down systemic barriers, and to play a vital role in supporting people across Canada during a global pandemic. A future imperfect embraces change and makes room for growth.

The CASC 2021 Future Imperfect virtual conference will explore the following sub-themes:

• Trust in the misinformation age
• Mind the digital gap
• Navigating and supporting organizational change
• Citizen science and innovation

View the full newsletter here.

Calling upon everyone,

The Museum of Ingenuity J. Armand Bombardier in Valcourt, Quebec, is currently working to organize the Jeunes inventeurs (young inventors) travelling temporary exhibition that will be introduced in the spring of 2022, marking the 100th anniversary of Joseph-Armand Bombardier’s “first invention.”

On New Year’s Eve 1922, at the age of 15, he tested his first real invention, a vehicle capable of travelling on snow. 100 years later, the Museum wishes to celebrate this spark of ingenuity and highlight the creativity driving numerous young Canadians who have left their own mark on history, as well as that of those paving the way for the future. The topic addresses the creative power of teenagers and the inventions brought forth by young Canadians since 1922.

We have compiled a list based on our research, and to help us fill the gaps over this 100 years of history, we are seeking input from you and your contact network to suggest noteworthy young Canadian inventors (aged 13 to 24) to expand this list.

We are actively looking for content and invite you to collaborate and help us learn about their journey.

Feel free to share your research with us and send your suggestions by March 26, 2021, at the latest. 

For more information, please contact:

Andrée Richer
Chargée de projet recherche et rédaction / Project manager, research and writing
MUSÉE  DE L’INGÉNIOSITÉ J. ARMAND BOMBARDIER
1001, avenue J.-A.-Bombardier, Valcourt (Québec)  J0E 2L0
1 866 774-7808 ext. 59 
Fax: 450 532-2260
a.richer@fjab.qc.ca
www.museebombardier.com