Full Schedule

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM MST

Registration

Location: North 300 Level Lobby

9:30 AM - 4:30 PM MST

Exhibit Hall

Location: North Hall C-E

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM MST

Forward in Motion: Mindful Yoga in STEM Education

Location: North Hall C-E

– Charles W. Brown Planetarium, Ball State University

Education and Events

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

Assessing Planetary Health Action: Insights from Programs That Incorporate iNaturalist

Location: North 227 AB

– Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

– J. Sickler Consulting

Education and EventsPlanetary Health

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

Designing for Awe: Why Big Feelings Are the Missing Link in Science Learning

Location: North 225 AB

– Luci

– California Science Center

– Space Center Houston

– Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

– Museum of Science, Boston

Facility and Exhibit Design

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

Empowering Industry Through STEM: The Evolving Role of Science Centres

Location: North 232 AB

– TELUS Spark Science Centre

– Science North

– Calgary Construction Association

– TELUS Spark Science Centre

Community and Partnerships

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

Engaging Students and Teachers with Artificial Intelligence Technologies from the National Laboratories

Location: North 222 AB

– Brookhaven National Laboratory

– Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

– Argonne National Laboratory

Education and EventsData and Insights

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

Finding the Beauty in Math Together: Museums and Community Partnerships

Location: North 226 AB

– The Franklin Institute

– Arizona Science Center

– Maine Discovery Museum

Community and Partnerships

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

It's Elementary! How to Build Relationships, Design Programs, and Evaluate Impactful Field Trips

Location: North 231 AB

– Adventure Science Center

– Discovery Center at Murfree Spring

Education and Events

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

Leading Forward: Identifying and Activating Your Superpowers to Lead Through Uncertain Times

Location: North 228 AB

– The Lawrence Hall of Science

– American Museum of Natural History

– Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania

– The Lawrence Hall of Science

Leadership and Management

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

Lightning Session: Take It Outside: Outdoor Exhibits and Activities

Location: North 224 A

– GROWINGGREAT

– Exploration Place

– Wildlife Conservation Society

– Busan National Science Museum

Education and EventsPlanetary Health

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

MuseumLab for Museum Professionals: Unleashing Creativity and Innovation

Location: North 221 AB

– Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

– Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

– Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM MST

Strategery: How to Know What You’re Doing When You Don’t Know What You’re Doing

Location: North 229 AB

– Michigan Science Center

– Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

– Natural History Museum of Utah

– Northern Virginia Science Center

– Science North

Leadership and Management

11:15 AM - 12:00 PM MST

Let's Get Nerdy - Adult Programs CoP Meetup

Location: Exhibit Hall - Connector

– Fleet Science Center

11:15 AM - 1:15 PM MST

Lunch

Location: Exhibit Hall

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM MST

MuseumLab for Museum Professionals Showcase

Location: Exhibit Hall

– Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

– Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM MST

Natural History Network Meet-up

Location: North 226 C

Natural History Network

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MST

Sales Is an Inside Job: Connecting Mission Delivery to Revenue

Location: North 222 AB

– Imagine Exhibitions

– COSI

– Little Ray's Exhibitions

– TELUS World of Science Edmonton

– Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre

Organizational Culture and Workforce

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST

AI for Place-Based Storytelling

Location: North 226 C

– Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve

– Agents of Discovery

Trends and Innovation

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST

Beyond the Crate: The Future of Traveling Exhibitions

Location: North 226 AB

– American Swedish Institute

– Minotaur Mazes

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST

Evaluating Complex Outcomes: Playful Strategies for Creating, Capturing, and Communicating Impact

Location: North 224 A

– University of Wisconsin-Madison

– Boston Children’s Museum

– Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

Trends and InnovationData and Insights

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST

How Can We Help? Embracing an Ethos of Emergent Response During Natural Disasters

Location: North 225 AB

– Asheville Museum of Science

– Children's Museum of Houston

– Asheville Museum of Science

Organizational Culture and Workforce

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST

IF/THEN® Champions Network: Increasing Representation of Women in STEM Together

Location: North 222 AB

– Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

– National Girls Collaborative Project

Audience and Inclusion

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST

Lightning Session: Community Engagement

Location: North 231 AB

– The Museum of Flight

– Detroit Zoological Society

– UCAR Center for Science Education

– The Lawrence Hall of Science

Community and PartnershipsNatural History Network

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST

Portal to the Public Lives! Exploring over a Decade of Science Communication

Location: North 227 AB

– Natural History Museum of Utah

– Fleet Science Center

– Explora

Education and Events

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST

The Future of Natural History: Reframing and Expanding Exhibits to Think Toward the Future

Location: North 221 AB

– Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

– American Museum of Natural History

– Bell Museum, University of Minnesota

Facility and Exhibit DesignNatural History Network

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM MST

Using a Framework of Collective Impact to Move the Needle on KPIs

Location: North 229 AB

– Museum of Science, Boston

– Ontario Science Centre

– Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

– Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre

Leadership and ManagementData and Insights

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM MST

Sustaining BIPOC Professional Network: Connect and Recharge Meet-Up

Location: Exhibit Hall - Gathering

– Discovery World

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Planetary Health Showcase

Location: North Hall C-E

– Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

Planetary Health

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Poster Palooza

Location: North Hall C-E

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

A Career Ladder for Museum Educators

– American Museum of Natural History

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

A Connected STEM Pathway: From Curiosity to Career

– Fleet Science Center

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

The D.N.A Traveling Exhibit: A Research Case Study on Improving the Exhibit Development Process Through Field Testing

– Busan National Science Museum

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Authoring the Museum: Exhibit Design as an Entrypoint to Institutional Purpose and Positionality

– University of Wisconsin-Madison

Facility and Exhibit Design

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Balancing Formality and Fun: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Lesson Plan Design for Science-Based Summer Camps

– University of Pittsburgh

– Kamin Science Center

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Bridging the Divide: 30 Years of Blending Culture and Science at Lowell Observatory

– Lowell Observatory

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Building Bridges Across Intensive Teen STEM Programs: A National Needs Assessment to Support Cross-Museum Collaboration

– The Lawrence Hall of Science

– COSI

– American Museum of Natural History

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Building Engineers Who Will Build a More Accessible World: Research Results from a Makerspace Engineering Program

– J. Sickler Consulting

– University of Colorado, Boulder

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Building Sustainable Community Networks Through Collaborative Efforts

– Fleet Science Center

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Collaborating with Libraries to Support Checkout Telescopes for the Public

– spectrUM Discovery Area

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Create Your Own Earth and Space Interactive Exhibits Using NASA Content

– Arizona State University

– Space Telescope Science Institute

– Arizona State University

Facility and Exhibit Design

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Do You See What I See? A Scoping Review of Video-Based Museum Research

– University of Minnesota

– The Bakken Museum

– University of Minnesota

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Educational Applications of Mobile Science Exhibits (Sci-POP): Case Studies from Local and International Contexts

– Gwacheon National Science Museum

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Energy Transfer: Arts-Based Explorations of Scavengers and Decay Through Ensemble Learning

– Washington State University

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Engaging Science: A Museum and University Partnership

– Cincinnati Museum Center

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Bilingual Outdoor Science: Experiential Learning in Australian Educational Tourism and Future Support Systems for Student Literacy

– National Science and Technology Museum

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

From DJ Play to Understanding Quantum Computers: Designing an Innovative Exhibition

– National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), JST

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

From Learners to Trainers: A Scalable Best Practice Model for Robotics & AI Education

– Petrosains, The Discovery Centre

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

From Subteam to Shared Responsibility: A Small Science Center’s Path Forward for Visitor Accessibility

– UCAR Center for Science Education

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Interpreting the Cosmos: Building Data Literacy Through Astronomy Activities

– NASA's Universe of Learning Program (Space Telescope Science Institute)

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Internal and External: What a Combined Data Collection Approach for Museum Education Really Says

– Museum of the Rockies

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Journey Mapping to Drive Awesome Experiences and Growth at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI)

– New York Hall of Science

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

K–12 Education and AI: What It Is, How We Train It, and Why Critical Thinking Drives Digital Literacy

– Cranbrook Institute of Science

Education and Events

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Labels as Levels: Developing and Testing Mobile Games Tied to Explicit Exhibit Elements

– foundry10

Education and Events

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Learning Theory in Museums: Theorizing the Role of Serendipity in Public Engagement and Learning

– American Museum of Natural History

– American Meteorological Society

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Lessons for the Next Generation: How Scientists Use AI to Advance Research

– Brookhaven National Laboratory

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Making Space to Be Weird: Shifting Internal Cultures to Support Staff Agency and Empowerment

– New York Hall of Science

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Measuring Success: A Modular Approach to Systematic Program Evaluation

– Kamin Science Center

Trends and Innovation

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Mission Materials Science: Turning Research into Hands-On Outreach

– Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania

– The Franklin Institute

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Moving Forward Through Discomfort: Fear-Facing as Multispecies Sensemaking to Mediate Ecological Learning

– Washington State University

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Moving Forward Together: Partnering with Alaskan Communities on a Traveling Exhibit About Severe Weather

– UCAR Center for Science Education

– National Center for Atmospheric Research/UCAR

– UCAR Center for Science Education University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Museum-Researcher Collaboration: Developing and Evaluating a Pop-Up Exhibit to Educate the Public About Sleep and Brain Health

– Mayborn Museum, Baylor University

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Public by Design: Reimagining K-12 Education in City-Run Museum's

– Arizona Museum of Natural History

Education and Events

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Sense-of-Place, Environmental Behaviors, and Natural History Museums

– Florida Museum of Natural History

– McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

STEAM UP Your Summer Camp

– The Living Arts & Science Center

Education and Events

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Traveling STEAM Crates

– Great Explorations Children's Museum

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Trust → Relevancy → Co-Creation: A Feedback Loop for Community Impact

– Fleet Science Center

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

What Counts: A Limited-Series Podcast That Changed How Math Teachers Built Relationships

– De LeCourt

Education and Events

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Opening the Museum Field: Connecting Visitors with Advanced Technologies

– Miraikan – The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation

Community and Partnerships

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Community Lead Research Team

– The Lawrence Hall of Science

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM MST

Finding the Unicorn: Partnerships Powering Revenue, Program Growth, and Mission Impact

– Fleet Science Center

– Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at UC San Diego

– Sciencenter

– The Lawrence Hall of Science

Community and Partnerships

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM MST

AI CoP Meetup

Location: Exhibit Hall - Networking

– Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM MST

Early Childhood Share-a-thon

Location: North Breakout Overlook A

– GROWINGGREAT

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Belonging by Design

Location: Exhibit Hall Alcove A

– Frontiers of Flight Museum

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Building Community, Not Just Contributions

Location: North 221 AB

– Arizona Science Center

– Schwartz/Reisman Science Education Centers and Foundation

– Great Lakes Science Center

– Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

Business Models, Operations, and Development

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

From Demo to Design: Chemistry Safety for Informal Educators

Location: North 227 AB

– American Chemical Society

– NSF Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry

– Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Education and EventsData and Insights

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Lightning Session: Workplace Culture and Staff Development

Location: North 228 AB

– Maine Discovery Museum

– Adventure Science Center

– Children's Science Center Lab

– American Museum of Natural History

– Sci-Tech Discovery Center

Organizational Culture and Workforce

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Making Science Scrollable: Strategic Social Media for Modern Museums

Location: North 232 AB

– COSI

Trends and InnovationData and Insights

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Play, Partner, Progress: Building Sustainable Community Partnerships

Location: North 225 AB

– Orlando Science Center

– Arizona Science Center

– Michigan Science Center

– DuPage Children's Museum

Community and Partnerships

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Rapids, Rocks and Revelations: Retrospective Journey Mapping as a Tool for Informal STEM Learning Contexts

Location: North 222 AB

– Garibay Group

– RMM Consulting

– Arizona State University

Organizational Culture and Workforce

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Reading the Room: What the Public Thinks About Science Right Now

Location: North 224 A

– Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

Trends and InnovationData and Insights

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Sustainability Goals into Action: Inspiration from Natural History and Science Museums

Location: North 231 AB

– CambridgeSeven

– Museum of Discovery & Science

– Natural History Museum of Utah

– Museum of Science, Boston

– The Wild Center

Facility and Exhibit DesignPlanetary HealthNatural History Network

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Test Early, Learn Always: Tools for Evaluating Exhibit Ideas to Move Them Forward

Location: North 226 AB

– Roto

– Museum of Science, Boston

– Kaleideum

Audience and InclusionData and Insights

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST

Today's Donors, Tomorrow's Tactics: What Worked in 2025 May Not Work in 2026

Location: North 229 AB

– Benefactor Group

Leadership and ManagementData and Insights

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM MST

A Night Out in Mesa

Location: Arizona Museum of Natural History

Natural History Network