It seems that most everyone enjoys celebrations (unless maybe it’s a birthday on the downhill side of life that reminds you of the sand emptying out of your personal hourglass—kind of where I’m getting to.)

While COSI has been around since 1964, it was November 6 ten years ago when the institution moved its operations to 333 West Broad.

I wasn’t here but I understand the opening garnered widespread international publicity. From architectural magazines in Japan to Vogue to Time magazine’s two-page spread, the new building was trumpeted far and wide. Throw in Kathy Sullivan, a record setting female astronaut as the COSI leader and a building designed by a world famous architect and you have created many special elements to that opening.

So we can’t possibly let this anniversary go by without a celebration!

I’ll be at my daughter’s wedding, a higher priority, but it’s still with regret that I won’t be here to see how the community will celebrate with COSI this Saturday. (Okay, Saturday is the 7th, but close enough

The number 10 will be themed in many ways—from the $10 admission for adults to the 10 times 100 cookies from Cheryl & Co. that will be handed out while they last.

I can’t be there—but I hope you’ll stop by for all the special activities, rates and prizes.

Here is some more info and some impressive and interesting facts about our facility.
Let me know how the day goes and send pictures!

I’ve been in education of one form or another for 37 years—having first stepped into a classroom on my own in 1972 as a precocious 20 year old. So I think I’ve built up a body of knowledge and experience by this time. As COSI’s president I’ve drawn upon that experience extensively and feel fairly comfortable with my knowledge base.

But I’ve been reminded at our international conference what great minds we have in this field—drawn from all over the world. I just sat next to Dennis Bartels, the Exploratorium’s director, on an ASTC panel at this annual conference. We were responding to a recent Carnegie Commission report on educational reform. With the other panelists (all colleagues and friends) we had all participated in the working sessions leading to the report.

I’ve known Dennis for years. We’re both Cleveland kids, we both have educational backgrounds and early on we were interested in each other’s doctoral research. And we both started our CEO careers close to the same time.

But when his turn came to comment and remark on the educational research and constructs that he thinks from, I was reminded what a deep and informed thinker Dennis is. I wish I could have given up my time for panel comments to give Dennis more time I benefitted so much to listening to his remarks.

And Dennis is just one of a number of my colleagues who brings a broad and diverse background, impressive intellect, and eloquence to play into our conversations. Whether it’s at a conference session or over a glass of wine (more so the latter I’m always blessed with informative and entertaining conversations at our conference. I think it is what makes the science museum field so satisfying on a personal basis beyond our own local work. It’s worth the flight delays and time away from the office to make the conference each year—now my 23rd in a row!

I am at the ASTC conference in Fort Worth, Texas right now.

Been having great conversations with colleagues on topics such as bringing more current science into our centers. Paul Tatter and I have talked for years about different approaches to science engagement. And
he’s really provided a great model at Explora in NM. In all these years though I’d never known of his musical background– until he and the Explora band performed at the conference banquet!!

Always amazed at the wide array of talents in the science center field. Except for me;-)

Right now I am at the Association of Science & Technology Centers annual conference in Texas.

Always great to think about the impact and potential science centers have as a resource to our communities. Spending all day with other board members from all over the world–so we get such a broad array of perspectives! Point came up again that worldwide science centers collectively have an annual attendance of roughly 300 million!!

Such a great foundation for us to play a larger role in addressing science based issues our communities. I know I’m already gathering some ideas and opportunities to help our efforts at COSI.

Thank goodness for modern electronics—here I am now 3 hours after plane supposed to depart with what looks like several more to go. We’re waiting for a big storm system between us and Ft. Worth to become passable so I can get to the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) international conference.

To some degree this is ok—13 hrs of meetings as a board and committee member between today and tomorrow that I’m not fully prepped for. Doesn’t matter what city I’ll be in—I’ll spend the next few days in windowless, stifling hotel meeting rooms. At least I’ll be with good colleagues and friends from all over the world. We will be discussing and planning the future of ASTC and our field and individual centers against important society needs.

COSI is being recognized more and more as a leader in the field again so I need to be “on my game” and ready—so here I sit with computer and electronic page after page of reports and background info—some of which I’ve had to generate and now updating sitting in this uncomfortable airport seat. Hopefully I can move to an uncomfortable plane seat sometime in the near future!

If I wonder how much we’ve failed in science and math education, the current flu season and the challenges of the H1N1 (swine) flu virus has made it clear once again. I’m astounded by the reports (and even what I personally hear) of the number of people who say they won’t get a flu shot for themselves or their children due to concerns about the vaccine.

Hundreds of millions of people get the flu each year and on average 36,000 die in the US each year from flu related causes as reported by the CDC. Yet people fall prey way too often to believing internet legends or talk show ranting about the dangers of the flu vaccine or linkages with other childhood problems.

I did some quick checking at sources I’d encourage others to use such as the Center for Disease Control’s website or www.flu.gov to check some of the facts using the best knowledge scientists and health professionals have gathered from around the world.

What we have in too short a supply is an understanding of the scientific process, basic math of probability, and the difference between correlation and cause and effect. We don’t have a population that is fully equipped to make smart and health choices about their lives—putting them and the rest of us at higher risk.
One report of a death after a vaccination (cause or correlation?) or talk show discussions about autism and vaccine preservatives (proven or conjecture?) seem to be enough for some people to outweigh extreme efforts at safety and the evidence of safety and decide vaccinations are bad. (And it’s not just the flu vaccination at issue).

Life has risks. We can’t stop them but we can play the odds, but only if people understand and act on the odds.

Linking a story of a possible bad reaction with the prediction it will happen to you or your child seems to in too many people’s minds to be a better given than the study of millions of doses of a virus and those remote dangers that can be scientifically associated. Plus people don’t seem to understand the difference between correlation (an observed linkage in change between two activities) and cause and effect (a proven cause of one result by the first one taking place).

I still remember this difference being highlighted in one of my early research classes. Did you know there is a strong correlation between ice cream sales and crime? They both increase significantly in the summer.
Does eating ice cream drive more people to commit crimes? Of course not! There are many factors around summer–longer daylight hours, warmer weather and people outside more just for example which contribute to the increase in both behaviors. That’s correlation—not cause and effect. Just observing that two actions (flu shot and some medical issue) occurred in close timing doesn’t prove that one caused the other. Yet I hear people citing some odd occurrence they’ve heard of to justify their decision to forego vaccination.

People also don’t seem to understand probability. Are you more likely to contract the flu or suffer a perceived (not proven) side effect? Do you have a greater chance of death from the flu (remember that 36,000 normal year death rate) or some unproven side effect of the vaccine?

Our society has more and more information upon which to base intelligent decisions about our personal health, the health of our children, and even the health of our environment and planet. Yet we don’t seem to be equipped as a society to make judgments that fully reflect what we actually know and have the greatest evidence to support. It is extremely frustrating.

We have discussed at COSI and at national and international levels among science centers worldwide about how do we play a greater role to help people to make reasoned personal decisions based on the best knowledge of the time.

What can we do at COSI that we are not doing to help this situation? I’m open to ideas as we look at our role connecting our community to the real issues and the real science related to those issues so we can all lead healthy lives and create a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.