11 things I learned at the Exploratorium

During my Osher fellowship at the Exploratorium I had the opportunity to delve into many topics and initiatives that are central to the civic role of the museum. Here are just a few thoughts; each one deserves more in-depth exploration than I can provide here, but I wanted to share some key insights publicly.

Thank you to all the wonderful people at Exploratorium who have dedicated their time to me and shared their passion??

Researchers on staff: The Exploratorium's Rad Scientists, an all-women team with a strong interdisciplinary passion, exemplify the importance of diverse perspectives in research and the role of museum to catalyse their vision and amplify their impact. Hearing them talk about their research interests both individually and as a team made me realise how important it is to have multiple "voices for science" in the museum, not only in disciplinary terms but especially as different research cultures. In this way the institution can have the cultural breadth necessary to tackle the big problems from multiple perspectives and be continuously reminded that science is a human, cultural and societal endeavour.

Marketing: the importance of integrating the brand into the development of new initiatives is crucial, making marketing an integral part of the process for lasting impact. Quite often in many museums there is a gap between marketing and programme/exhibition teams. Marketing is either seen as something to do after the programme is developed, or worse, as a commercial force driving content. To overcome this gap, one of the things we discussed at the Exploratorium was to have a "marketeer in residence" in various project teams to ensure a deeper mutual learning and exchange across teams from the very early stages of project, using a format that is familiar within the organisation and characterised by a non-confrontational, curiosity-driven approach.

AI's Global Impact: I discussed with several staff and other partners the global implications of AI and its potential influence on the democratic process. Next year 3 billion people are set to vote; understanding how AI can influence this process is a critical consideration for the future, and museums can play a fundamental role for AI literacy and responsible development. AI can lead to profound imbalances and distortions in a democratic process by jeopardising the role of media and information and manipulating individual voters. It is also a powerful tool that can greatly improve many sectors, including education and health. A good set of principles to support the work of museums in this field are the Presidio Recommendations on Responsible Generative AI, which explicitly cover public awareness and cultural heritage.

There are also more specific issues related to the use of AI by and in cultural institutions; establishing ethical frameworks to guide museums and other cultural institutions in the use of AI is a matter of urgency priority. I didn't have the opportunity to delve into this subject during the fellowship but this is something I'd like to discuss with those interested.

(Thank you Greta Keenan and Supheakmungkol Sarin, PhD for the inspiring conversation at the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.)

The Civic Role of museums: The Exploratorium was created as a response to coercion and fascism, as a sort of inoculation against threats to human welfare that result from being spied and controlled. “At heart, Frank built the Exploratorium as a political institution” writes K.C. Cole in her biography of Frank Oppenheimer. This way of thinking is as contemporary now as it could ever be. Museums can play a political and civic role alongside their educational one, driving positive societal change at a time of climate crisis, weak democracy and global fragmentation. They serve as hubs of radical accessibility to learning, as anchor institutions in their communities, as places that inspire and support the agency of their audiences. This requires a fundamental trust in people: one of the quotes I like from K.C. Cole's book is: “As for the objection that most people were too uneducated to make policy decisions, Frank argued that when people believe they are being listened to, they educate themselves.” This resonates with one of the main finding of my PhD, i.e. that when museum visitors think that the museum will amplify their voice, they engage more with the programmes in the museum, regardless of their education or socio-economic background. Museums therefore democratise science and culture - but this role may clash with current business models and exclusionary practices. This is a complex topic - and the one I believe is the most important today for cultural institutions.

Mediation: We discussed how effective communication with diverse audiences, including those with visible and invisible characteristics, is essential for science communication. Through a series of workshops we identified many barriers and catalysts to improve communication throughout the visit to the museum. When the characteristics/qualities to describe the audiences were easily identifiable (for instance, age or language) it was also quite easy to identify barriers and opportunities for communication. However, when these characteristics are invisible, such as disabilities or socio-economic backgrounds, we realized the importance of working with partners who can bring diverse perspectives to find common ground. I was impressed by the work of the Exploratorium to push its own boundaries in this regard, as exemplified by the project "Middle Ground" (see next point).

Urban regeneration: Middle Ground, an outstanding initiative created by the Exploratorium in collaboration with Urban Alchemy, the City of San Francisco and other organisations, demonstrates how museums can effectively improve the social fabric of entire neighborhoods through connection and empathy, reshaping the urban environment and addressing some of the most difficult and pressing social issues. It looks like an exhibition in one of the most troubled neighbourhood in downtown San Francisco. But it's much more than that: I was literally blown away by how the staff of Urban Alchemy (a social enterprise that engages with situations where extreme poverty meets homelessness, mental illness and addiction - alas widespread in San Francisco - and that employs many citizens how have served life sentences in prison) spoke with me about their learning by working with the Exploratorium. They articulate so well how working with the Exploratorium leads to developing social intelligence, collaborative skills, critical thinking, self confidence and awareness, and how they can scale this up across their 900+ staff. With this collaboration Urban Alchemy also transfers to the Exploratorium staff essential mediation and de-escalation skills and their ability to read people in unpredictable situations. All this while the exhibition is a powerful catalyst for conversations with people from very different backgrounds who are drawn to the conviviality of the exhibits.

There's some great research published about this project: Creating Middle Ground: Transforming Outdoor Informal Learning Landscapes in Curator Magazine; Transforming Learning Landscapes- A Radical Model for Informal Science Learning in the book Amplifying Informal Science Learning; and here is also a review of the exhibition in ILR and a guide for practitioners by the team behind Middle Ground.

Fearlessness and Responsibility: Organisations are often faced with balancing fearlessness with responsibility when pursuing bold innovations. During my PhD research I studied how institutional fear is one of the most common barriers against implementing public participation. I see the Exploratorium as a fearless institution always willing to explore and engage in frontier initiatives. It was the first science museum to have a website in 1993 (that is when I first came in contact with the Exploratorium...!), and I remember initiatives to study how handheld devices can be used in exhibitions way before we had smartphones. These are just examples close to my experience, and many other initiatives have contributed to making the Exploratorium a reference institution in the field of informal learning. This fearless attitude enables them to take risks and explore new opportunities before they become mainstream, often gaining strategic advantages. But it is also increasingly difficult to determine what are initiatives worth pursuing, and how to allocate resources for those. I had the opportunity to discuss possible future scenarios with the senior leadership, using the Future of Arts & Culture framework which I found really useful and inspiring.

Diversity and institutional history: I spent an unforgettable day at the San Francisco Fire Department for a workshop organised in collaboration with the Teacher Institute to explore how contextual learning in professional development enhances relevance and deepens inquiry. I learned all about Fire Engines and Aerial Trucks, as well as why the SF Fire Department uses wooden ladders instead of the metallic ones used in all other cities (that's because of the many electric cables above the streets in San Francisco). We had a fantastic demonstration of how fire and smoke move around a house and why firefighters know a lot about physics and chemistry (and much more!). After the workshop I spoke with Lt. Hashim Anderson who told me how the SFFD is very proud of its history (and it should!); but that glorious history is for a large part that of a white, male organisation. Lt. Anderson leads the diversity initiative at the SFFD in his role as recruitment officer, and he told me how his experience working at the Exploratorium (he started as an explainer, and held several roles afterwards) has been fundamental for him to learn how to increase the diversity of the SFFD with the awareness of its history and the values it embodies. As is the case in many institutions, organisational culture and history may be a challenge to diversity - but not one that can't be overcome. The Exploratorium gave Lt. Anderson the opportunity to interact with a very broad range of people and build many skills that are now essential in his role, such as social intelligence, collaboration, creativity, inquiry, empathy and more. This was a unique opportunity for me to appreciate the depth of thinking about diversity that the museum can stimulate.

Cultural roots of STEM: In many occasions we discussed how diverse cultural frameworks impact STEM learning, emphasizing the need for inclusive approaches. The last temporary exhibition at the Exploratorium, ?Plantásticas!, explored different ways of knowing the nature of plants, linking cultural traditions with scientific knowledge. One of the things I liked is that the texts were in English, Spanish, and Chochenyo, the language spoken by Ohlone people of the East Bay. It was a great way to acknowledge that our culture is not the only one, and certainly not the first.

Art and science: I was blown away by Catie Cuan, currently artist in residence at the Exploratorium investigating choreorobotics (the intersection of robotics and choreography). I also visited her lab in Stanford, where we spoke about her research bringing together robotics, artificial intelligence, dance and generative art. Her insight that humans have been choreographing long before they learned to write (and possibly speak) continues to resonate in my mind. She told me how choreography started to mix with computers only very recently, when electronic video capabilities became more substantial. By contrast, electronic music has a much longer history, since computers have been able to process quality sound already several decades ago. The art programme at the Exploratorium included also two masterworks when I visited: The Handphone Table by Laurie Anderson and The Great Animal Orchestra by Bernie Krause & United Visual Artists.

STARS Programme: Striving for Trans Inclusion and Anti-Racism in Science Learning ?is an award-winning initiative that promotes inclusivity and representation at all levels within the institution, addressing inequities based on gender, sexuality, and race. This is a bottom-up initiative, driven by staff and volunteers, that produces media and programmes for the Exploratorium audiences focused on how science impacts the trans community, improves representation and visibility of trans (youth) in the museum and explores the intersection of queerness and STEM. When I met the people who lead this initiative I shared with them the stories captured in the book The Queer Variable, which testifies how challenging the STEM field is for queer people, but also how much better it gets when it becomes truly inclusive and accepting of diversity.