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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Museum Of Science And History Advisory Committee - 03/01/2007 /\j'12fl 29 30.3 Ow • W MINUTES co..4/Christi Museum of Science and History Advisory Committee Meeting March 1,2007 The Museum Advisory Committee met in the Museum's DeDietrich Conference Room at Noon on Thursday, March 1, 2007. Members Present: Margaret Bolick, Robert Hatherill, Jonda Halcomb, Nelida Ortiz, Alex Sadovski, and Linda Tomo. The minutes of the February I, 2007 meeting were approved as submitted. Business: a. Rick Stryker reported on the preliminary presentation of the visualized concept study to City Manager Skip Noe, Assistant Managers Ron Massey and Margie Rose, and City Engineer Angel Escobar. They were favorably impressed with the findings of the study. The City Manager recommended that the siting of the Museum not be limited to the present footprint given the proposal by the Sasaki/Gignac team to include private development in the Watergarden area (e.g.: hotel or restaurant) and the potential for the Corps of Engineers to relocate. The development of a driveway through the Watergarden was discussed with potential funding through the 2008 bond issue. The final presentation by Appelbaum to the Friends Board in April should be followed as soon as possible by a presentation to the City Council. The City Manager expressed concern that funding for the next phases of planning needed to be in place so that the project could move forward expeditiously. The Friends intend to continue working to raise the funds privately to fund the studies. Upon motion by Margaret Bolick and seconded by Alex Sadovski the Committee unanimously recommended that the City Council include funding for the Watergarden improvements recommended by Sasaki/Gignac in the 2008 bond Election. b. Rick Stryker reported that the staff is going through a learning process to transform their work priorities to become more mission(experience) focused. The text being used for this is The Experience Economy. This approach is already impacting visitors with more public seating and revisions in the Columbus ship tours incorporating a general orientation to cultural exhibits. There will be additional changes, large and small, in our effort to improve the visitor experience. c. Director's Report • The Land and Sea Partnership attendance increased over last year with 994 members of other local cultural institutions visiting the Museum during February. Of that number 943 were members of the Texas State Aquarium. • Rick reported on the Science Museum Director's Winter Meeting held in Honolulu. Two important developments in science education will impact our approach to exhibit development and will be reflected in the findings of the visualized concept study. First, there is a national trend toward incorporating technology in the science curriculum of public schools. Ioannis Miaoulis, Director of the Boston Museum of Science and also director of the National Center for Technological Literacy made a presentation seeking partners in spreading the use and familiarity of the new technology curriculum. Two states have already adopted the proposed standards which will be incorporated in the statewide testing of students, Massachusetts and Texas. Appelbaum has been asked to incorporate this as a focus of the proposed new science exhibits in the visualized concept study. The second development is being championed by Seed Magazine. Seed editor SCANNED Adam Bly presented his ideas for making science more relevant to non scientists. This approach can be summarized in the sub head of the magazine, "Science is Culture." • Rick will be attending the AL1-ABA seminar on legal issues in museum administration in March. The meeting adjourned at 1:15 p.m.