On November 21st and 22nd, twelve participants gathered in person and via Skype from across the country for a follow-up meeting to the March SENCER-ISE Conference. The SENCER-ISE (informal science education) attendees, including representatives from informal and higher education institutions, spent two days discussing outcomes of the March meeting and determining next steps. With SENCER-ISE staff David Burns, Ellen Mappen, Alan Friedman and Amanda Moodie, participants spent the first day reviewing and discussing the current state of projects from each SENCER-ISE partnership, seeking thoughtful suggestions and critiques from colleagues who are all in different developmental stages of their partnerships. Following a day of fruitful conversation, the SENCER-ISE participants worked on developing ideas for the future of SENCER-ISE as a whole. With Alan Friedman facilitating, participants were able to work together to share ideas about current struggles and how SENCER-ISE can work with both formal and informal education institutions to ensure strong partnerships. The meeting met the expectations of the participants and planners. All left with a new set of resources for the continuation of SENCER-ISE partnerships.
Written by Amanda Moodie