Overview

ASTC Virtual 2021 Annual Conference
October 5–7, 2021

The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) Annual Conference is one of the premier annual events for science-engagement professionals across North America and around the world. Each year, this event brings together several thousand science and technology center and museum and allied professionals working in science communication, STEM learning, and the broader intersections between science, technology, and society.

The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is a professional membership organization with a vision of increased understanding of—and engagement with—science and technology among all people and a mission to champion and support science and technology centers and museums.

Founded in 1973, ASTC champions and supports more than 500 science and technology centers and museums, natural history museums, children’s museums, and other STEM-rich, place-based institutions, such as nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, and botanical gardens throughout North America and in nearly 50 countries, as well as nearly 200 other organizations that share an interest in science learning and engagement. ASTC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit educational organization.

Ensuring access to opportunity for all—and tackling today’s global challenges—requires that scientific research and technological development be connected with innovative approaches to lifelong learning and deep community engagement.

The city of Pittsburgh, the site of our originally-planned in-person annual conference and national summit, inspired us: it evokes a sense of transformation and pursuit of change, and those traits have guided much of our thinking as we continue planning the ASTC Virtual 2020 Annual Conference and the New Frontiers Virtual National Summit.

We chose the theme “New Frontiers in science, technology, learning, and community engagement toward a more equitable tomorrow” because of the essential and inclusive conversations we must have together to orient the future of research, innovation, education, and our communities toward a more equitable future.

Two Events with One Shared Theme

The ASTC Virtual 2020 Annual Conference will equip and inspire—via content and memorable, participatory experiences—professionals at the executive and staff levels in science and technology centers and museums as well as the broader science, technology, and learning ecosystems to deliver excellence in their institutions and value in their communities, across North America and around the world.

The New Frontiers Virtual National Summit will highlight and pursue new approaches to scientific research and technology development, education and lifelong learning, civic participation, and policy development. The summit is an invitation-only convening for researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and community leaders. For ASTC conference attendees, elements of this endeavor will already be a part of your experience. Science and technology centers and museums will be represented among summit participants.

ASTC is delighted the following companies and organizations are joining us as exhibitors
at the ASTC Virtual 2020 Annual Conference: