NEMO
International competencies
NEMO is an experienced international partner and work-package leader in a range of themes, with many areas of expertise. As a partner, we can offer input on a variety of themes, from public engagement activities to the development of training programmes, and from gender guidance to inquiry-based learning. Some examples of how – and what – we can contribute to international projects are shown below.
Teacher training
Our training programmes for teachers across the Netherlands have been adopted (in modified form) throughout Europe. In the Netherlands, we have our own Teacher’s Club with over 2000 members. We have been work-package leaders for teacher training on the TWIST and ENGINEER projects, and we are currently developing a teacher training programme for the STING project.
Space education
NEMO was the first science center to host a European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO), which was established by the ESA. Since then, the network has expanded to a total of nine offices. ESERO NL produced a series of successful projects and resources for students and teachers in the Netherlands, many of which have been translated and adopted (in modified form) by other countries. Our Spaceship Earth activities are just one example of this.
Gender issues
NEMO is currently coordinating a large scale European project on gender, Hypatia. The museum has also participated in national and European projects on gender (GAPP and TWIST) in the past. We developed a checklist to enable Dutch science centres to be more gender inclusive. Since 2008, we have been running the ‘Tube Your Future’ role model project for girls (and boys) in secondary schools. This project has been selected as an EU Best Practice, and over 10,000 pupils have taken part to date. In 2012, as part of the European campaign, we organized an event entitled ‘Science: it’s a girl thing’. Our handbook for teachers on gender inclusive science teaching has been distributed to many thousands of schoolteachers around Europe.
Inquiry based learning (IBSE) /learning by design
We have produced educational materials for Dutch classrooms that have since been adopted, modified, and transformed into digital content by other countries. We have developed a range of innovative educational projects, such as Science Center at School and ENGINEER challenges for schools and museums. In the context of the European FEAST project, we developed a training programme for museum explainers, to facilitate family learning.
Dialogue
We have developed a number of live debates for participants of all ages. Our ‘Clean Tech-the Battle’ was the stage for an ongoing dialogue with university students about sustainability. Our expertise in facilitating online dialogue is exemplified by www.kennislink.nl, our platform for science communication.
From research to everyday practice
Together with the University of Amsterdam, NEMO runs a Research & Development lab with a focus on academic research and prototyping. This collaborative venture resulted in a mutual learning process about research and visitor experiences. NEMO’s professor on ‘science learning in informal environments’, who also holds a post at the University of Amsterdam, has developed unique expertise at our Science Learning Center.
Tinkering/making
Our museum has a Maker Space, a workshop area that enables our family audiences to tinker with materials and to conduct experiments. We are currently developing new workshops for our audiences in collaboration with individual artists (TINKERING) and other European museums.
Citizen consultation
NEMO has organized a number of focus groups and consultation workshops for members of the public, in the context of various European projects. These projects provided the public with an opportunity to make themselves heard and to take part in decision-making on European science matters and technological research. The VOICES project was a great, ground-breaking public consultation project.
Science journalism
NEMO Kennislink is the most popular science website in the Netherlands, attracting 3 million visitors each year. We use this platform to cooperate with universities, knowledge institutions and publishers. The website features subject pages and theme pages spanning the entire scientific spectrum, from the exact sciences to the social sciences. Kennislink is currently participating in the European SYNENERGENE project.