Abstract

Science museums have long played an important role in making science accessible through exhibitions, demonstrations, and hands-on learning. Today, however, the scientific landscape is changing rapidly. Developments in artificial intelligence, quantum science, biotechnology, advanced materials, space science, and other frontier fields are increasingly influencing society, while their underlying concepts are often complex, invisible, interdisciplinary, and unfamiliar to the public. This raises an important question: how can science museums move beyond conventional STEM learning to help people engage meaningfully with emerging science and its implications for the future?

This presentation explores how the National Science Museum (NSM), Thailand, is developing approaches to public communication of frontier science through a combination of physical and digital experiences. Drawing on selected NSM case studies showcasing in museums and festivals, it examines how exhibitions, interactive experiences, digital technologies, immersive media, hands-on activities, and engagement with scientists can translate complex scientific ideas into experiences that are accessible, relevant, and thought-provoking for diverse audiences.

Going “beyond digital” does not necessarily mean using more technology. Rather, it requires choosing appropriate combinations of physical, digital, and human interaction to create meaningful science experiences. The presentation argues that the future role of science museums extends beyond communicating established scientific knowledge. Museums can become platforms where people encounter emerging science, explore possibilities and uncertainties, ask questions, and connect scientific developments with society and everyday life.

Through these experiences, science museums can contribute not only to STEM learning, but also to science literacy, critical thinking, future literacy, and people's capacity to participate in conversations about science and our shared future.

Biography

Dr. Ganigar Chen has been with the National Science Museum (NSM), Thailand, since 2000 and has extensive experience in science communication, museum education, public engagement, and informal learning.

As former Director of Public Awareness of Science, she led major national science engagement initiatives, including the Thailand National Science and Technology Fair, the country’s largest public science event. She also played a key role in developing strategies and programs for NSM’s Science Caravan, bringing science learning experiences to communities across Thailand, as well as the Thailand Science Communication and Science Museum Network and the Thailand Science
Communication Award. These experiences have strengthened her commitment to lifelong learning, sustainable development, and science education that empowers people to engage with science and society.

Currently serving as Vice President of NSM for Education, Outreach and Partnership, Dr. Chen oversees exhibition development and a broad portfolio of science engagement initiatives, including science film festivals, television programs, digital and online media, and programs for developing young science communicators.

She has also led the development of NSM museum standards and initiatives to create new products and innovations that strengthen the museum’s sustainability and long-term development. Her research interests include public science literacy, science communication, museum education, and informal learning. She also contributes to policy recommendations and
strategic proposals concerning the future development of science museums and science engagement in Thailand.

Beyond NSM, Dr. Chen serves as Vice President of the Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres (ASPAC) and as an Executive Committee Member of the Science Society of Thailand. She is also a guest lecturer in science communication and informal learning, sharing her professional experience with students, educators, museum professionals, and emerging science communicators.

Throughout her career, Dr. Chen has worked to strengthen the role of science museums as platforms for lifelong learning, public engagement, collaboration, and dialogue—connecting science with society and helping prepare people for a rapidly
changing future.

Abstract

YouTube has emerged as one of the most influential new media platforms, forming a distinctive content ecosystem of its own. In this context, national museums and science museums should utilize YouTube not merely as a promotional channel but as a platform for communicating exhibitions, disseminating research outcomes, and strengthening institutional branding. YouTube content is no longer simply a promotional product; it functions as an exhibition and a medium for presenting research achievements in its own right. Furthermore, the impact of content production cannot be achieved in the short term, and the success of a single viral video does not determine the overall performance of a channel. Rather, sustained continuity and diversity of topics grounded in high-quality research constitute the core of a successful content strategy, while responsiveness to current trends should serve only as a complementary element that enhances this foundation.

Biography

· 2024–Present, Curator, Gongju National Museum
· 2019–2024, Curator, Jinju National Museum

Abstract

This quotation, whose origins remain uncertain, captures our most important task: to prepare
ourselves and continue learning so that we can respond responsibly to the challenges of the
future—not merely reacting to change, but actively helping to shape what comes next. The
future is not a period of time we wait for to see what will happen. It is a realm of possibilities
that we are shaping now.

But where and how can we find this kind of education? Who should—and who can—provide it?
Clearly, traditional educational institutions such as schools and universities cannot fulfil this task
alone. It is about more than acquiring skills and knowledge. It is about encountering science
and technology and engaging with the possibilities, opportunities, and risks they continually
bring.

As science museums, we are ideally placed to provide these encounters. We already have the
most important resources they require: physical spaces, often with compelling architecture, and
above all, people—our teams, whose commitment and expertise enable them to create and
guide these encounters and experiences.

Biography

Gerfried Stocker (AT) is a media artist and an engineer for communication technology and has been artistic director and co-CEO of Ars Electronica since 1995. In 1995/96 he developed the exhibition strategies of the Ars Electronica Center with a small team of artists and technicians and was responsible for the setup and establishment of Ars Electronica’s own R & D facility, the Ars Electronica Futurelab. He has overseen the development of the program for international Ars Electronica exhibitions since 2004, the planning and the revamping of the contents for the Ars Electronica Center, which was enlarged in 2009, since 2005; the expansion of the Ars Electronica Festival since 2015; and the extensive overhaul of Ars Electronica Center’s contents and interior design in 2019. Stocker is a consultant for numerous companies and institutions in the field of creativity and innovation management and is active as a guest lecturer at international conferences and universities. In 2019 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Aalto University, Finland.