Episode 76: Celebrating Science and Technology in the Community, for the Community

John Durant, Director of the MIT Museum, discusses the origins of the Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States. Now in its 13th year, the Festival attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually, hosts events in more than 70 different venues from Cape Cod to Central Massachusetts, and works with more than 100 collaborators.

John DurantJohn Durant trained in natural sciences (MA) and the history of science (PhD) at the University of Cambridge in the UK. He has spent his entire career working at the interface between science and technology and the wider community. He was Assistant Director of the Science Museum, London, between 1989 and 2000, where he oversaw the development of the Wellcome Wing.
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Episode 24: Music Therapy & Neuroplasticity

Dr. Peggy Codding, Professor of Music in Music Therapy at the Berklee College of Music, says our brains allow us to compensate for the needs our brains have. She describes the ability of the brain to retrain neurons through music therapy, helping people with profound functional disabilities to express themselves.

Peggy CoddingPeggy Codding, Ph.D, MT-BC is Professor of Music in Music Therapy at the Berklee College of Music in Boston where she has served for 17 years. She is also the former Chair of Music Therapy at Ohio University. While in Ohio, she co-founded a successful integrative arts therapy program in the treatment of severely mentally ill male inmates needing residential treatment in state funded, long-term medium-to-maximum security settings. The program, a first of its’ kind, was implemented in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Chillicothe Correctional Institution. The program was acknowledged with the Governor’s Premier New Program Award in its’ second year.
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Episode 2: Peer Networking – Therapy + Professional Development

What can happen when “departments of one” come together? Betsy Loring, Director of Exhibits at EcoTarium, shares the benefits of multi-layered peer-to-peer professional development (across state lines, no less!), including staff retention, more engaging exhibits, and strengthened in-house expertise.

Betsy_Loring_300by200Betsy Loring is the Director of Exhibits at the EcoTarium, a museum of science and nature in Worcester, MA. Set on 55 acres of natural and landscaped grounds, the EcoTarium offers indoor and outdoor experiences for all ages, including hands-on family-friendly exhibits, historic collections, wildlife, and educational programming. Loring oversees the museum’s Wildlife, Collections, and Exhibits Departments. Continue reading “Episode 2: Peer Networking – Therapy + Professional Development”