Mayborn Connect wins 2021 TAMMIES Gold Award
Mayborn Connect wins 2021 TAMMIES Gold Award
Mayborn Connect recognized with Gold TAMMIE award at 2021 Texas Association of Museums Annual Conference
Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum Complex was recognized with a Gold TAMMIE at the Texas Association of Museums’ (TAM) Annual Virtual Conference on Friday, April 16, 2021 for their new school outreach program, Mayborn Connect. The Texas Association of Museums Media Innovation & Excellence Awards or TAMMIES for short, are designed to showcase museums that are doing innovative things with media and technology. Winning projects are chosen by a jury of media and technology. Each category is eligible for either Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Honorable mention depending on the number of entries in each category.
“We want to see how your museums are incorporating technology into exhibits and programs; how you are using technology to reach virtual audiences outside of the traditional museum space; and how you are using social media to engage with audiences in innovative ways. Congratulations to the Mayborn on raising the bar of digital media standards for the rest of the TAM community,”
Mayborn Connect was developed the spring of 2020 as a way to continue to reach schools and school-aged children during a time when most off-site informal education opportunities were limited by the pandemic. This virtual program delivers specialized labs filled with real specimens, artifacts, and real-world connections in both science and cultural history that help kids to explore and understand their environment. As of April 2021, almost 200 Mayborn Connect programs have reached more than 5,000 students from twenty-six school districts. Programs have reached schools as distant as New Jersey and as close as Waco ISD through a partnership with the Junior League of Waco aimed at providing a Mayborn Connect program to every pre-K class in the district.
The award was accepted on the Museum’s behalf by STEM Education Coordinator, Alan Small. Small spearheaded the development of the twelve programs offered within Mayborn Connect with support from other museum educators and graduate students from the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor University.
The award was accepted on the Museum’s behalf by STEM Education Coordinator, Alan Small. Small spearheaded the development of the twelve programs offered within Mayborn Connect with support from other museum educators and graduate students from the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor University.
“I’m so thankful to work with the team that brought the Mayborn Connect program to life in a time of crisis. When school buses parked and the Mayborn doors closed due to the pandemic, it created a chance to rethink how the Mayborn meets needs within the community. Over the last year, the Mayborn Connect team has honed the skills needed to safely deliver our collection out the front door, in living rooms, across school districts, and even across the country. This program would not have been possible without the entire museum staff working together to see it to fruition,”
