On the Road Since its inception, the MLC has actively participated in conferences sponsored by museum and academic organizations. This involvement has enabled MLC members both to understand the concerns of the museum community, and also to disseminate information about the goals and progress of the project. To that end, researchers have attended or presented at the following museum and academic conferences during the past year and a half: American Association of Museums (AAM) Learning in Museums Seminar, Philadelphia, June 1997: Gaea Leinhardt presented the design of the MLC project. Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) annual conference, St. Louis, October 1997: Kevin Crowley spoke about a study of parent-child learning at the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum; Leona Schauble described front ­ end studies at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis; Laura Martin moderated a session by James Wertsch devoted to the neo-Vygotskian perspective on museum experience; Kirsten Ellenbogen presented at a workshop on chemistry exhibits; Sue Allen was a facilitator for a session on spatial graphics; and Doris Ash was a discussant for the topic of formal and informal learning environments. Designing for Science, Pittsburgh, April 1998: Crowley organized this academic conference which explored connections between everyday (including museum), classroom, and professional science. Crowley gave a talk about the gender gap in parents' explanations to children at science museums; Schauble discussed museum design research. American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting, San Diego, April 1998: Crowley was a presenter and Leinhardt was the discussant at a symposium on research on museum learning; Ash was a discussant at a poster session of the newly organized Special Interest Group (SIG) on Informal Learning Environments Research. Association of Youth Museums (AYM) annual conference, San Jose, May 1998: Crowley conducted a workshop on designing museum research studies. AAM annual meeting, Los Angeles, May 1998: Diane Frankel, Director of IMLS introduced a session devoted to the MLC; in addition to chairing this session, Leinhardt also presented the underlying philosophy of the MLC and the background to the studies presented; Martin gave an overview of a proposed study on the meaning of museums for an urban community; and Schauble previewed a study on parent and museum staff conceptualizations of learning. Visitor Studies Association (VSA) annual conference, Washington, D.C., August 1998: Crowley presented research on the role of parental guidance in museums at the Museum Education Roundtable Research Colloquium; Ellenbogen discussed the theoretical framework for MLC research and also presented a paper on new software used for analyzing group activity in museums; and Sue Allen described research conducted at the Exploratorium. ASTC annual conference, Edmonton, October 1998: Martin chaired, and Crowley and Ellenbogen presented at a session that focused on the MLC; Ellenbogen led, and Crowley and Ash were presenters at a workshop on analyzing museum visitors' conversations; Ash chaired, and Crowley, Martin, Allen, and Ellenbogen were presenters at a session on the nature of hands-on learning; Allen reported on the connection between national science standards and informal learning.