Podcast: Innovation Secrets of the Museum of Science, with Mike Horvath — An ASTC 2026 Special
Science changes fast. How can science museums keep up?
What’s a “technology toolkit”? Can one interactive turn into another? Can you do that same trick with a whole room? What about a whole exhibition? What’s “Wizard of Oz-ing”? Do constraints make for better design? How could museums work together to solve the challenges they all face? A special episode for ASTC 2026 — where Mike will be speaking about all of this and more.
Mike Horvath (Vice President of Exhibits, Museum of Science, Boston) discusses “Innovation Secrets of the Museum of Science” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).
Along the way: Star Wars, Powers of Ten, and a lot of squirrels.
Talking Points:
1. The Current Science Problem
2. Transformative Technology Toolbox
3. The F.A.S.T. Table Project
4. The A.I.M. Initiative
5. The “Always On” Presentation Area
6. Changing the “Changing Landscapes” Project
How to Listen:
Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311
Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G
Listen at Making the Museum, the Website:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast
Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/
Guest Bio:
Michael Horvath began his museum career as a designer at the Museum of Science in 1998. Today, as Vice President of Exhibits, he leads exhibit development for the Museum, which welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors annually.
Over the course of his career, Horvath has led the design of numerous high-profile exhibitions, including The Science of Pixar, which received the American Alliance of Museums' Excellence in Exhibition Award for Planning Process and the Association of Science-Technology Centers' Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience. More than a decade after its debut, two versions of The Science of Pixar continue to tour science centers and museums around the world. He also led the design of Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, which toured internationally for more than ten years and became one of the Museum's most successful traveling exhibitions.
In 2005, while promoting the Star Wars exhibition, Horvath made national headlines when he threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game dressed as Chewbacca. The image was featured in Sports Illustrated and picked up by media outlets across the country. Fortunately for him, few people recognized the person behind the Wookiee costume.
About Making the Museum:
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio.
Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/
Links for This Episode:
Mike Horvath:
mhorvath@mos.org
Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-horvath-529b7712/
Museum of Science, Boston:
https://www.mos.org/
The F.A.S.T. Project (Flexible, Accessible Strategies for Timely Digital Exhibit Design):
https://informalscience.org/research/the-fast-table-a-new-approach-to-developing-timely-and-accessible-exhibit-experiences/
The A.I.M. Initiative (Alliance for Immersion in Museums):
https://www.museumimmersion.org/
Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast:
Contact Making the Museum:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
Email Jonathan Alger:
alger@cgpartnersllc.com
C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/
Making the Museum, the Newsletter:
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