The collaboration expands opportunities for education, innovation, and community engagement through the power of play.
The 蘑菇传媒 and have set a playdate. Announced today, the institutions are creating a partnership that will advance research, education, and community engagement focused on the study of play and games.
Through this collaboration, 蘑菇传媒 faculty, staff, and students will have new opportunities to develop joint research initiatives, organize conferences, and create exhibits that explore the history, cultural significance, and societal impact of play and games, using the museum鈥檚 world-renowned collections, exhibitions, and expertise. The partnership will also support newly developed degrees and educational programs, including courses, workshops, lectures, and field trips designed to enrich the academic experience and strengthen community connections.
The Strong will provide 蘑菇传媒 classes with special access to its collections and offer staff-led field trips each year, and the two institutions will also co-present at regional, national, and international conferences, further establishing Rochester as a leader in play and games scholarship and innovation.
Together, 蘑菇传媒 and The Strong will also explore ways to promote Rochester and New York State as centers for play and game development. By combining the University鈥檚 academic excellence with The Strong鈥檚 unparalleled resources, the partnership aims to attract scholars, industry leaders, and enthusiasts to the region鈥攆ostering creativity, innovation, and economic growth.
鈥淭his partnership marks an important advancement in how we support interdisciplinary scholarship and deepen our engagement with the broader community,鈥� says Provost Nicole Sampson. 鈥淐ollaborating with The Strong Museum allows us to expand opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff to examine the role of play and games as powerful drivers of creativity, learning, and innovation.鈥�
Unlocking the power of play
Located in the heart of the city of Rochester, The Strong is home to the world鈥檚 largest and most comprehensive collection of materials related to play, including toys, dolls, games, video games, and other artifacts.
鈥淭he Strong National Museum of Play and 蘑菇传媒 have worked together on many programs and projects over the years, but this partnership opens exciting opportunities for students and staff at both organizations to collaborate and share ideas and resources to advance play and game studies, develop exhibits and programs, and build Rochester as a truly global center for play,鈥� says Jon-Paul Dyson, senior vice president for exhibits and interpretive resources at The Strong.
The University鈥檚 will play a key role in this partnership through its Center for Professional Development and Education Reform, led by . Leveraging its expertise in education and learning, the center will ensure that the partnership鈥檚 initiatives are accessible, impactful, and aligned with the broader mission of promoting learning through play.
鈥淲e are opening the door to new kinds of collaboration between educators, researchers, and museum professionals,鈥� says Daley. 鈥淭ogether, we can develop hands-on learning experiences that help students and community partners understand the many ways play shapes how we learn, connect, and imagine what鈥檚 possible.鈥�
Game on
This partnership builds on a long history of collaboration between 蘑菇传媒 and The Strong:
- The partners with the museum on , including on-site performances.
- , a professor in the and the , partners with The Strong on projects that help children learn through games and play-based activities. He uses these insights to inform exhibits on biological variability and to study visual representations, such as lifecycle and genetic diagrams, in enhancing STEM learning. Each semester, Rosengren and , a senior lecturer in psychology and in brain and cognitive sciences, bring research methods classes to the museum to design and conduct research evaluating visitors鈥� experiences with specific exhibits.
- The 鈥檚 incorporates observation of healthy children at play into its clinical rotations, with a focus on inclusive and accessible play opportunities for all children.
- Kristana Textor, a lecturer in the and the 鈥攁nd a Warner doctoral candidate鈥攆acilitates out-of-classroom learning experiences that allow undergraduates to explore games scholarship and design at a professional level.
