Program Title: Exploring Role Identity Across Learning Environments: New Perspectives
Date: Thursday, September 25
Time: Noon – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Registration: Free, no-cost
Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Program Description:
Since 1995, the Lemelson Center’s annual symposium series, New Perspectives on Invention and Innovation, has brought together scholars, educators, and practitioners for cross disciplinary dialogue at the intersection of history, innovation, and social change. The 2025 symposium focuses on role identity — how individuals construct, evolve, and express who they are across different life domains — and examines the narratives, contexts, and forces that shape identity exploration in classrooms, museums, and cultural institutions.
In this online symposium, a distinguished group of historians, educators, psychologists, and museum professionals will:
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Connect theoretical models, like the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI), to practical applications in educational and cultural settings.
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Highlight case studies where identity work fosters belonging, agency, and community engagement.
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Provide attendees with tools, frameworks, and strategies to apply in their own learning environments.
All are invited to attend, especially educational psychologists and learning scientists; curators, historians, educators, designers, and museum professionals; researchers and policymakers; youth program leaders and community partners.
Program at a Glance:
12:00 – 12:10 pm: Welcome and opening remarks
12:10 – 12:55 pm: Session 1: Mapping the Self in Context
1:00 – 2:00 pm: Session 2: Inspiring Inventive Identity in Museums
2:00 – 2:15 pm: Break
2:15 – 3:15 pm: Session 3: Insights from the Field – Practitioner Reflections
3:15 – 3:30 pm: Closing reflections and next steps