In the News

04.2006

Science Center Project Enjoys Community & Business Support

By Tara Cantore in the Connecticut Business Times

We are now just over two years from the opening of another centerpiece of Hartford's revitalization. For a project that is enjoying tremendous community support, and great expectations for its impact on Connecticut, the progress is going as smoothly as could be expected.

The Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration is set to open in downtown Hartford in the mid-summer of 2008. The center will not only be a new source of entertainment, it will also serve as a learning tool for area teachers and students.

Many businesses and corporations have joined the project's bandwagon by donating money to get the center closer to its funding goal. The Pfizer Foundation, The Phoenix Companies and the AT&T Foundation, among others, have contributed donations.

Michelle Morales, spokeswoman for the Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration, said in a recent interview with Business Times that they are 92 percent of the way to meeting their funding goal for the $149.46 million project. The State has provided over $107 million of the funding.

Morales says that so many businesses have stepped in to provide funding for the center because they realize what an important opportunity it is. "We have a really strong list of board members," she said. "Companies recognize this and all of the hard work that we have done.

"The project has been so well received because it's really part of the push for Hartford's revitalization." According to Morales, the center is only part of the plan that includes Adrian's Landing, Front Street and the Marriott.

"The center only gives people another reason to come to Hartford and visit and stay," said Morales.

She said that because many business people come to Hartford for meetings and conventions, they often look for something else to do for entertainment during their stay. "I think that the addition will give business people something to do while they are on their business trips," said Morales.

It is also hoped that the center will help increase Connecticut's identity in the world of science. According to Yale University President Richard Levin, vice chair of the centers board, "The center will provide programs and educational support services for science, technology and mathematics learning, with a particular focus on families, students and teachers.

"We will enable exploration of science and technology for the young, and encourage adults to become more familiar with the role of science in society. We will use our presence to enhance Connecticut's identity as a center for science and technology."

Focusing on Education

Although it is not expected to open for another two years, teachers have already begun to benefit from the pending center. Morales said that there are already programs to prepare teachers for the center's educational component. "Last summer we worked with over 120 teachers. We helped them prepare for the inquiry-based teaching approach that the center will offer.

"We have gone back to see how the teachers have benefited from the program, and we have seen some great results in the classrooms," added Morales.

The education program was provided thanks to a $1 million grant from the GE Foundation. As part of the summer program, the teachers spent five days in workshops, which helped them practice these learning techniques. The workshops also prepared them to incorporate the strategies into their lesson plans and school curricula. The GE Foundation grant will cover a four-year period from 2005 to 2008.

Laurelle Texidor, the principal of Winthrop Elementary School in New London, said, "With these new skills, we'll be able to get our students more deeply engaged in the process of discovery, and inspire the quest for solutions through experimentation and fact-finding."

Center of Attention

The Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration has drawn upon resources from near and far to create a truly unique and powerful experience with lasting educational impact. The center is envisioned to help engage schools and families. It is also hoped that it will have a significant impact on learning in Connecticut. All of the exhibits at the center will be hands-on.

When asked to pick out an exhibit that she thought would be the most popular, Morales had a hard time choosing, saying that there are so many interesting exhibits that will be part of the center. One exhibit that she found particularly noteworthy will allow visitors to sit in a pod and navigate a simulated version of the planet Mars. The exhibit will allow visitors to feel the gravitational pull and even try to land on the planet. It will also allow them to explore the planets terrain. Morales added that the exhibits will include a variety of 3-D visual concepts.

Part of the new center will include the Pfizer Foundation Science Discovery Center. This will include classroom spaces, where learners will be taken from the thrill of discovery in the exhibit halls to a deeper study and understanding of science. These classrooms will support a teacher and class in an atmosphere that invites exploration and doing, rather than a passive experience disconnected from the excitement of the surrounding science center. The classrooms will support a variety of special programs, such as distance learning, telepresence and remote observation, wet labs and digital production.

The center will also feature a Future Capsule. This will be an interactive exhibit concept that will feature the new facilities Science Alley. The Future Capsule, part of an evolution of the traditional time capsule, will be a living electronic repository of ideas displayed as part of a permanent interactive exhibit in the center.

"The Future Capsule is another way we are engaging our community in thinking about and participating in science," said Dr. Theodore S. Sergi, president and CEO of the center. "It is a truly exciting concept to say that this stream of ideas will represent an evolving, collective vision for a future imagined by each new generation and displayed right here in our science center."

Other exhibits throughout the center will include a Children's Gallery on the first level. On the second level featured exhibits will include Physical Science, Art, Music & Culture, Human Health and Sports Science. Space Science, Connecticut Inventions and a Traveling Exhibits Gallery will be on the third level. The fourth level will contain Earth Science, Connecticut River and Clean & Efficient Energy Exhibits.

The center will provide a variety of programming for students. Classes will be able to take guided tours of the exhibits. There will be an opportunity for the students to participate in laboratory explorations at the center. Pre- and post-visit classroom activities will be provided for students to make their visit a true learning experience.

The center will also be a hub of activity for children and families. A wide variety of programs will be offered for both children and adults that will include: camp-ins; weekend in-center and traveling programs; science clubs; lab explorations; citizen science programs; and Connecticut River programs.

How to Get Involved

The Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration is still accepting gifts to their campaign to help support the center's cutting-edge exhibits and educational programming. Depending on the level of the gift, there is a range of benefits that will be provided to donors that include:
• Naming opportunities within the center.
• Permanent recognition in the buildings main lobby.
• Opportunities to serve on committees.
• Invitations to special activities and events.
• Reduced fees for membership and special programs.
• Subscription to the centers newsletters and other publications.

For more information on how to contribute, call
860-727-0457, ext. 112.

Although the Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration does not open until 2008, the center has launched a website that will allow visitors to get a taste of what is to come. The site provides the opportunity to see the future exhibits and even get a live feed of the construction site at the center.

The AT&T Learning Connection section of the site is where teachers, students, school groups and families can participate in science online and get more information about the center's programs.