Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS)

Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS) strives to spark imagination & foster lifelong curiosity through museum exploration and education programming. AMOS proudly served more than 60,000 people in 22/23 directly and over 100,000 total through the addition of community engagement and outreach. Programming included field trips, in-school & after-school programs, intensive science camps, Saturday STEAM education, adult science events, and fun hands-on activities delivered at community events. Area educators and families depend on AMOS to provide hands-on, engaging activities that meet or exceed North Carolina's K-12 educational standards, help close the achievement gap in STEM, and spark a greater interest in fields that require STEM skills.

STEM EcoSystem: AMOS led the development of a local STEM Ecosystem, a dynamic collaborative of academia, science, local industry business leaders, and nonprofit service organizations. The group created and identified cross-sector opportunities for middle/high school students to provide access to STEAM-rich learning environments to develop awareness and access to important skills and engagement in science, technology, engineering, and math. Through the collaborative AMOS partnered with area schools and colleges to also provide K-12 teachers with professional development support and STEM inclusion experiences. Specifically, the collaboration resulted in: - 12 formal industry partnerships to serve as STEM subject mater experts and speakers in area classrooms - 360 middle and high school students - 27 teachers with professional development Exhibit Exploration and Play: AMOS features 8,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits and an interactive STEM Lab filled with technology, supplies for experiments, and internal/guest scientists who give lectures and engage with science lovers of all ages about complex subject matter. AMOS successfully secured two exhibits to rotate through the space and provide guest with new and exciting learning opportunities. - SUN, EARTH, UNIVERSE EXHIBIT - Designed with NASA, "Sun, Earth, Universe" explores questions like - How is Earth changing? What is it like on other planets? Does life exist beyond Earth? What's happening on the Sun, and how does it affect us? The exhibition explores our planet, the solar system, and the universe and is packed with engaging, hands-on interactive exhibits, and dazzling imagery, and launches them on a journey to explore the universe. - Women in STEM - The exhibit was designed to celebrate contemporary female scientists and to inspire a new generation of female leaders. Through a concept of, If you can see it, You can be it, the exhibit features women from a variety of different backgrounds, fields of study and levels of expertise and provides guest, especially young girls with the opportunity to see strong women in a variety of interesting fields. - Specifically, AMOS served 44,000 through museum exploration.

STEAM Programming: Science learning through play and informal instruction is a proven method for creating positive associations with STEAM topics and skills. This year our educators served students through field trips, camps, workshops, guest lecturers, and science experiments. AMOS's experiential and hands-on learning model serves as a pillar of community development, early education element, workforce preparation, and fun-filled exposure to STEAM subjects for children, families, and educators. Specifically, AMOS served: - 6,600 Students through field trips - 2,265 Students through outreach - 850 Students through after school programs - 345 Students through science camps