Science Central

Science Central's mission is to be a "regional resource that provides inspiring and fun hands-on Science education for all people of all ages." Our purpose is to engage our community and the surrounding region with stem concepts in ways that inspire lifelong learning and future careers. Our Science center provides visitors with over 200 permanent exhibits that explore and demonstrate the physical, natural, and applied sciences. In 2022, new permanent exhibits such as draw alive and the topography box were added to the floor, bringing color, movement, and a third dimension to the experience. Draw alive allows children's animal designs to come to life on-screen. Through digital imaging and real-time response, visitors see the heights and depths of geography come to life as they move the sand around the topography box. A giant kaleidoscope display and an erosion table were also added to our permanent collection. New exhibits in our early learners area, kids Central, included blocks (building), lily pad (sound), and light table (shapes). With these new exhibits, we strive to provide learning experiences that are relevant to significant careers in our region, address contemporary issues, engage diverse age groups, and reach out to traditionally underserved populations such as girls and women. In addition to new exhibits, Science Central unveiled our completely- remodeled nature nook (formerly the swap shop). The animals all received updated living enclosures. These new, large-windowed enclosures provide the animals with brighter and roomier habitats, while also allowing visitors to see them at better vantage points. A food storage and prep station was added to the gallery where visitors can learn about what the animals eat and watch as the animals are fed each day. This provides another opportunity for staff and visitors to engage and ask questions about the animals. We have seen a lot more activity between the animals and visitors since the remodel. Over the course of the year, we were also able to present the community with three temporary exhibitions in our temporary exhibitions gallery. The first, "our weakening web," used realistic dioramas and interactive stations to teach visitors about natural extinctions and the relationships between the many organisms that make up ecosystems. Next was "a-maze-d" about mazes, games, puzzles and problem-solving. The third was "eat well, play well" about health, diet, nutrition, and exercise. Finally, we hosted "tactile da vinci," a unique exhibition about the inventions of leonardo da vinci that was designed for visitors with visual impairments, and used 3- dimensional, braille and auditory components. Every day, the demonstration theater and the noaa Science on a sphere allow us the opportunity to further our mission with live programs that provide another significant educational opportunity for visitors to experience. Demonstrations for school groups and the general public complement our exhibits by providing more in-depth discussions of topics shown in our exhibits. They also provide opportunities for visitors to engage with our education staff, who are trained to explain difficult Science concepts in a straightforward manner. Fundraising, architectural design and equipment acquisition continued to progress for the eventual installation of our planetarium capital project. This expansion, using both a classic starball projector and cutting-edge digital equipment will allow us to have the region's only public planetarium in the region's only Science center. Everyone from mobility-impaired visitors to moms with strollers enjoyed our modified demonstration theater, which was made possible by another recent renovation. A bleacher-style retractable front row enables visitors using wheelchairs to sit with the rest of the audience. Standard-sized steps with safety strips for the visually impaired and two handrails make the upper rows of seating more accessible for those who need added stability. The addition of two large television screens has allowed visitors to simultaneously view our talk-to-text technology and view slideshows that enhanced our educational demonstrations. A new camera will soon be installed that will allow visitors to see small aspects of our demonstrations more clearly. A new audio system was added to increase accessibility to those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or have auditory processing disorders. This audio system now includes bluetooth-enabled headphones that connect to hearing aids, and the talk-to-text system. As Science Central becomes more accessible, fulfilling the mission of "education for all" becomes easier. Study trips ("field trips") returned to Science Central, bringing students from fort wayne and the surrounding area back into the building. Students once again were able to explore Science in a hands-on way, often for the first time for many of our younger students. In 2022 Science Central hosted 296 study trips from school throughout the northeast Indiana and Ohio area. Study trips include floor exploration and often schools request additional demonstrations and labs, which are led by our education staff. 732 outreach programs brought labs, demonstrations, and afterschool programs to schools and community centers throughout northeast Indiana. These hands-on programs meet Indiana's Science education standards and help students understand stem concepts that are often difficult to comprehend without firsthand experience. Following the changes necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, Science Central has become adept in creating outreach kits (called "science2go kits"), which allow local students to benefit from personal, hands-on experience as they follow along with a lab or demonstration presented through our established interactive video conferencing (ivc) program. Even before the pandemic, it was important to the mission of Science Central to be able to reach those who could not directly visit our center. Moving forward, we will continue to provide remote solutions for stem education for as long as classrooms find this option useful. Our expanded catalog of interactive video conferencing programming remains available, as do the corresponding science2go kits, which allow local and regional students to participate in hands-on activities in their own homes or classrooms while receiving remote instruction. Science Central again won a national award for our interactive virtual learning. Science Central's partnerships with several local organizations help ensure our programming is financially accessible. In 2022, we hosted three free admission days: doctors day, mhs day, and be a tourist in your own hometown. We offer discounted admission on the last saturday of most months. We hosted disability days (formerly special abilities days) which enabled individuals in our community with disabilities to visit Science Central at no charge while also offering them additional resources to make our site even more accessible. These special admission opportunities play an important part in expanding the reach of our educational programming to all people.