This week, Gillian Thomas, President and CEO of the Miami Science Museum, took the Miami Herald on a tour of the construction site of our upcoming Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. The excitement is building, as the Museum is starting to literally come up out of the ground!

Click here for the grand tour!

Lead Donors Patricia and Phillip Frost

Everyone could feel the excitement under the big, white tent at Museum Park on the morning of Friday, February 24^th, as the community gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science in Downtown Miami.

Over 300 people from the community gathered on the actual ground where the Museum will eventually stand, to celebrate this momentous occasion. Guests included lead donors Patricia and Phillip Frost, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho, City and County Commissioners, members of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, including Co-Chairs Trish and Dan Bell, the Museum’s staff members, and representatives from the Museum’s ambassador groups, including the MiaSci Young Patrons, MiaSci Moms, MiaSci Teen Ambassadors, and the Teacher Ambassador Group.

John A. Ferguson High School's Marching Band

John A. Ferguson High School’s famed marching band energized the crowd with their performance and kept the crowd grooving as shovels hit the ground and a backhoe dug deep into the ground.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Regional Science Fair Winners proudly displayed their projects and happily discussed them with groundbreaking guests. As part of the event, the Museum also announced the launch of its new Science Stars program, which will involve leading scientists visiting Dade County schools to get students excited about different fields of science and about all the attractions and opportunities the new Museum will offer.

Flags and markings on the ground outlined exactly where the building’s components will be once constructed: the Living Core, Planetarium, Energy Playground, People and Science Gallery and more, so that guests got a true feel for the magnitude of the 250,000 square foot building. Guests also got to leave their digital footprint by recording their thoughts on camera for the Museum’s Digital Time Capsule (which will soon be available on the website).

The crowd at the highly anticipated groundbreaking event

The new Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science is truly a museum the community has built. In 2004, voters approved the first sum of money for the project through Miami-Dade County’s Building Better Communities Bond Program to support design and construction. Since then, with the continued support of the County, as well as the City of Miami, Patricia and Phillip Frost, the John S. and John L. Knight Foundation, and countless other supporters, the new Museum, years in the making, is finally becoming a reality.

The Museum will continue to share information about the building’s progress as construction gets underway. Keep checking this site for updates, as well as our New Museum blog at http://miasci.org

Check out pictures of the groundbreaking event as well as renderings of the new Museum below:

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State Farm has generously donated $14,500 to the Museum in support of a future exhibition and programming that will explore how hurricanes have shaped and will continue to affect the physical and social landscape of South Florida. The exhibition will be very interactive and educational, including a specialized bilingual emergency preparedness kiosk and two hurricane-focused events, so that visitors can find valuable information and resources to better prepare them for natural disasters.

Miami Science Museum VP of Content Development & Programs Jennifer Santer; Frank Manusky and his daughter Madison, a 6th grader at Lyons Creek Middle School; Museum President and CEO Gillian Thomas; Iris Lopez, State Farm Agent; Jose Soto, Public Affairs Specialist; and Sean Duran, VP of Exhibitions at MSM.

“Increased awareness is key in lessening the risk of injury and destruction from natural disasters,” said Jose Soto, State Farm Community Specialist. “This exciting partnership with the Miami Science Museum will help spotlight hurricane awareness for South Florida families, helping them understand the importance of disaster preparedness. Our State Farm mission is to help people prepare for the unexpected, and this collaborative hurricane prep effort will help protect and increase the safety of Florida families.”

The exhibition will feature the technologies and expertise of Florida International University’s International Hurricane Research Center and will give visitors the opportunity to check out the instruments and methods professionals use to predict, track and assess weather patterns. At the heart of the exhibition, will be the Museum’s interactive spherical display known as “Magic Planet,” a system that enables visitors to explore connections between global climate change and hurricanes, with a focus on possible impacts on South Florida, and to track actual hurricanes on the 4-foot spherical display during storm season.

Hands-on activities will include miniature model house building where visitors can test if their creations can withstand hurricane force winds, as well as an air canon that simulates the way debris flies during a major storm.

The funding will also support two major events at the Museum: “Feel the Force: Hurricanes and Other Hazards” to be held June 2, 2012, and a special event marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew to be held August 24, 2012. The Museum welcomes the community to attend both events. The exhibition will open in phases coinciding with both Feel the Force and Hurricane Andrew events.

For more information about the Museum’s exhibits, please visit: http://miamisci.org

Today a group of visitors with the Hialeah Housing Authority were seen enjoying the LEGO table in the Museum and, together, created buildings, houses and other carefully constructed structures.

“When you get to be our age, you have to keep your mind young by learning new things, having new experiences and staying active,” said Sarah Navarro. “We are having so much fun building and creating here. This is my first time at the Museum but I will definitely be back.”

Stop by the Museum and let the kid in you loose! You might even learn a thing or two while you’re having fun.

“You can never stop learning. The opportunity to learn new things is all around us,” said Raquel Alonso. “Learning keeps the mind sharp.”

The Museum’s Upward Bound program is all about helping underprivileged youth aspire to great levels of achievement in education and in the workplace. Thanks to a generous grant and four-year partnership with the AT&T ASPIRE program, the Museum was able to double the number of 9^th and 10^th graders enrolled in its Upward Bound Math & Science program. Over the four years, the awarded grant of $398,214 has allowed the Museum to hire up to four mentors each year as well as a full-time staff member whose focus is college counseling, in order to improve the participants’ ability to compete for entry into college.

“This program reached out to me and gave me the support and confidence to become the person I am today, which is a strong African American girl that knows where her path lies. My path lies down the road of success, achievements and accomplishment,” said Jessica Joseph, Upward Bound Math & Science participant class of 2011.

From Left to Right: Steve Solomon and Elise Dubois from AT&T; Joshua Reid, Upward Bound student; Gillian Thomas, Museum President and CEO; and Amy Rubinson, Director of Youth Development

AT&T’s ASPIRE program is a $100 million initiative that addresses high school success as well as college and workforce readiness. It is the company’s most significant education initiative to date and one of the largest corporate commitments ever to address high school success and workforce readiness. The program is centered on four key components:

• Awarding grants to school districts, school district foundations and nonprofit organizations focused on preparing students for college and/or the workforce.
• Providing job-shadowing opportunities for 100,000 students, in conjunction with Junior Achievement Worldwide, giving students the chance to see firsthand the job skills needed to be successful in the future.
• Commissioning the next chapter of major research on the high school dropout issue and solutions by directly engaging educational practitioners; and underwriting 100 community dropout-prevention summits, organized by America’s Promise Alliance, to engage education experts and community leaders across all 50 states around the high school dropout crisis and ways to address it.

During the school year, Upward Bound Math & Science students participate in Saturday workshops at the Museum covering a wide variety of topics including hands-on science activities, tutoring and homework help, college preparation, computer lab access and internship experiences. In the summertime, students participate in an intensive six-week field research experience that allowed them to deepen their science, research, and technology skills. All of these components were designed increase the students’ belief in their abilities and motivate them to stay on track to get into, and finish, college.

“In the past two years, 100% of our students have graduated from high school and all of our current senior class students have met the requirements for graduation in 2012.” said Amy Rubinson, Director of Youth Development at the Museum. “We are so proud of the students’ many accomplishments, including several scholarship awards from the prestigious Dell Scholarships to Gates Millennium Scholarships. We greatly appreciate philanthropic organizations like AT&T for providing us the opportunity to keep this important program going.”

Miami Science Museum’s Upward Bound Math & Science program engages under-represented youth in the sciences by encouraging them to stay in school and pursue post-secondary education in science and math. Since the program’s inception, 98% of students enrolled have graduated from high school and over 90% have pursued a college education, compared to 54% graduation rates and 65% college enrollment rates at the Program’s target schools. Currently, Miami Science Museum is the only museum in the country operating an Upward Bound Math & Science Center. All others are university-based. The Museum’s program has received many accolades, including National Award for Museum Service for Excellence in Youth Programming in 2001, and the coveted NSF Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in 2005.

What does conservation mean to you? Does it mean taking action to save an endangered species? Protecting a threatened environment? Recycling? Visiting a local National Park to learn about your environment? Turning off the water while you brush your teeth? It can mean all of these things, and the Miami Science Museum’s “Wild Evening” was held to open people’s eyes to amazing people and programs with the goal of conservation.

The evening kicked off with Wild Carpathia, a documentary about Romania’s Carpathian Mountains, home to Europe’s largest area of pristine forests and largest populations of brown bears, lynxes, and wolves. Sadly, the region is currently under threat of developers and other destructive factors.  So documentarian Paul Lister set about making the film to “put the record straight about Romania and to show the world something that needs to be protected.” Paul is the founder of The European Nature Trust (TENT), which funded the film, and also helps protect and restore wilderness areas all throughout Europe, in part by working with rural communities to promote youth education, tourism and local industry. You can “visit” Wild Carpathia too by watching the documentary here:

Another film highlighted at the Museum’s “Wild Evening” event was an upcoming feature-length film called BEARTREK, produced by Wildlife Media and ecologist Chris Morgan. Chris is no stranger to adventure. Over the last 20 years, he has worked as a wildlife researcher specializing in bears, a wilderness guide, a television host for PBS Nature, National Geographic, and the BBC, an also as an environmental educator on every continent where bears exist. His mantra? “What’s good for bears is good for people.” The BEARTREK film and campaign follows Chris’s global adventure to fund and film critical bear conservation projects in Alaska, Peru, Borneo and the Arctic. Chris’s personal mission is to make conservation a part of everyday life for all individuals by inspiring people to appreciate wildlife and wild places, and creating solutions that intertwine human welfare with the health of our planet. He says: “We’re all in this together. If we can’t get it right, we’re in trouble.” You can follow the BEARTREK and see an exclusive clip of the film here:

Paul and Chris are working hard to raise awareness all over the world about nature and wildlife conservation. Now you are aware too! We can all do our part, and a little drop of help from each of us can create an ocean of difference for the Earth.

James Herring with Miami Science Museum President and CEO Gillian Thomas

Miami Science Museum’s Exhibit Designer and Tour Manager James Herring also happens to be a skilled ceramic artist, practicing his craft for over 35 years. In addition to his exhibit design work at the Museum, he serves as the president of the Ceramic League of Miami, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating members and the general public in all aspects of ceramics. Recently, James was successful in winning a Knight Arts Challenge Grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, to expand the facilities and programs of the Ceramic League.

The League currently offers classes, lectures and workshops to members as well as nonmembers. The facility is already equipped with studios, wheels, a slab roller, an extruder, electric and gas kilns, including two raku kilns, and a fully stocked glaze formulation area.

The grant will further strengthen the ceramic arts in South Florida by providing “complete facilities for ceramics enthusiasts and professionals,” said James. The grant will equip the center with a new custom-built ‘soda kiln’, and to host a series of workshops, lectures and classes to raise public awareness about the broad appeal and varied styles of the ceramic arts, and introduce students and young artists to the possibilities of working with clay.

“The thing about clay is that it’s immediate. You don’t need tools. You can just use your hands and it becomes an extension of yourself,” said James.

A Miami native, James first started studying ceramics in high school and eventually earned a BFA in Visual Arts from Florida International University with an emphasis on ceramics. He was an artist in residence at the Penland School in North Carolina for several years before returning to Miami to work as the Visual Arts Director for Ground Level, an alternative gallery at Art Center South Florida on Miami Beach.

For more information about the Ceramic League of Miami, visit: http://ceramicleaguemiami.org

Miami Science Museum celebrated two nights of laser shows this past weekend during Laser Fest 2012. A marathon of shows entertained over two thousand laser show enthusiasts on  Friday and Saturday nights.

“We love the Museum’s Fabulous First Fridays,” said Maureen F. “We come with the kids to see a laser show and check out the night sky from the rooftop telescope. It was nice to have two nights in a row to choose from.”

Friday evening, there was a free Planetarium star show and free telescopic observing at the Weintraub Observatory, followed by laser shows set to music by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Beastie Boys and Bob Marley. On Saturday night, audiences rocked out to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley and Radiohead. “Pop”, a new, family-friendly show, ran both nights.

“This is our second night in a row here to see laser shows,” said Dan. “It’s such a cool experience! We’ll be back for the next Laser Fest for sure!”

The Planetarium hosts laser shows on the first Friday of each month and on special occasions such as National Astronomy Day and Laser Fest. First Friday laser shows are part of Fabulous First Fridays and include a number of special events, including a free star show at 7:30 p.m. in the Planetarium followed by free telescopic observing at the rooftop observatory from 8-10 p.m., weather permitting. There is also an activity room where kids can explore, learn and have fun while their parents check out a laser show.

The Space Transit Planetarium at Miami Science Museum has been producing laser shows since 1975, employing some of the latest laser technology displayed on the 4 story high and 7 story wide Planetarium dome. For more information about the Planetarium and a schedule of events, visit: Planetarium Laser Shows

Nearly 1.5 million visitors throughout the U.S. and Canada have enjoyed the Museum’s touring exhibition: Amazon Voyage: Vicious Fishes and Other Riches. Launched in 2005, with competitive funding from the National Science Foundation, the exhibition is currently at the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas, marking its 15th venue over the last 5 years. Visitors have enjoyed this remarkable 5,000 square-foot bilingual exhibition, where visitors embark on a voyage along the most biologically diverse river system in the world and encounter creatures worthy of legend, including piranhas, anacondas, caimans, stingrays and pink dolphins.

The Academy of Natural Sciences (ANSP) recently featured one piece of the Amazon Voyage puzzle in its “200 Years. 200 Stories.” segment online. The article on the ANSP website describes the evolution of the modern day piranha from its ancestor the prehistoric Megapiranha which existed about 9 million years ago. The illustration used for the article was created specifically for Amazon Voyage by artist Ray Troll.

 To read the full text, visit: http://www.ansp.org/200/stories/a-bite-of-evolution

This year, Miami Science Museum hosted a tent called the “Green Planet” in the Children’s Alley at the Miami Book Fair International, an event that attracts approximately half a million people each year.

Partnering with local green organizations, including the Big Blue & You Foundation, Deering Estate at Cutler, DuMond Conservancy for Primates and Tropical Forests, FIU Go Green, Miami-Dade County Public Works and Waste Management, Nature’s Natives, ReThink and ReUse Center, and Sweet Vine, over 3,000 guests enjoyed interactive activities, story time and presentations all aimed at increasing visitors’ awareness about the importance of sustainability and taking care of our environment. “So many people complain that Miami isn’t cultural enough; that there isn’t enough to do with kids…well, here you have it!” said Jeanette G. “I love books and so do my kids. What’s even better is that there are plenty of activities to do with the little ones. We spent quite a bit of time in the “Green Planet” tent doing art and, most importantly, learning about being “green”. There’s still so much to see and do that we’ll have to come back tomorrow!”

Visitors had the opportunity to make puppets out of “junk” (materials, such as coffeemakers, fuses and binder clips, that were headed for the garbage bin but were repurposed as puppet-making materials for this project), listen to stories with environmentally conscious lessons, plant their very own grass in biodegradable planters, design their own feather and add it to a bird silhouette, as well as play board games made with reused materials that follow the life cycle of plastic bottles. Visitors also had the chance to learn about hydroponics, the parts of a plant, how long trash takes to biodegrade in the ocean, what can and cannot be recycled, and how atlases and satellite imagery can help save the tropical rainforest and its primate population.

The Museum’s efforts taught children and adults alike to be more conscious of our planet and to make better “green” decisions and, as 5-year-old James said: “We get to have fun!”