Photo: Joshua Franzos
On one very cold day last January, after nearly a decade of planning, we took our first hard-hat tour of Carnegie Science Center’s new expansion, the PPG SCIENCE PAVILION™—what now includes the FedEx STEM Learning Labs, the Scaife Exhibit Gallery, and the event venue PointView Hall.
It was gratifying and exhilarating to finally “feel” these spaces. And the views of the city from the classrooms and event hall were—are—breathtaking. It’s a cliché to say we were speechless—but, in fact, we were. One of us surveyed the spaces slowly and then broadly grinned. The other’s eyes welled with tears.
This expansion and the SPARK! Campaign that funded it were an outgrowth of Carnegie Science Center’s Vision: 2020 strategic plan, which we developed in 2009 and 2010. In those early days, our end goal sometimes seemed impossible. But now, because of the support of so many in the community, we’re opening our doors to a new era for the Science Center and the hundreds of thousands of people we serve.
In this new era, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and workforce development remain a key focus of our mission, and we will continue to innovate in this arena, as we’ve done over the past six-plus years since we launched the Center for STEM Education and Career Development. We’ve put ourselves on the map in STEM education, both regionally and nationally—and now internationally, with the work of our Fab Lab—and we won’t slow down.
Because of the support of so many in the community, we’re opening our doors to a new era for the Science Center and the hundreds of thousands of people we serve.
The Science Center is now a major destination for touring exhibitions, beginning with The Art of the Brick—the kinds of large, world-class exhibitions that attract visitors from our region and beyond but previously didn’t come to our city. And, judging from the overwhelming interest we’re already seeing in PointView Hall, the Science Center is also fast-becoming known as a top-flight location for conferences and events of all kinds, both social and corporate. The Rangos Giant Cinema, which has been completely renovated as part of our SPARK! Campaign, already has become a major destination, too, offering diverse educational films, Hollywood fare, live streams, and event offerings, both serious and whimsical.
Carnegie Science Center was already well-known as a great place for families to have fun while learning about science, and we always will offer those experiences. But the new PPG Science Pavilion is helping us make an even broader impact. We’re now able to serve new audiences, welcoming those who’ve never before seen themselves as “science center people.”
After years of planning, and after receiving so many generous gifts to realize our shared vision, it’s gratifying to give back to the Pittsburgh community not just an expanded Science Center but a truly inspired, world-class destination for science learning and fun, STEM programming, community building, and a place to gather and appreciate an amazing view of our beautiful city.
Ann M. Metzger and Ronald J. Baillie
Henry Buhl, Jr., Co-Directors, Carnegie Science Center
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