The Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania won’t open this year — as once hoped — but the nonprofit group is on track for a soft opening in May 2011, its director said.
Art Heim, a longtime Centre Region resident and Penn State retiree, began work Oct. 1 as part-time director for the nonprofit museum group. Speaking with StateCollege.com last week, he said the State College organization has raised about 25 percent of the $500,000 it will need over the next year.
He said that money will go toward developing exhibits and launching operations for the space, to open at 112 W. Foster Ave. The hands-on museum, actively in the works for several years now, is expected to be the only one of its kind within an 80- to 90-mile radius, Heim said.
‘My job is to help pull the wires together a little tighter and move it forward,’ Heim said. He said fundraising for the museum will be a perpetual endeavor.
As he and about 25 core volunteer organizers set the groundwork for the museum, Heim previewed some of the exhibits tentatively in the works for Discovery Space. He said most attractions will be designed for children between the ages of six and 12.
‘Our basic mission is science … as discovery,’ Heim explained. ‘We want to young people to experience that phenomenon. … They want to know what’s behind the door.’
Among those exhibits now being planned:
- An environmental feature in which children can literally climb a tree and learn about its infrastructure.
- Features that focus on weather. Those could build on local work in the meteorology field, Heim said.
- Attractions centered on human nutrition, the production of food and its passage through the human body. That theme could be effective in helping young people to think about obesity, diabetes and related issues, Heim said.
- A three-dimensional, interactive wall that can host a variety of displays on varying subjects.
- A large-scale map that will focus on Centre County, the region’s topography and the small communities surrounding State College borough.
- An interactive exhibit known as Spark!Lab, provided by the Smithsonian. It helps visitors understand how new devices and inventions are developed.
- An area known as ‘the Nest,’ a play area oriented toward toddlers and located near the environmental exhibit.
Heim said the museum will be kept ‘as dynamic as possible,’ with rotation of exhibits in and out of the space with some frequency. That frequency has yet to be established.
The museum is expected to cover about 4,200 square feet of first-floor space at 112 W. Foster Ave., where the nonprofit group has committed to lease room for at least three years. Plans include room for meeting, special-event and chemistry-demonstration spaces, as well.
And at some point, Discovery Space may expand upward into second-floor space in the building, Heim said.
He said one goal is to form mutually beneficial partnerships with local entrepreneurial firms in science and technology fields, as well as with other businesses and volunteer groups.
‘We want to perpetuate the entrepreneurial potential in this community,’ Heim said. For some visitors, perhaps the theme will help ‘begin a career of learning and doing in science and technology,’ he said.
Already, a number of local companies have helped Discovery Space gain its footing financially and technically, with monetary and in-kind support, Heim said. He acknowledged that some exhibits may not be fully prepared when the museum first opens, but at least ‘it’ll be open.’
In the meantime, the community will get a glimpse of the space on New Year’s Eve, as part of the First Night State College festivities. Specifics have yet to be finalized, but the Foster Avenue facility is slated to host an open house in the afternoon on Dec. 31.
At that point, preparations for the museum will still be under way.
‘This is your chance to get a glimpse of the place in its crude state,’ Heim said.
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