Digging dirt pays off for one St. Louis high school student
Monday, March 14, 2016
- Log in to post comments
Missouri EPSCoR helps fund 1-acre permanent agriculture exhibit at SLSC
Monday, December 7, 2015
St. Louis Science Center announces new 1-acre permanent agriculture exhibit
St. Louis Post Dispatch
November 23, 2015
The St. Louis Science Center announced details Monday of a new one-acre permanent exhibit on agriculture. Titled “GROW,” it will teach about “food from farm to fork.”
The $7.3 million project will be paid for primarily by private donations and bond money from 2014 and in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation EPSCoR program. It is expected to open next summer. The first major addition of a permanent exhibit at the center since 1991, when the facility’s main building was constructed, it will be built on the former Exploradome site, at 5050 Oakland Avenue.
The idea for GROW arose before the by-then-outdated Exploradome was deflated in 2013, said Science Center president and CEO Bert Vescolani, who began his job in December 2011. In talking about possible new exhibits, he said, the staff realized that with the global population expected to rise from 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050, a major increase in global food production will be required.
“We got excited about things that were happening in food and agriculture,” Vescolani said in a telephone interview. “We tested it with our scientific advisers, and it resonated with everyone.”
GROW, which will include more that 40 exhibits incorporating chemistry, economics, life sciences, culture and technology, will be open year-round. Along with an introduction to farming, there will be facts about water, weather and how plants work, and a greenhouse with a working aquaponic farm, in which fish fertilize the plants.
There will also be bees and the Fermentation Station, where visitors can experience what Vescolani called “the power of using microbes and the unique environment that these little critters live in to make the things we love, like cheese and wine and beer,” both during regular hours and as “after-hours opportunities to show off.”
Along with a large running tractor, GROW will have a flock of chickens, and a do-it-yourself farming area. The idea, said Vescolani, “is to learn more about the food that we eat.”
Most of the project will be outdoors, with interactive exhibits designed by Oakland, Calif., firm Gyroscope, and activities. Renowned architect Gyo Obata, working as the lead designer with architecture and design firm Arcturis, will design a pavilion containing permanent classrooms. (In April 2014, Zoo-Museum District board member Pat Whitaker resigned from the board after revelations that the Science Center had awarded Arcturis, her company, a contract worth tens of thousands of dollars.)
GROW seems to be a unique concept. Normally, when a new exhibition is considered, “we look around to see who’s done it really well,” Vescolani said. “But there’s not another exhibit like this anywhere in the world that we know of. Some science centers around the country have done something about farming, but nothing like this.”
- Log in to post comments
The National STEM Report Released
Thursday, November 19, 2015
The ACT has released its 2015 National STEM Report this week, which assesses levels of achievement and levels of interest in STEM among college-ready high school students. STEM is Science, Computer Science and Mathematics, Medical and Health, and Engineering and Technology. The report found that about half of US high school graduates have expressed interest in STEM majors and careers. Other key findings include:
- Interest in STEM remains high
- Students with STEM interest that is both expressed and measured outperformed their peers
- For the first time, students are measured against the ACT STEM College Readiness Benchmark
- Interest in teaching STEM subject areas continues to lag
This report shows achievement levels in each area of STEM on the national level, as well as the actual number and percentage of students interested in specific majors and occupations.
View the report here or by clicking the image below:
- Log in to post comments
2015 STEM Summit Agenda Announced
Friday, September 25, 2015
The Missouri Mathematics and Science Coalition will be hosting its 4th bi-annual MO STEM Summit, November 4-5, 2015 in St. Louis. This event will bring together leaders, visionaries from education, business and government to share best practices and to advance the agenda for innovation in Missouri's STEM education and policy development.
This year's Summit will focus attention on high-impact STEM Programming that is being delivered in the K-12 and Higher Education sectors. Emphasis is also being placed upon business and education partnerships that help with career pathway development.
Who should attend? Anyone who is focused on STEM Education at the K-12, postsecondary and in business industry.
2015 STEM Summit Details
Wednesday, November 4th & Thursday, November 5th, 2015
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel- Chesterfield
16625 Swingley Bridge Road
St. Louis, MO 63017
Click Here for the Agenda
Please contact Brian Crouse at bcrouse [at] mochamber [dot] com or 573-634-3511 or visit www.momathandscience.com.
- Log in to post comments
Digging dirt pays off for one St. Louis high school student
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
For more information about the Academy of Science St. Louis Science Fair, visit:
- Log in to post comments