There are Few Things More Important Than Inspiring the Next Generation
It’s been a tremendous summer at your Wings of Eagles Discovery Center where more than 350 families took advantage of our pioneering Summer of Innovation program and enrolled their students in one or more of the 14 different Science, Technology, Engineering and Math summer courses. Once again, demand out stripped student seats, but the summer staff worked overtime to try to accommodate every parent who contacted us. From Little Engineers to Underwater Robotics, our third year offering these one-of-a-kind experiences for boys and girls from Southern Tier families made an impact on our area’s youth.
Our “Living Mission” Sees An Increase In Visitor Attendance
We have also seen an increase in summer visitors exploring the Discovery Center and our unique collection of historic aircraft and space artifacts. Our tour guide, Rich Green, who has lead several hundred visitors through the collection says that the number of stories we are hearing, such as “my father flew in WW 2″ and “I remember that helicopter from my tour in Vietnam”, are truly remarkable. Being able to offer a positive historic experience while Summer of Innovation was in full swing took quite a bit of juggling, but our visitors have been exceptionally supportive of our mission to use the historic museum collection to inspire STEM education opportunities. One visitor commented that he wished other museums would become more like our “living” mission. That sort of feedback makes one’s sacrifice and long hours worthwhile.
Ready, Set, … Launch on a Mission to Mars!
In the fall, we will be breaking new ground by offering year round, after school and weekend science courses including our innovative “Martian Driver’s License” learning experience. Combining “first in the country” iPad controlled “robots” with a class room coordinated curriculum, we will be demonstrating how real world robotics can be combined with virtual and distance learning programs to provide a richer learning environment for students. This unique course developed here by your Wings of Eagles staff, will kick off with a demonstration on October 11th during a day we are calling Mission to Mars. During the day, we will be celebrating the 10 years of exploration that the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have spent on Mars. We will also be showcasing special Mars exhibits and kids activities, and hosting an evening reception and dinner. The day’s activities will include a special appearance by a Mars research scientist working from Cornell University as part of NASA’s Martian rover program. All proceeds from the day’s events will be used to fund teacher activities as we launch the “Martian Driver’s License” program which will be the first in a series of nationally unique programs. Whether you have seen our “Save the Date” announcement or received information about local and national business sponsorship opportunities, we hope you can join us!
Learn more at http://bit.ly/WEgala
