...Next year when the Infinity Science Center opens near Stennis Space Center, it will bring to
South Mississippi a unique attraction where visitors will be able to have fun learning about
some of the science and technology fields that play a role in the nation’s economy.
...Some young people may become scientists who change the world. And while Infinity is, in
itself, a major step forward in promoting the science and technology activities of Mississippi, it’
s just part of a bigger picture that could play a role in the Gulf Coast’s future.
...Without any region-wide master plan, the Gulf Coast is developing a cluster of science and
learning centers along the Interstate 10 corridor that could elevate perceptions of the region. It’
s happening at a time when the nation is struggling to get young people interested in careers in
science, technology, engineering and math.
Gathering storm
...The National Academies in its 2005 and 2010 "Gathering Storm" reports said the United
States needs to invest more in science and technology to remain competitive in the global
marketplace. In fact, the 2010 report said the situation has gotten worse.
...Among other things, it pointed out that the U.S. ranks 48th in quality of math and science
education; 27th among developed nations in the proportion of college students receiving
undergraduate degrees in science or engineering; and that the nation graduates more visual arts
and performing arts majors than engineers.
...“This nation’s built on innovation and entrepreneurship. All of us, as engineering graduates,
are alarmed. It just seems like there’s going to be a decrease in students pursuing science,
engineering and math majors in school,” said Patrick Scheuermann, director of Stennis Space
Center.
...“Our lifeblood here – the 5,400 people who come to work every day – the vast majority are
science and engineering and math majors,” he said. A pipeline of scientists/technicians is
crucial, not only for SSC but for other industries. “Stennis is but a microcosm, and NASA is
just one industry in the whole nation.”
...Stennis Space Center has multiple programs to reach back into the community and spark
interest in careers in science and technology. But one of the most high profile is through
Infinity.
The centers
...Science centers like Infinity are hardly new. The Association of Science-Technology Centers
has nearly 600 members, 444 of them science centers operating or under development in 45
countries. Six science-technology centers between Southeast Louisiana and Northwest Florida,
including Infinity, are members of ASTC.
...These centers give science a presence in a community and offer people the opportunity to
ask questions, discuss and explore. They have hands-on exhibits and demonstrations, and for
young people it can pique their interest in pursuing careers in science.
...One of the best known may be the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., home
of the internationally known Space Camp, Space Academy and Advanced Space Academy.
The science center in Huntsville underscored the city’s role as one of the nation’s premier
science and technology hotspot.
...Science centers like Infinity engage visitors, providing them with the science in an
entertaining fashion.
...“It’s a 21st century generation and this is a 21st century science center,” said Scheuermann
about Infinity.
...Infinity Science Center is a $40 million, 72,000 square-foot attraction that sits on 200 acres
adjacent to the Mississippi welcome center at Exit 2 on Interstate 10, just east of the Louisiana-
Mississippi state line.
...Having it just off the interstate will make it more accessible.
...“You won’t need the security passes and everything else. When people are traveling with
their families, they just don’t have time to stop and do all that,” said Scheuermann.
...At the center, visitors will be able to explore the farthest reaches of outer space, the depths
of the oceans and the varied layers of the Earth. In the Welcome Center they’ll encounter
“Science Express,” fast-paced activities aimed at drop-in visitors and designed to whet their
appetites to explore the main galleries that focus on Earth, oceans and space.
...The Infinity Web site said the mission is to create an attraction “that will inspire, amaze and
engage those who visit.” It’s set up in a way that invites visitors to explore through deepening
levels of involvement.
...The key word may be “engage,” a way to reach youth inundated in a rising sea of
information.
...“There’s a lot of social media that’s more appealing to kids,” said Scheuermann. “We’ve
just got to make some kind of connection.”
...That’s where places like Infinity come in. Science and technology learning centers are not
the solution to the problem, but they go a long way towards sparking interest.
The science region
...What is particularly exciting for the region as a whole is that Infinity, while unique, is not the
only new science center developing in the region. Across the state line in Alabama, the $36
million, 90,000 square-foot GulfQuest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf Coast expects
to open in 2012.
...GulfQuest’s focus is the 600,000 square-mile Gulf of Mexico – the ninth largest body of
water in the world. Visitors will step aboard a full-size replica of a container ship docked inside
the building. Exhibits will be thematically linked to areas inside the container ship.
...Visitors will discover an array of topics including early settlements and trade routes, marine
archeology and shipwrecks, Gulf animal and plant life, weather and hurricanes, marine and
coastal environments, maritime commerce and shipbuilding, ship navigation and
communication, offshore oil/gas platforms, and more.
...Traveling exhibitions will expand the visitor experience. These exhibitions will feature a
combination of maritime artifacts and interactive elements, and will change frequently to
attract new and repeat visitors to GulfQuest. Not far from GulfQuest is the Gulf Coast
Exploreum.
...Further to the east in Florida’s Pensacola will be the 102,000 square-foot National Flight
Academy, adjacent to the National Naval Aviation Museum within Naval Air Station
Pensacola. One of its purposes is to address the decline in STEM skills and standards.
...It seeks to inspire students in fields including aerodynamics, propulsion, navigation,
communications, flight physiology and meteorology. In addition to the in-residence program,
the NFA will offer a web-based Distance Learning Program for both students and teachers.
...The academy will teach the principles of science, technology, engineering, and math with an
immersive, hands-on approach. Students in 7th through 12th grades spend 5 ½ days
undergoing an intensive course that combines classroom fundamentals with virtual reality.
They join a squadron and plan and execute missions based on real-world events.
Source of encouragement
...Scheuermann said one of the missions in NASA is outreach and education to encourage
interest in STEM and related fields. And a part of that is going into local communities.
...“It’s incumbent upon us to go back and reiterate to grade school students that none of this is
outside their reach,” he said about careers in science, technology, engineering and math. And
the centers like Infinity will help in that effort.
...While the three science-technology centers are not linked together in any formal way, they
each have the common goal of interesting a new generation in science, technology, engineering
and math. Each does so in a different way and are targeting different fields.
...“They’re not repetitive; they’re all blended together on what they do distinctly,” said
Scheuermann. – David Tortorano
April 2011
South Mississippi a unique attraction where visitors will be able to have fun learning about
some of the science and technology fields that play a role in the nation’s economy.
...Some young people may become scientists who change the world. And while Infinity is, in
itself, a major step forward in promoting the science and technology activities of Mississippi, it’
s just part of a bigger picture that could play a role in the Gulf Coast’s future.
...Without any region-wide master plan, the Gulf Coast is developing a cluster of science and
learning centers along the Interstate 10 corridor that could elevate perceptions of the region. It’
s happening at a time when the nation is struggling to get young people interested in careers in
science, technology, engineering and math.
Gathering storm
...The National Academies in its 2005 and 2010 "Gathering Storm" reports said the United
States needs to invest more in science and technology to remain competitive in the global
marketplace. In fact, the 2010 report said the situation has gotten worse.
...Among other things, it pointed out that the U.S. ranks 48th in quality of math and science
education; 27th among developed nations in the proportion of college students receiving
undergraduate degrees in science or engineering; and that the nation graduates more visual arts
and performing arts majors than engineers.
...“This nation’s built on innovation and entrepreneurship. All of us, as engineering graduates,
are alarmed. It just seems like there’s going to be a decrease in students pursuing science,
engineering and math majors in school,” said Patrick Scheuermann, director of Stennis Space
Center.
...“Our lifeblood here – the 5,400 people who come to work every day – the vast majority are
science and engineering and math majors,” he said. A pipeline of scientists/technicians is
crucial, not only for SSC but for other industries. “Stennis is but a microcosm, and NASA is
just one industry in the whole nation.”
...Stennis Space Center has multiple programs to reach back into the community and spark
interest in careers in science and technology. But one of the most high profile is through
Infinity.
The centers
...Science centers like Infinity are hardly new. The Association of Science-Technology Centers
has nearly 600 members, 444 of them science centers operating or under development in 45
countries. Six science-technology centers between Southeast Louisiana and Northwest Florida,
including Infinity, are members of ASTC.
...These centers give science a presence in a community and offer people the opportunity to
ask questions, discuss and explore. They have hands-on exhibits and demonstrations, and for
young people it can pique their interest in pursuing careers in science.
...One of the best known may be the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., home
of the internationally known Space Camp, Space Academy and Advanced Space Academy.
The science center in Huntsville underscored the city’s role as one of the nation’s premier
science and technology hotspot.
...Science centers like Infinity engage visitors, providing them with the science in an
entertaining fashion.
...“It’s a 21st century generation and this is a 21st century science center,” said Scheuermann
about Infinity.
...Infinity Science Center is a $40 million, 72,000 square-foot attraction that sits on 200 acres
adjacent to the Mississippi welcome center at Exit 2 on Interstate 10, just east of the Louisiana-
Mississippi state line.
...Having it just off the interstate will make it more accessible.
...“You won’t need the security passes and everything else. When people are traveling with
their families, they just don’t have time to stop and do all that,” said Scheuermann.
...At the center, visitors will be able to explore the farthest reaches of outer space, the depths
of the oceans and the varied layers of the Earth. In the Welcome Center they’ll encounter
“Science Express,” fast-paced activities aimed at drop-in visitors and designed to whet their
appetites to explore the main galleries that focus on Earth, oceans and space.
...The Infinity Web site said the mission is to create an attraction “that will inspire, amaze and
engage those who visit.” It’s set up in a way that invites visitors to explore through deepening
levels of involvement.
...The key word may be “engage,” a way to reach youth inundated in a rising sea of
information.
...“There’s a lot of social media that’s more appealing to kids,” said Scheuermann. “We’ve
just got to make some kind of connection.”
...That’s where places like Infinity come in. Science and technology learning centers are not
the solution to the problem, but they go a long way towards sparking interest.
The science region
...What is particularly exciting for the region as a whole is that Infinity, while unique, is not the
only new science center developing in the region. Across the state line in Alabama, the $36
million, 90,000 square-foot GulfQuest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf Coast expects
to open in 2012.
...GulfQuest’s focus is the 600,000 square-mile Gulf of Mexico – the ninth largest body of
water in the world. Visitors will step aboard a full-size replica of a container ship docked inside
the building. Exhibits will be thematically linked to areas inside the container ship.
...Visitors will discover an array of topics including early settlements and trade routes, marine
archeology and shipwrecks, Gulf animal and plant life, weather and hurricanes, marine and
coastal environments, maritime commerce and shipbuilding, ship navigation and
communication, offshore oil/gas platforms, and more.
...Traveling exhibitions will expand the visitor experience. These exhibitions will feature a
combination of maritime artifacts and interactive elements, and will change frequently to
attract new and repeat visitors to GulfQuest. Not far from GulfQuest is the Gulf Coast
Exploreum.
...Further to the east in Florida’s Pensacola will be the 102,000 square-foot National Flight
Academy, adjacent to the National Naval Aviation Museum within Naval Air Station
Pensacola. One of its purposes is to address the decline in STEM skills and standards.
...It seeks to inspire students in fields including aerodynamics, propulsion, navigation,
communications, flight physiology and meteorology. In addition to the in-residence program,
the NFA will offer a web-based Distance Learning Program for both students and teachers.
...The academy will teach the principles of science, technology, engineering, and math with an
immersive, hands-on approach. Students in 7th through 12th grades spend 5 ½ days
undergoing an intensive course that combines classroom fundamentals with virtual reality.
They join a squadron and plan and execute missions based on real-world events.
Source of encouragement
...Scheuermann said one of the missions in NASA is outreach and education to encourage
interest in STEM and related fields. And a part of that is going into local communities.
...“It’s incumbent upon us to go back and reiterate to grade school students that none of this is
outside their reach,” he said about careers in science, technology, engineering and math. And
the centers like Infinity will help in that effort.
...While the three science-technology centers are not linked together in any formal way, they
each have the common goal of interesting a new generation in science, technology, engineering
and math. Each does so in a different way and are targeting different fields.
...“They’re not repetitive; they’re all blended together on what they do distinctly,” said
Scheuermann. – David Tortorano
April 2011
Science/education
The Gulf Coast's Sci-Techland
The Gulf Coast's Sci-Techland
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