Update from our CEO April 18, 2014
Dear Friend of the Museums,
I often get the chance to take visitors on a tour of The Discovery Museums, and each time it is a chance to re-discover for myself the excellence in our work and the dedication of our staff. Recently, I had the opportunity to take Governor Deval Patrick, Secretary of Education Matthew Malone, and Commissioner of Early Education and Care Tom Weber on an in-depth tour. The staff and I were very excited to show the Governor what we do here for children and families, as we expect that many don't realize the scope of what we do.
The Governor's surprise was evident almost immediately when we discussed the scope of the museum. In 2013 we served 172,000 people, making us the 15th largest museum in Massachusetts. More remarkably, we do that on a budget of just under $1.5M. On a per-dollar basis we serve more people than any museum in the Commonwealth.
Our unique approach to hands-on science for the youngest children had the both Governor and the state education leaders engaged and pleased. The very accessible, intuitive, fun but scientifically accurate aspects of our exhibits and programs are consistent with their goal of inspiring kids at the earliest ages to be excited and engaged with STEM learning.
As we moved through the tour, our guests had the chance to do several staff-led nano science activities. As part of a national museum collaborative to bring nano science to children and families, last year more than 530 people did hands-on, staff-led nano experiments with us, and many thousands visited our Nano exhibit. Nano is an emerging technology with applications that the creative young minds who visit us today will use to solve problems in the years to come.
The Governor had a number of other interesting encounters: he met Jill Foster the director of our Traveling Science Workshop program and was surprised to learn scope of
our in-school science programs: more than 27,000 students in close to 1,300 classrooms throughout New England last year. He also had the chance to meet with a group of Israeli early childhood educators that were visiting us as part of our professional development collaboration with Hebrew College, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and the Gelfand Family Charitable Trust.
To top off his visit, the Governor helped us kick off World Autism Awareness Month by painting our dinosaur mascot Bessie a wonderful shade of blue in recognition of the Light It Up Blue campaign. He, the Commissioner, and the Education Secretary were pleased to hear about our free events and programs for families who have children with an autism spectrum disorder or who are deaf or hard of hearing. We were pleased to report that more than 40,000 people visited the Museums for free or at deeply reduced cost through those and other events under our Open Door Connections program.
Commissioner Weber called The Discovery Museums, "a remarkable resource for this community, with wonderful enrichment activities focused on STEM."
He also commented on the work we do "...providing remarkable technical assistance to others in the early education field, so they're not just impacting families here, but resonating across the Commonwealth. It's really great work."
Commissioner Tom Weber, CEO Neil Gordon, Governor Deval Patrick, Secretary Matthew Malone
Secretary Malone said that he really appreciated the Museums' STEM focus and accessibility for children with autism. He remarked, "There is great work being done here that encourages young folks to be inquisitive. Kids get fired up about learning, that's what's so great about this type of learning opportunity for kids."
Governor Patrick said he was pleased and surprised about what he'd learned. "I knew the museum was here but did not realize how robust it is, the number of visitors, and the range of the emphasis on science--which is incredibly important for our young people's future."
He reflected a moment and said, "I am very proud of the work that The Discovery Museums does."
I hope you share his pride. The support we get from all of you is incredible, and makes our work possible. I would love to take you on a tour. Your thoughts and feedback are always welcome, please email me at ngordon [at] discoverymuseums.org.
Thank you to our friends at Acton TV for taping the visit and posting a brief piece on it on their website. You can see Governor Patrick try his hand at some nano science, make a Harmonograph drawing, meet some visitors, and paint Bessie blue for Autism Awareness Month here http://bit.ly/GovVisitsTDM.
Best,
Neil H. Gordon
Chief Executive Officer
P.S. The 2013 Annual Report of The Discovery Museums is available. The theme of this year's report is Readiness, and includes a terrific piece on the thoughts of three professionals on what children need to be ready to be successful in school and in their lives. I hope you will enjoy this snapshot of our work and our year, and will share it with your friends and colleagues. If you would prefer to receive a hard copy, please let me know. As always, I appreciate any feedback you'd like to give.