Colorado’s future scientists and rocket engineers soon will have a new place to hone their skills and find inspiration. As part of its $16.1 million expansion project, the Children’s Museum of Denver plans to expand its popular “3, 2, 1… Blast Off!” rocket-science exhibit with a $300,000 gift from Centennial-based United Launch Alliance.
This is a much different partnership, however, than a corporate sponsorship connected only by a checkbook. The ULA team has been hands-on all the way, collaborating with the museum to develop and design the exhibit, museum president and CEO Mike Yankovich said.
“ULA has come out — engineers, educators — and really been a part of the active programming. I think what’s so unique about this partnership is that we did it together,” he said. “Besides, when you have rocket scientists on your team, it’s pretty cool.”
ULA — which partners with several other organizations around the U.S. to engage kids with rocketry and science, including the Denver Museum of Nature & Science — has worked with the Children’s Museum since early 2007.
In addition to consulting on the design of the new exhibit, ULA rocket scientists and engineers regularly visit the museum to talk to kids.
The company has contributed $105,000 of operating support and a $100,000 in-kind donation of an Atlas test model rocket for the museum since 2007, as well as $300,000 for the museum’s current capital campaign.
This kind of support is vital to the museum, which is completely dependent on fundraising to keep the doors open, said spokeswoman Zoe Ocampo.
“Our gate admission doesn’t actually pay what it costs to have someone come in, so it’s all fundraising,” she said. “We’re not a city entity. We get (Scientific & Cultural Facilities District) funding, but we’re not on city property, so we don’t get bonds. We’re entirely private funding.”
The museum, which began the $16.1 million capital campaign in late 2013, is currently about $669,000 short of its goal, Ocampo said. The museum broke ground on the expansion in April 2014 and expects to open the new areas later this year.
Foundation grants and gifts have been the primary donors, making up 63 percent of the pot, with 24 percent coming from individual donors. So far, 13 percent of the capital campaign’s support has been provided by corporations such as ULA.
Oil and gas company Encana is the top corporate donor, kicking in $1 million to sponsor the new 2,100-square-foot energy exhibit, of which “3, 2, 1…Blast Off!” is a part.
The new areas are being designed with active learning in mind, Yankovich said, which signals a shift from hands-on play to putting science into action in a very organic way — with experimentation and collaboration.
“You see strangers who start sharing ideas based on their designs, going back and learning from each other. That’s just incredibly powerful,” Yankovich said.
In addition to the rocketry area, the energy exhibit will include a hot air balloon launch area, a station that teaches solar energy and a wind tunnel where kids can put on “airplane wings” to experience the sensation of how airplanes take off. (Don’t worry, no kids will fly away!)
“We’ve designed the experiences to be challenging, intriguing and relevant,” Yankovich said. “Children are capable of understanding remarkable things.”
Laura Keeney: 303-954-1337, lkeeney@denverpost.com or twitter.com/LauraKeeney
