SEATTLE — The Museum of Flight opened its new $2.5 million Alaska Airlines Aerospace Education Center, May 7.
The 5 to 9 p.m. event coincided with the Museum’s Space Day celebration and Free First Thursday.
The Center is open every day and staffed with an education professional to provide guidance about museum educational programs, as well as science, technology, engineering and math opportunities everywhere. Services are free with admission to the museum.
The Education Center staffers help visiting families get started on any number of on-site educational activities, including robotics, scavenger hunts and flight simulations.
Staff can provide college counseling, and the center is equipped with visitor computer stations for accessing academic scholarships and career data.
Museum Education Services Specialist Samantha Geltz describes her job at the Center, “I am trying to create an area with as much information about college, scholarship, grant, and internship opportunities as possible. If I had this information before I went to college I would have had a completely different experience.”
The museum also celebrated Space Day – an internationally recognized educational event – on May 7. Local science and astronomy clubs were at the museum to share their telescopes with the public. Viewing opportunities will included solar activity and the night sky. NASA Solar System Ambassador, Dr. Ron Hobbs, will delivered a presentation about the Hubble Space Telescope.