Tag Archive for: saint louis science center

Kudos Affiliates! August/September 2025 Edition

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.

FUNDING

The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, IA) and the Dubuque Museum of Art (Dubuque, IA) were each awarded $23,850 in operating support from the City of Dubuque Arts and Cultural Affairs grant program. The Dubuque Museum of Art received an additional $8,000 through the Special Projects Grant Program. 

Celebrating the power of identity and belonging, the Nissan Foundation continued its commitment to community and cultural connection with grants to nonprofits across the United States this year including the following Affiliates: 

  • Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA) – to support 2025-2026 Family Festivals. 
  • Museum of Us (San Diego, CA) – to fund The Museum of Us: A Platform for the Diverse Voices of San Diego 
  • Arab American National Museum (Dearborn, MI) – to support Arab American Narratives: Education and Public Engagement 

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation announced it has awarded the Dubuque Museum of Art (Dubuque, IA) and the Anchorage Museum (Anchorage, AK) $75,000 each as part of the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, supporting the advancement of energy efficiency and clean energy projects. With the support, the Dubuque Museum of Art will install a heat recovery chiller on its new campus that will reduce the need for electrical power by 30% and natural gas consumption by 49% annually. The building will also include high performance and energy efficiency mechanical, and lighting systems and automated controls, systems commissioning, and photovoltaic readiness. The Anchorage Museum will install a rooftop solar array—its first major step toward net-zero operations by 2050. The system will reduce reliance on Anchorage’s natural gas grid, offset up to 131 metric tons of Scope 2 emissions annually, and generate an estimated $1.5 million in long-term energy savings. 

The Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP), a coalition of aquariums and zoos for aquatic conservation, received a two-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program to develop and implement a comprehensive digital and in-person public engagement campaign. This grant will provide seven member aquariums of ACP—including the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium (Dubuque, IA), with a $20,000 sub-award. These funds will be used to create and install educational and operational signage that highlights efforts to reduce plastic use and promote reusable systems. 

Engineering and construction firm Burns & McDonnell announced Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO) will receive $250,000 to enhance their Youth Exploring Science program, which supports students from underserved or traditionally underrepresented communities in STEM throughout their high school years, helping them build the knowledge and experience needed for in-demand STEM jobs. 

The Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded Conner Prairie Museum (Fishers, IN) $30,000 for the development of new nature programming for children and families as well as trail maintenance. 

The Adler Planetarium (Chicago, IL) has received a $1 million gift from the S&C Electric Company Fund to enhance its youth engagement programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The funding will help Adler deepen its long-running commitment to providing hands-on, immersive learning experiences for young people from across the city. The Adler’s summer internships place Chicago teens in professional roles across the museum, learning professional communication and teamwork skills and gaining experience in space visualization and computer science. 

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity awarded Air Zoo Aerospace and Science Center (Portage, MI) an $819,200 grant to support organizational needs. 

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (Boulder, CO) was awarded a $23.5 million contract to advance the Next-Generation Navy Environmental Prediction System Utilizing a Nonhydrostatic Engine, or NEPTUNE. The contract tasks UCAR with research and development to refine NEPTUNE, a system designed to deliver unparalleled weather forecasts for military operations. Unlike traditional weather models, NEPTUNE is built around a spectral element solver for the compressible, non-hydrostatic, deep-atmosphere equations of motion. 

LEADERSHIP

Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) announced Drew Oberjuerge as the new Executive Director. In this role, she will collaborate with foundation trustees, staff, and stakeholders to chart a new period of excellence and accessibility for the organization that stewards the historic residence and woodshop of Sam Maloof. 

Dr. Dina Bennett, Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum (Kansas City, MO), announced she will be stepping down from her role at the end of July. The Board of Directors will launch a national search for someone who can guide the museum through its next stage of growth and innovation. 

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum has named retired naval aviator and former Blue Angels pilot John P. Hiltz as its first Chief Executive Officer. With over two decades of military experience and a passion for aviation history, Hiltz will lead the museum’s strategic growth, educational programs, and community engagement. 

Kudos Affiliates!! Happy New Year Edition

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.

FUNDING 

The Indiana Historical Society (Indianapolis, IN) announced it is the recipient of a more than $48,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for the U.S.’ 250th anniversary in Indiana. The grant will allow IHS to develop an interpretive framework and resource list that connects Indiana history to the nation’s founding principles. The framework is designed to encourage conversations about America’s past, present and future and its progress. The project will be developed with input from a wide range of Indiana residents and organizations, including those from marginalized and under-represented communities. 

The Durham Museum (Omaha, NE) was one of several Nebraska organizations to receive part of a $200,000 Google donation to support community programs for Nebraskans. The Durham Museum will use the funding to support a student outreach initiative that will engage students and educators through virtual field trips, on-site field trips and other activities. 

LEADERSHIP 
 
The Board of Commissioners of the Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO) announced Dr. Ray Vandiver will succeed Todd Bastean as president and CEO of the organization. With more than three decades of experience leading science centers and museums, Vandiver joins the Science Center from the Discovery Lab in Tulsa, OK, where he served as the founding executive director for over 12 years. Vandiver will assume leadership of the Science Center on February 28, 2025. 

The Witte Museum (San Antonio, TX) Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Dr. Michelle Cuellar Everidge as CEO & president, beginning February 1, 2025. Rooted in San Antonio with a significant tenure at the Witte Museum, Dr. Everidge brings a unique combination of institutional knowledge, community connection and visionary leadership to this role. She succeeds Dirk Elmendorf, who stepped in as a transitional leader following the transformative legacy of Marise McDermott’s remarkable 20-year tenure. 

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem (New York, NY) shared Executive Director Tracy Hyter-Suffern will step down from her position on January 31, 2025. Tracy’s departure caps seven years of Tracy’s leadership, during which the Museum has celebrated a period of extraordinary growth and transformation and has reinforced its position as a leading cultural, educational and civic organization in the Harlem community, in New York City and worldwide. Susheel Kurien, who is deeply steeped in jazz, will serve as interim executive director until a permanent replacement is hired. 

C.J. Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the Tampa Bay History Center (Tampa, FL) has agreed to lead North Carolina’s statewide network of history museums. Roberts will oversee eight museums, including the flagship North Carolina Museum of History (Raleigh, NC). The center’s board of trustees will conduct a nationwide search for Roberts’ successor. 

The Museum of Sonoma County (Santa Rosa, CA) announced the appointment of Karen Wise as its new executive director. With a proven track record in museum leadership, community engagement, and strategic growth, Wise brings a wealth of experience to this vital role as the Museum enters its 40th anniversary year. 

Kudos Affiliates!! Spring 2024

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.

FUNDING

History Colorado (Denver, CO) has been awarded a $58,798 Underrepresented Community Grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service. The funding will be used by the State Historic Preservation Office to survey 25 properties associated with the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado and designate three of these properties to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Hubbell-Waterman Foundation has granted $140,000 to the Putnam Museum and Science Center (Davenport, IA) as part of a multi-year grant for capital construction to advance its vision of a growing, thriving, inclusive community through investments in innovation and accessibility.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs awarded the Pinhead Institute (Telluride, CO) $30,000 to assist historically marginalized communities statewide through educational programs.

Conner Prairie (Fishers, IN) received $5,000 from Indiana Landmarks to support efforts, including architectural assessments and repairs at historic structures, workshops, and digital walking tours promoting preservation and heritage.

Denver bankers, Donald and Susan Sturm, have donated $20 million to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Denver, CO). The gift will be used for the renovation of the museum’s theater, its east wing, and its outdoor spaces as part of an effort to expand the museum’s ability to develop new education and community programs.

Union Station, Kansas City, Inc. (Kansas City, MO) received a grant for $20,000 from Bayer Fund. This grant will be used towards building a better future by helping provide scholarships for local students to visit both Science City and the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium. The program is for students in grades K-12 at public or charter schools in the Kansas City metro area as well as non-profit community groups that serve individuals from historically underrepresented communities.

Plimoth Patuxet Museums (Plymouth, MA) was awarded $10,000 from Americana Corner’s Preserving America Grant Program. The awarded funds will be used for the acquisition of reproduction items and materials needed to update the 17th-Century English Village’s palisade.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

The following Affiliates (Category & Place) were recognized in the final 2024 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards:

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Best Free Museum

No. 3: Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO)

Best History Museum

No. 1: Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh, PA)

No. 2: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati, OH)

No. 3: Cincinnati History Museum (Cincinnati, OH)

No. 4: Mississippi Civil Rights Museum (Jackson, MS)

No. 8: National Museum of the Pacific War (Fredericksburg, TX)

Best Music Museum

No. 8: Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Bristol, VA)

No. 9: Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix, AZ)

Best Open Air Museum

No. 1: Plimoth Patuxet Museums (Plymouth, MA)

No. 2: Mystic Seaport Museum (Mystic, CT)

No. 8: Conner Prairie (Fishers, IN)

No. 9: Hagley Museum and Library (Wilmington, DE)

Best Science Museum

No. 1: The Wild Center (Tupper Lake, NY)

No. 3: Michigan Science Center (Detroit, MI)

No. 4: Tellus Science Museum (Cartersville, GA)

No. 5: Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO)

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Kudos Affiliates!! May 2023

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu. 

FUNDING  

MakerUSA, in collaboration with the Pinhead Institute (Telluride, CO), has received a $100,000 grant to fund a program manager to design and operate “maker” programming regionally. The grant will cover the costs of a program manager, as well as an $8,000 sub-grant that will go directly to Pinhead to develop programming. 

The Arvest Foundation announced a $2,500 contribution to the Oklahoma Historical Society (Oklahoma City, OK) to support digitization and preservation of oral interviews of veterans who served in WWII and beyond. The interviews were conducted and recorded in the 1980s through the 1990s using technology that is deteriorating. 

The California Natural Resources Agency announced more than $19.7 million in funding awarded by the California Cultural and Historical Endowment to support 63 museum projects including: 

New Mexico’s Governor approved $100,000 in capital funding to provide, improve, and enhance exhibits and programs at the New Mexico Museum of Space History (Alamogordo, NM). 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION 

Neville Crenshaw, manager of special exhibitions and featured experiences at the Saint Louis Science Center (Saint Louis, MO), and the Center’s team were awarded the Mission Moment 2022 award from MindsEye, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving people of all ages with visual disabilities in the St. Louis region. The award recognized the work from the team to make 2022’s HOCKEY: Faster Than Ever special exhibition more accessible for guests who are blind or partially sighted. 

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) announced the reaccreditation awards for 2023, which included three Smithsonian Affiliates: 

Aquarium of the Bay (San Francisco, CA) received reaccreditation for 2023 through 2028 by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced 30 finalists, including three Affiliates, for the 2023 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities. 

A collaboration between Nebraska Public Media Labs and the University of Nebraska State Museum (Lincoln, NE), Expedition Nebraska: A Virtual Natural History Experience has been honored for Metaverse, Immersive and Virtual Experiences in the 27th Annual Webby Awards. The project allows visitors to virtually travel back in time to prehistoric Nebraska and experience how it has changed over millennia. The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the internet. 

Senator John Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh, PA) received the S.K. Stevens Award from the Pennsylvania Museums Association for its work on the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES) exhibition American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.

The National Art Education Association has named Miriam Machado, director of education at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum (Miami, FL) as the recipient of the 2023 National Museum Education Art Educator Award. This prestigious award, determined through a peer review of nominations, recognizes the exemplary contributions, service, and achievements of one outstanding NAEA member annually at the National level within their division.

LEADERSHIP 

Pamela D.C. Junior, director of the Two Mississippi Museums (Jackson, MS) announced her plans to retire. She has led the Two Mississippi Museums, which consists of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, since 2019. Junior’s retirement is effective June 30. 

Kenosha Public Museums’ (Kenosha, WI) director Leslie Brother has resigned. Peggy Gregorski has been named interim director while a national search is conducted.

Kudos Affiliates!! April 2023

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.

FUNDING 

Putnam Museum and Science Center (Dubuque, IA) received a $900,000 grant from Destination Iowa for its multi-year plan called Putnam Reimagined. The plan includes new exhibitions showcasing Quad-Cities history, innovation and material culture, experiences focused on families and how they impact people’s lives, upgraded education and science galleries and improvements in technology and infrastructure.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) announced one of the largest grants of $8 million for a new Dubuque Museum of Art (Dubuque, IA). The design is to create 45,000 square feet of new space while tearing down the 15,000 square foot current building and making it into a sculpture garden.

University of Oklahoma biomedical engineer Yuan Yang, Ph.D., has received a Faculty Early Career Development Award, known as a CAREER award, from the National Science Foundation to advance the scientific study of brain functional changes after a stroke and pioneer a tailored rehabilitation strategy that fits individual needs. The award will include a collaboration with Science Museum Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK) will provide resources on brain science, including the development and donation of posters, toy models and exhibits to “excite and inspire young kids about science, medicine and the brain.”

The Oklahoma Historical Society (Oklahoma City, OK) announced a $93,000 federal grant award to identify and digitize collections of African American history found in state archives. The funding will be used to hired a project coordinator and an imaging specialist for a year and purchased a scanner for digitizing.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

The Biden Administration announced William T. Harris, CEO, Space Center Houston (Houston, TX), and Ashley Jordan, President & CEO, African American Museum (Philadelphia,PA) have been appointed members for National Museum and Library Services Board. The National Museum and Library Services Board advises the agency on general policies with respect to the duties, powers, and authority of the Institute of Museum and Library Service relating to museum, library, and information services, as well as the annual selection of National Medals recipients.

The Air Zoo (Portage, MI) the received Historic Preservation Award, in recognition for the aviation museum’s restoration of 2 World War II aircraft rescued from the depths of Lake Michigan. The award was presented by the “Lucinda Hinsdale Stone” Chapter of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. About 140 volunteers from the restoration team are currently restoring two planes that were found in Lake Michigan, an FM-2 Wildcat, and an SBD-1 dive bomber.

Irving Archives and Museum (Irving, TX) was awarded the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) John L. Nau, Ill Award for Excellence in Museums for its exhibit The Irving Story. The award recognizes an individual or institution in the museum field for significant achievement in the areas of historical interpretation, museum education, conservation of collections and/or community involvement. “The Irving Story” features Irving’s story, from its frontier days, through its development into a rapidly growing suburb, and into the modern and diverse city it is today.

The following Affiliates (Category & Place) were recognized in the final 2023 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards:

Best Art Museum

No. 7: Booth Western Art Museum (Cartersville, GA)

No. 8: Heard Museum (Phoenix, AZ)

Best History Museum

No. 1: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati, OH)

No. 2: Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh, PA)

No. 9: Buffalo Bill Center of the West (Cody, WY)

No. 10: The National WWII Museum (New Orleans, LA)

Best Music Museum

No. 6: Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Bristol, VA)

Best Religious Museum

No. 6: National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA)

Best Science Museum

No. 3: Michigan Science Center (Detroit, MI)

No. 4: Tellus Science Museum (Cartersville, GA)

No. 5: Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO)

No. 10: The Museum of Flight (Seattle, WA)

Best Free Museum

No. 2: Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO)

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