The  Mercury7 Science Center mobile exhibit is our number one priority, however one day we would like to build a state of the art Science Center in the Upstate.

We have researched the building, the programs and how other great cities have gotten them built through large grants from corporate donors.

The estimated cost of a center of this size is approximatly 55 to 65 million dollars.  This page is just dedicated to our research on the subject and how we may pursue this in the future.

PROGRAMS:

Rising Star:
The rising star program is a K3 thru K5 program designed for children 3 to 5 years of age. It would feature individual attention to each childs needs,and prepare them for the learning and social skills needed to succeed when they enter the public school system. We also thought to periodically Bus Juniors and Seniors in from area high schools that may be considering a career in Chid developement. This program would run tues,weds,thurs from 9 to 2pm.


Evening Star:
The evening star program would be designed for middle school and high school students as an after school program. It would run from 4pm -7pm and the idea is that school buses can drop the kids off immediately after school and then parents can pick them up after work. Science Activities will be planned as well as study halls for children to complete homework etc... Staff and security would be available during this time. this program would run Monday thru Friday.


The Graduate Center:
This Program brings high school Juniors and Seniors together with Graduate students from area universities that are working on their thesis for Masters degrees, it would feature state of the art labs and teachers hired from area universities. A concept for the high school students to see further into the future beyond an undergraduate degree.


Science on Wheels:
The first Reality of the Science Center, coming soon to a school near you.


The Labs:
the labs would be designed to be flexible to accomodate all areas of science that maybe envisioned, These labs will be open to area teachers and graduate students on an appointment basis and will be available anytime that classroom instruction is not taking place in them 24 hrs a day.


The Observatory and planetarium:
It would be used by the Science Center students as well as for public programs. Several shows would be held daily with special programs for the disabled.


The IMAX theater:
A multimillion dollar theater featuring 90ft in the round screen and a 12,000 watt sound system. Imax feature films would be run everyday at a nominal cost to the public. Imax films specialize in educational themes with many new releases a year, We would be  excited to bring the Imax experience to the Upstate.


The Virtual Art Gallery:
An innovative interactive art gallery surrounds the science center featuring over 40 state of the art High Definition plasma screens with each one dedicated to running a slide show of the master's of the art world as well as local talent and unknown artist from around the world. Visitors will have the ability to pause or scan for their favorite paintings.
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Corporate Sponsorships

 

Corporate sponsors would receive the following lifetime benefits for their company and employees.

General Benefits:

All Teirs) receive 15% off IMax ticket prices and 10% off child education programs including K4 & K5 and the Graduate program designed for High school juniors and seniors to prepare for careers in the science related disciplines. All sponsors also will be listed on a donor wall in the main Atrium, It will say "The Mercury7 Science Center was made possible by the generosity and caring of the following companies and individuals. Thankyou for giving our children a brighter future."


The tier 1 sponsorship opportunities are the naming of facilities within the science center after your company.

Current facilities planned under this tier are:

The IMAX theater-
The Planetarium-
The Science on Wheels mobile exhibit
The K4,K5 Education center-
The Research Labs-
The Graduate Education center
The Virtual Art Gallery

( please see programs page for descriptions of each facility)

Your Company's name will be forever associated with one of these facilities, (example: The Duke Energy IMAX theater, The Sony Virtual Art Gallery) which will appear in any newspaper or radio ads and bill boards advertising shows etc, Your companies name will also appear on a large permenent sign at the facilities entrance. ( the design of the Science Center incorporates a large mall type atrium with entrances to each facility viewable as soon as a visitor enters). Tier 1 sponsorships start at a minimum of 10 million dollars.(tax deductible under non-profit guidelines,see note below)


Tier2 sponsorship opportunities are the naming of individual classrooms within the facility, A special plaque with the name of your company will be placed in your sponsored classroom. Tier 2 sponsorships start at a minimum of 100,000 dollars.(tax deductible under non-profit organization guidelines,see note below.)

Building Design

 

This is a collection of ideas mainly for the use of those designing the center.



Building Guidelines part1 ** The building should support goals and the scholarly activities of the associated child developement classes,and be designed as a dual purpose education and research facility it should: provide students with spaces to do science and mathematics with private access to individual departments. be designed in a way that makes it easy to continually update technology and experiment with new ways of teaching offer creative opportunities in its structure. * the facility should also provide spaces for research in various science related fields in association with on going programs at local universities and colleges * The facility should connect the sciences in ways that foster social and intellectual interaction amongst departments, scientists and students. It should invite and support the community and provide a vistors center in the main Atrium featuring interactive entertainment and Science related gift shopping. (The idea for this is not to have an actual store but encased displays products that can be ordered through the science center(via visitor center receptionist) Visitors and residents of the building should be able to see science going on around them. * The design should be flexible at many levels to accommodate changing needs and new areas of science. There should be flexibility within individual laboratories, in the ability of sets of rooms to be reconfigured, and by having a plan of where and how the building itself could be expanded in the future. * Because the Facility will be teaching many different age groups of students the design must incorporate privacy and noise control as well as security. * the buildings design should be inspiring, providing a sense of excitement as you drive up to it. * The project must stay on budget. * The process of building and the building itself must be environmentally responsible. Building Specifications * Safety and ventilation standards in the facility should be of the highest quality. * There should be easy access to mechanical services. * Offices and laboratories (unless otherwise specified) should have access to daylight. * Windows should be operable, recognizing that those in laboratories (and offices within the same design module) would normally be shut and locked in order for the HVAC to work appropriately. * Each office should have independent temperature control. * The building should be zoned to accommodate the use of facilities by outside groups in the summer without impacting faculty and student research.

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