Discovery Science Partnership
February 6, 2012
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UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications
UT Tyler, Discovery Science Place Announce Joint Initiative
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Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)
February 6, 2012
Media Contact: Beverley Golden
Director
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.566.7303 or 903.330.0495 (cell)
Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Public Affairs Specialist
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.565.5769 or 903.539.7196 (cell)
The University of Texas at Tyler and the Discovery Science Place have combined resources to enhance the educational programming available to the community.
“We are pleased to partner with the Discovery Science Place. Providing quality education is a mission that we share, so it’s natural that we would work together on this initiative,” said UT Tyler President Rodney H. Mabry.
While DSP will remain a stand-alone museum with its own governing body, the UT Tyler Ingenuity Center will strengthen the educational programming DSP offers. The Ingenuity Center will design programs based on its STEM outreach, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Ingenuity Center also will serve as in an advisory capacity for the museum.
The DSP board will maintain creative control over the museum’s permanent and traveling exhibit portfolio as well as branding and fundraising activities while serving in an advisory role in education and programming.
“Collaborations of the kind DSP and UT Tyler are implementing are quite common in the museum field,” explains Discovery Science Place CEO Phil Lindsey. “By doing so, a new stable and sustainable operating environment will allow DSP to refocus its significant community support toward immediate impacts to the museum in new exhibitions and content programming instead of underwriting operational needs.”
The UT Tyler Ingenuity Center has worked with DSP on educational and programming projects in the past. This initiative simply expands that relationship.
“The UT Tyler Ingenuity Center is excited to be working jointly with the Discovery Science Place. We believe that this collaborative initiative will have a lasting impact on STEM education. We are working on a number of innovations that will make the DSP one of the most exciting informal learning experiences in the state and nation,” said Dr. Michael Odell, UT Tyler associate vice president for sponsored research and federal relations.
UT Tyler and Discovery Science Place will immediately begin implementing joint programming and content planning in preparation for the spring and summer events.
The Discovery Science Place is a member of the American Science Technology Centers and the Association of Children's Museums and has been recognized among the top 25 science centers in the nation by Parents magazine. DSP is an IRS 501 (c)(3) nonprofit informal learning environment whose purpose is to ignite curiosity in young minds though fun, hands on exploration.
The UT Tyler Ingenuity Center is one of seven funded Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Centers that addresses the challenges of tomorrow’s technology-driven economy by researching, developing and supporting best practices in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education for K-12 schools.
One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 7,000 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.