Chabot News

Chabot partners with the Hong Kong Space Museum on Innovative Student Digital Science Program

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Chabot has been awarded a prestigious Museums Connect competitive grant to launch an innovative digital planetarium project with the Hong Kong Space Museum, the Digital Skies Student Partnership.

Oakland CA, August 15, 2012 - Chabot Space & Science Center has been awarded a prestigious Museums Connect competitive grant to launch an innovative digital planetarium project with the Hong Kong Space Museum, the Digital Skies Student Partnership.

Now in its fifth year, Museums Connect is a joint initiative of the American Association of Museums (AAM) and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program pairs museums in the United States with museums abroad for a cross-cultural exchange that brings people, especially youth, together to open a dialogue through community projects, partnerships with local or tribal governments and schools, and local events. Digital Skies Student Partnership is one of 10 grants funded for this cycle of Museums Connect.

The Digital Skies Student Partnership pairs eighteen youth from Oakland and Hong Kong who will form cross-cultural teams to explore differences and commonalities in Western and Chinese astronomy and space exploration. Using virtual communication tools and working with local experts in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM subjects), students will conduct research, exchange information and discuss cultural influences and traditions that can affect notions about space and the night sky. Each team will develop and create the content for planetarium programs and hands-on presentations to their local communities and schools and participate in career development workshops that highlight career paths in astronomy and space sciences.

"Chabot is thrilled to receive this prestigious award, and eager to explore astronomy through a cultural lens with our colleagues and the students at the esteemed Hong Kong Space Museum," said Chabot CEO Alexander Zwissler. "The opportunity to work across international boundaries will be a remarkable experience for these students."ï¿½

"As a long time supporter of the Chabot Space & Science Center, I am pleased that they will be receiving this critical federal funding,"ï¿½ said Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA). "With this funding, Chabot is exposing East Bay students to the wonders of science and the cultural vastness of Hong Kong."ï¿½

"This program will build on our previous joint programs with Beijing and Nanjing, to bring our joint exploration and educational programs into the 21st century,"ï¿½ said Oakland Mayor Jean Quan. "This is a great opportunity for the youth of Oakland to learn from their counterparts in Hong Kong and build this international relationship for the future."

"Through Museums Connect, the State Department and our partners strive to lead the way in building international partnerships and fostering mutual understanding through international collaborations," said Ann Stock, Assistant Secretary of the United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. "All of us have an abiding interest in creating new avenues for education, communication and understanding, and the Digital Skies Student Partnership is a perfect example of how we're doing that."

"AAM is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs on this vital program, and are equally proud that these two esteemed institutions are a part of it," said AAM president Ford W. Bell. "Museums, like all aspects of society today, are becoming more international in their focus, while also retaining their mission of service to their local community. Museums Connect builds global communities, spanning time zones, continents and cultures."

The Chabot Space & Science Center-Hong Kong Space Museum partnership is joined in this cycle by 9 other projects including three other California museums: the Sonoma County Museum, Santa Rosa and the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea; the Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla with the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Pingtung, Taiwan; the San Francisco's International Museum of Women with The Women's Museum of Denmark, The Ayala Museum in Manila, the Philippines, and the Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates. For more information on all the Museums Connect projects, past and present, visit www.aam-us.org/museumsconnect.

For information and updates visit www.chabotspace.org or call (510) 336-7373.
Media Contact: Lyisha Johnson (510) 336-7304 or LJohnson@ChabotSpace.org

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About Chabot Space & Science Center

Chabot Space & Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit interactive science center whose mission is to inspire and educate students of all ages about Planet Earth and the Universe. Located in the Oakland hills, the Center focuses on the earth, life, physical and astronomical sciences, with a 128-year legacy of serving Bay Area communities through exhibits, public programs, school field trips, science camps, teacher training, teen development programs and community outreach; hosts 50,000 students on school field trips and over 100,000 public visitors each year; and offers over 20,000 sq ft of interactive exhibits on a variety of space and science subjects, a world-class planetarium, giant-screen Megadome movies, school classes on over 30 different science topics, hands-on science activities, state-of-the-art classrooms and labs and publicly-available research-level telescopes.

About Hong Kong Space Museum

The Hong Kong Space Museum, on Salisbury Road in Kowloon, is a government institution dedicated to the popularization of astronomy and space science for members of public. It features a Space Theatre, a robotic iObservatory, an Astropark themed on stargazing and ancient Chinese astronomy, and exhibition halls highlighting its collections ranging from meteorites to historical astronomical equipment and memorabilia on space science. The Museum attracts more than 720,000 visitors each year to its Space Theatre, exhibition halls and wide variety of extension activities such as public lectures, family field trips and observational activities.

About AAM

The American Association of Museums is the largest museum service organization in the world, serving all types of museums, including art, history, science, botanic gardens, zoos and aquariums. AAM helps museums serve their communities by developing standards and best practices, offering professional training and resources and serving as the national voice of museums for the public, media, and elected officials. Working on behalf of 17,500 museums, 400,000 museum employees, thousands of volunteers and the visitors who come to museums 850 million times each year, AAM is dedicated to bolstering museums in promoting lifelong learning, celebrating cultural heritage, and inspiring the creative skills to compete in a global economy. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

About the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, private-sector, professional, and sports exchange programs. The Bureau's exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and emerging leaders in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of ECA exchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 320 current or former heads of state and government.

Officials name Chabot Space & Science Center a Bay Area Viewing Site for Shuttle Endeavour Flyover

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Chabot is celebrating the Endeavour Shuttle Bay Area flyover with an early opening and a breathtaking vantage point to watch the low flying Transport.

Oakland CA, September 19, 2012 - Chabot Space & Science Center is celebrating the Endeavour Shuttle Bay Area flyover with an early opening and a breathtaking vantage point to watch the low flying Transport. The Center will open to the public on Friday, September 21 at 8am. The Endeavour is expected to fly over the East Bay between 8:30am and 9:30am.

Chabot Space & Science Center is located in the East Bay Oakland Hills with a considerable view of the Bay Area and has been recommended by NASA officials as one of the Bay Area sites to view the shuttle transport. The Endeavor will be flying at a low altitude, at about 1,500 feet according to officials, and weather permitting; the five story space shuttle will be hard to miss from the Observatory Deck at Chabot.

The Endeavour, named after Captain Cook's ship of discovery, was authorized by Congress in 1987 to replace the Challenger, which was lost in the tragic launch accident in 1986. Over its flight career - 25 missions in 20 years - Endeavour flew 122,853,151 miles and spent 299 days in space.

Traveling on top of NASA's Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), the Endeavour is planning to leave Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday morning to make its final flight across the United States enroute to a permanent home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The Endeavour will make a stop in Houston, and is planning to fly over several areas in California including Sacramento, Oakland, and San Francisco.

Starting at 8am, the Center will feature hands-on astronaut training fun, space activities, and a viewing party Ã» pajamas are optional. The Center's cafe will be open, serving hot chocolate and coffee.

The viewing party and activities are included with the price of admission. Tickets will be available at the door, but advance reservations are encouraged. Tickets can be purchased online at www.chabotspace.org or by calling (510) 336-7373. Admission price to the Center is $15.95 for adults and $11.95 for youth (ages 3-12).

Weather Conditions may change the shuttle's flight schedule over the Bay Area.

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Chabot Space & Science Center, a Smithsonian affiliate, and Bay Area Certified Green Business, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit interactive science center whose mission is to inspire and educate students of all ages about Planet Earth and the Universe. Founded in 1883, the Center is located at 10000 Skyline Blvd. just off Highway 13 in the Oakland hills. For more information, visit www.chabotspace.org.

Media Contact: Melissa Rosengard, (510) 336-7379 or MRosengard@ChabotSpace.org

Chabot Space & Science Center Opens Lab Dash!

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Award Winning Climate Lab Phase II Launched with Visitors' Inventions Featured

Oakland CA, November 15, 2012 - Chabot Space & Science Center will open Bill Nye's Climate Lab II: Lab Dash! to the public on Saturday, November 17 with new games and activities, new avatars and new ways to earn points. Opening Day visitors will be among the first to test the game LabDash! and submit inventions in the Green Machine Design Challenge.

Showcasing the new LabDash! game, the Center will hold an all-day "Dash to the Lab" starting at 10am, continuing throughout the day until 4pm. Dash to the Lab celebrates imagination and inventions as visitors don their Climate Agent lab coats and collect codes to unlock the Mission Briefcase and receive a prize, along with blueprints for additional activities and entry into a raffle.

The most participatory feature of the Lab is the Green Machine Design Challenge, which invites visitors to invent their own apparatuses designed to reduce carbon in the atmosphere. Visitors of all ages can sketch their ideas at the Green Machine Invention Station and submit them for consideration by the Climate Lab Green Machine Design Team, which will select winning designs to display. A select number of drawings will be fabricated as 3D models by artisans and metal fabricators. These winning designs will be added to the exhibit in an ongoing rotating display over the lifetime of the exhibit. Visitors can also mail their drawings to the Center for consideration. High school student inventors, Jun Jie "Jack" Li, a sophomore at Oakland Tech High School, and sisters Katie and Cynthia Wu, from Fremont's American High School, will be on hand at the Saturday Opening from 1:15pm - 1:45pm to present their Green Machines along with the fabricators of their machines.

In 2011, Chabot Space & Science Center was awarded Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience for Bill Nye's Climate Lab, recognizing the extraordinary accomplishment in an exhibit. With major funding from The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Chabot has developed the next phase, Bill Nye's Climate Lab II: LabDash!, enhancing the innovative, hands-on exhibition that educates visitors about the science of climate change, cultivating positive, workable solutions to the challenge of energy production on the planet.

According to Alexander Zwisser, Chabot's Executive Director and CEO, "When it opened in 2010, Bill Nye's Climate Lab was quickly recognized by our community and by our peers in the science center and climate science fields as a groundbreaking exhibition focused on the planet's most urgent scientific challenge. This Climate Lab II will continue to engage visitors in extraordinary ways, and by including the Green Machine Design Challenge, we are finding even more intensive ways for visitors to participate in a clean energy and sustainable future."

Entrance to Bill Nye's Climate Lab II is included with general admission, adult $15.95, youth (ages 3 - 12) $11.95. Admission also includes tickets for the planetarium shows. Visitors are encouraged to purchase admission in advance at the box office (510) 336-7373 or online at www.chabotspace.org.

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Media Contact: Melissa Rosengard, (510) 336-7379 or MRosengard@ChabotSpace.org

Interview availability:

Saturday, November 17, 12:30pm - 2pm:
(Press Interviews may also be arranged in advance for Friday, November 16)

Bill Nyeï¿½s Climate Lab Exhibits Team:
Tamara Schwarz, Senior Experience Design Manager
Rusty Lamar, Visitor Experience Exhibits Staff

Saturday, November 17, 1:15pm - 1:45pm:
Green Machine Design Challenge Inventors:

Raindrop Eco Spider:
Inventor Jun Jie "Jack" Li, a sophomore at Oakland Technical High School; Fabricator Ben Carpenter
Smog Cloud Condenser:
Inventors Katie Wu, junior and Cynthia Wu, senior, American High School, Fremont; Fabricator Todd Kundla.

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About Chabot Space & Science Center

Chabot Space & Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit interactive science center whose mission is to inspire and educate students of all ages about Planet Earth and the Universe. Located in the Oakland hills, the Center focuses on the earth, life, physical and astronomical sciences, with a 128-year legacy of serving Bay Area communities through exhibits, public programs, school field trips, science camps, teacher training, teen development programs and community outreach; hosts 50,000 students on school field trips and over 115,000 public visitors each year; and offers over 20,000 sq ft of interactive exhibits on a variety of space and science subjects, a world-class planetarium, school classes on over 30 different science topics, hands-on science activities, state-of-the-art classrooms and labs and publicly-available research-level telescopes.

Gateways East Bay STEM Network appoints new co-chair

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Gateways East Bay STEM Network announced Jan. 11 that Alexander Zwissler, executive director and CEO of Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, has been named the new co-chair of the network.

Oakland CA, January 16, 2013 - The Gateways East Bay STEM Network announced Jan. 11 that Alexander Zwissler, executive director and CEO of Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, has been named the new co-chair of the network. He joins Dr. Leroy M. Morishita, president of California State University, East Bay in leading the collaborative efforts of the leadership hub for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

The network's mission is to improve educational outcomes in STEM for students across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. It is part of the Gateways Cradle to Career Workforce Development Partnership, founded in 2009 to promote academic and economic development with the region.

"I am honored to take on this exciting role. I look forward to working with Dr. Morishita to continue the impactful work of Gateways' leading efforts to expand the reach of STEM learning opportunities for students in our communities," said Zwissler.

Morishita added, "We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Alex Zwissler, who has a wealth of experience with the kind of hands-on learning and technological advances that are so critical to teaching STEM for the 21st century."

Zwissler has held his position at Chabot since 2007, leading expansion and development of new programs in the fields of STEM education, professional development and climate change education. He was executive director of the Fort Mason Foundation in San Francisco from 1999 to 2006 and previously worked as an executive in the cable television and telecommunications industry in both the US and the UK.

He currently serves in the leadership of both local and national non-profits, and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Association of Science and Technology Centers, Techbridge and the San Francisco Market Street Railway. In 2012, he was appointed to the statewide Education and Technology Task Force by California's superintendent of education.

The network is sponsored by Chevron, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and the San Francisco Foundation, among other donors, and is facilitated by Cal State East Bay's Institute for STEM Education. Dr. Stephanie Couch serves as director of the Gateways partnership and is the Bayer Executive Director of CSUEB's Institute.

"Network partners are working to engage students early and often in STEM learning in ways that capture students' hearts and minds," Couch said. "Having the executive director of an incredible entity like the Chabot Space & Science Center, which specializes in communicating STEM to students and families, will help ensure that we really connect with those we want to reach."

More than 30 partners from business, education, civic, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations are participating in the work of three primary action groups, addressing STEM in out-of-school time, early STEM learning and professional opportunities for STEM teachers.

Zwissler will work with network representatives to connect employers, educators, policymakers, funders and businesses. "I welcome the chance to work with key community leaders and look forward to furthering the mission of improving educational outcomes in STEM amongst local youth," he said.

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Media Contacts:
Sarah Stanek, University Communications, (510) 885-2036 or sarah.stanek@csueastbay.edu
or Autumn King, Chabot Space & Science Center, (510) 336-7306 or AKing@ChabotSpace.org