Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2018-2019 | Page 69

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Opinion
bringing science to life
MICHAEL GALANE, PRESIDENT, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, POWERHOUSE SCIENCE CENTER
D
Having outgrown our current facility on Auburn Boule-
vard, the new Powerhouse is located along the Sacramen-
to riverfront in the River District, and it will reach more
diverse audiences and more people than ever before. The
50,000-square-foot facility is under construction and slated
for completion in late 2020. With its state-of-the-art domed
planetarium and 22,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits, the
new Powerhouse will spark imagination, inspire youth and
young adults to pursue postsecondary STEM education and
careers, and increase our region’s science literacy as employ-
ers, consumers and voters.
Through dynamic hands-on STEM-based activities and
immersive exhibit experiences, the new Powerhouse will
bring science to life. Children will learn the laws of physics by
building catapults. And as we look to become a space-faring
race, they will learn about growing and storing food on other
planets. Kids will be exposed to innovative technologies that
meet the demands for energy, while minimizing the impact
on climate change. They will learn more about what we can
do every day to preserve our most precious natural resource,
water. These are only a few of the experiences designed for
the new Powerhouse to inspire young minds to pursue the
STEM fields of study.
The future Powerhouse is an example of a public-private
partnership working together to engage and inspire people
of all ages to the wonders, possibilities and responsibilities of
science. Powerhouse has collaborated with and is supported
by school districts, city and county governments, universi-
ties, corporate and private business and nonprofits — all of
whom will enable the new Powerhouse to bring high-quality
STEM programing that sparks curiosity and inspires lifelong
learning to our region.
We invite you to join us in bringing to life a legacy proj-
ect for our region. As a donor, your financial support will
be used to enhance our dynamic exhibit experiences and
STEM-based educational programming, and we look for-
ward to welcoming you as a future member of the new Pow-
erhouse Science Center. You too can be a part of inspiring
the next generation and contribute to building an iconic
public institution for Sacramento and the Northern Cali-
fornia region. n

comstocksmag.com | 2018-19 CAPITAL REGION CARES
o you remember when it happened for you: The mo-
ment that changed how you saw yourself and the world
around you and ignited your curiosity to learn more?
For me, this moment happened when I was on a field trip
with my sixth-grade class to the Hayden Planetarium at the
American Museum of Natural History in New York City. I can
still remember the lights dimming, the music swelling and
the stars illuminating a darkening sky. I remember being
awed by the experience. I became aware — for the first time
— that I was part of a universe filled with wonders and pos-
sibilities. This was the moment that inspired me to pursue
math and science, which eventually led to a career in tech-
nology.
As we stand on the edge of technological revolution, ro-
botics and artificial intelligence are becoming part of our
everyday experience. Go online and you will see job titles
like web designer, cyber security analyst, drone operator and
sustainability director. We need to be developing a larger
workforce with a strong background in the STEM fields —
science, technology, engineering and math — to fill these
new jobs of today and ones we cannot yet imagine for the fu-
ture. To accomplish this, there is much work to be done.
Globally, students in the U.S. rank 17th in literacy, 21st in
science and 26th in math, according to the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce Foundation. One recent study suggests 50 per-
cent of today’s jobs will be gone by 2030, and 30 percent of
the remaining jobs will be supplanted to automation and ro-
botics. We will need 1 million more upskilled workers to fill
displaced jobs over the next decade.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report
“STEM Occupations: Past, Present, and Future,” STEM em-
ployment is increasing at nearly double the rate of non-STEM
employment. However, 99 percent of STEM jobs require
some type of postsecondary education, and California un-
derperforms in the rate of bachelor’s degree completions in
STEM fields, according to a report from The Campaign for
College Opportunity. This does not bode well for developing
those upskilled workers.
So how do we equip our youth with STEM knowledge and
skills? We must first ignite a passion for learning among chil-
dren of all backgrounds in and out of the classroom. Then
nurture moments and expand opportunities where sparks of
passion can develop into areas of deeper interest. Education
begins in the home, extends to the classroom and is enriched
by experiences like those that will be found at the new Pow-
erhouse Science Center in Sacramento.
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