Chabot Space & Science Center Receives $1.8 Million Grant from The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Jun 23, 2011 Judith Rubin Uncategorized 0

www.chabotspace.org

OAKLAND, Calif. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation of Palo Alto has awarded Chabot Space & Science Center a $1.8 million grant to support phase II enhancements to the Center’s Bill Nye’s Climate Lab exhibition and website. The Lab enables kids ages 8-14 to learn basic principles of climate science and engage in behaviors that address climate change.

Bill Nye’s Climate Lab opened in November 2010, offering an optimistic, solutions-oriented, highly interactive educational experience focusing on climate science. Featuring Emmy-award winning science educator Bill Nye as commander of the Clean Energy Space Station, visitors join an urgent mission to thwart climate change by discovering exciting new clean energy opportunities while gathering “solutions” on their Climate Scout ID badges. The exhibition is one of the most popular in the Center’s history; the accompanying website, www.BillsClimateLab.org, continues the experience at home or in the classroom with online information and activities.

“The support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation enables us to build upon the success of Bill Nye’s Climate Lab and increase the number of kids actively engaged in climate science through personalized learning and understanding with real world actions,” said Alexander Zwissler, Executive Director/CEO at Chabot Space & Science Center. “We thank the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for supporting our efforts.”

In Phase II of Bill Nye’s Climate Lab, Chabot will focus on linking users’ experiences at the science center with virtual learning and real-world experiences. Chabot will partner with Oakland-based Lucid Design Group to add a Building Dashboard Kiosk to the exhibition to monitor the facility’s real-time energy use alongside interactive exhibits about building efficiency and energy use. Chabot will introduce the Building Dashboard Network to Bay Area middle schools to monitor energy usage and initiate school-based energy conservation competitions. Additional expansion includes developing new Climate Lab games that seamlessly span learning experiences at Chabot, in online and mobile media, and in visitors’ homes, schools and communities. These will showcase Climate Scout achievements, first-person comments and pledges, and stories of actions taken outside of Chabot.

“Bill Nye’s Climate Lab raises the bar for climate change education. It creates a fun environment where kids and their families learn how their actions add up. We’re thrilled to develop innovative strategies for using game play and personalization to expand the Climate Scout community and keep them engaged.” said Tamara Schwarz, Senior Manager of Experience Design at Chabot.

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.

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000, seeks to advance environmental conservation and scientific research around the world and improve the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. The San Francisco Bay Area Science Learning area of focus supports science-rich educational institutions such as science museums to enhance science education and learning by students (especially children) and the public to increase science literacy. For more information, visit www.moore.org.