|
About Imagination Station
Imagination Station
(formerly known as COSI Toledo) is a
hands-on science center located on the
riverfront in downtown Toledo that has
welcomed over 3 million visitors since
originally opening in 1997. The science
center has faced some serious financial
challenges, but it is with great
anticipation and excitement that we will be
reopening in the fall of 2009. The passage
of a .17 mil operating levy in Lucas County
on November 4, 2008 is one component of our
newly secured funding. In addition, local
business leaders, including Buckeye
CableSystem, First Solar and British
Petroleum have pledged funding for new
experiences inside the facility. This places
Imagination Station in a unique position to
reopen in our community featuring all the
experiences that visitors came to love with
the addition of new exhibits to excite a new
generation of learners. The science center
will still be structured around Learning
Worlds, distinctly themed areas that immerse
visitors in a multi-sensory experience that
engages all levels of understanding.
Partnerships with area businesses will
feature new experiences focused on topics
such as alternative energy, the health
sciences and energy efficiency. Imagination
Station is currently working with our
partners in the business community to design
and implement these new experiences for our
guests. In addition the monetary support of
local businesses, we are also excited for
their leadership support as well. Chip
Hambro, former Chief Operating Officer of
First Solar, is generously donating his time
as interim Chief Executive Officer for
Imagination Station. Volunteering his time
as interim Chief Financial Officer is Dan
Frick, retired Toledo Office Managing
Partner at Ernst and Young, Toledo office.
The following are programs and experiences
offered at the science center prior to
closing. These are experiences that align
with our mission of inspiring wonder in
children about science and technology to
prepare them for lives and jobs in our
knowledge-based economy.
Community Outreach
Due to transportation and budgetary
challenges, the field trip has become less
accessible for educators. Imagination
Station has responded to this challenge with
our educational outreach programs. We offer
a variety of programs to meet the needs of
grades Pre-K through 12. Our Extreme Science
Day is a full day experience for an entire
school. This program features an hour-long
demonstration that covers a variety of
topics including combustion, physical and
chemical changes, sound and laboratory
safety. After the demonstration, students
have the opportunity to visit inquiry-based
activity stations to explore different
scientific concepts on their own. We also
offer a more intensive classroom workshop
for grades Pre-K through 12 in a variety of
different topics including chemistry,
fossils, forces and motion, structures and
alternative energy. These programs are all
aligned to Ohio Academic Content Standards
and teachers are provided with pre and post
activities.
Interactive Distance Learning
IDL sessions were also delivered to students
all over the world. In fact, our programming
has been delivered on every continent, even
Antarctica! This program was acknowledged in
2006 and 2007 as a Teachers’ Choice Award
Winner for Top Science Museum Content
Provider. In addition, this program was
awarded the New Links to New Learning
Favorite Content Provider for 2006-2007.
Since opening in March of 2007, our outreach
programs have served over 200,000 students
in Northwest Ohio and around the world.
Science Studio
An exhibit space with a rich supply of
enticing and creative materials and tools
for science experiments. Operated by team
and volunteers trained in the techniques of
guiding science inquiry and fostering small
group collaboration and discussion, families
are engaged in open-ended exploration that
leads to asking their own questions and,
through support and facilitation,
systematically answering these questions.
The Science Studio is an ever-changing space
and offers diversity for the frequent guest.
The open format of the Studio allows for
visitors to pose questions and receive an
answer through his or her own hands-on
exploration. It also serves as a forum for
the community to discuss current topics in
the sciences. Through projects, activities
and presentations by invited guests, this
space connects science, technology,
engineering and mathematics to the
community.
Inquiry Institute
In partnership with districts such as Toledo
Public Schools, Lucas County Schools and
Springfield Local Schools, the science
center provided teacher professional
development and curriculum enhancement
support in critical hands-on and inquiry
based science learning methods. The spirit
of collaboration created by Project ISIS
enabled us to develop our partnership with
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and
The Northwest Ohio Center of Excellence in
Science and Mathematics Education (NWO).
ISIS partnered with NWO to provide hands-on,
inquiry outreach opportunities for schools
participating in this high quality, inquiry
math and science program.
As we reopen on October 10, 2009,
Imagination Station is committed to
providing the best possible experience to
our visitors. In an effort to remain
fiscally prudent and grow slowly, the
science center will open offering limited
programs in relation to our previous
offerings. Certain experiences, such as our
Community Outreach and Science Studio, will
be an important component of our opening.
Other programs, such as UPCLOSE and the
Inquiry Institute, will not be offered when
we initially reopen. We are currently in the
process of hiring grant writers to secure
funding sources for these programs so that
we can offer a broader catalog of programs
in the near future. |
.gif){kind=small}