Its time to break out your lab coats for Sci-Quest’s 4th Annual Mad Scientist Ball! There are so many events to choose from on any given night, but I would encourage you to take one night, Friday August 24th, out of your schedule to attend this event.
“The Mad Scientist Ball is our major fundraising event of the year to support the many activities we offer at the Center,” Cyndy Morgan, director of Sci-Quest said.
Learning made fun
Speaking from personal experience, some concepts are best explained visually, and no one in Huntsville explains better than Sci-Quest Hands-on Science Center. Through exhibits and programs that not only encourage hands-on interaction but often require it, Sci-Quest takes the information children learn in the classroom and bring it to life.
I think their website sums up their mission best in this one sentence:
The Science Center’s core values are creativity, excellence, integrity and interactivity.
Their informal, hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education experiences are based on the National Science Education and State standards.
By inspiring children today, Sci-Quest is building the next generation of epidemiologists, meteorologists, computer programmers, pilots, biochemists, economists, architects, chemical engineers, and more. Careers and fields I’d wager more than a few folks in this area are not only familiar with but would also like to continue.
How they inspire
Sci-Quest was established as a 501 (c) (3) in 1989 by a group of dedicated community volunteers. It opened to the public in May 1999, and to this day their mission remains the same: to motivate children to discover and explore the wonders of science, mathematics and technology; and to correlate their interest to the existing career fields throughout Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley.
And if you think Sci-Quest is just a museum- think again! (Though they do have some AMAZING exhibits! And I can personally vouch for how fun they are, having paid a visit there this year, which you can read about here.)
Here is a brief glimpse at the programs and activities Sci-Quest offers:
- Camps: The Center offers weekend classes, day camps, school groups and home school classes.
- Outreach: Sci-Quest created programs that could travel to outlying rural areas of the Tennessee Valley at the request of educators.
- Early Childhood Programs: Children up to 7-years-old are introduced to basic sciences through highly interactive activities that encourage them to explore and learn
- Robotics Competitions: 1st science center in the state to offer competition robotics teams and related programing
- Career Prep: Students meet with career professionals and learn about various STEM career fields.
“If you and your family enjoy spending time exploring our exhibits or participating in the education programs, please support us by attending this unique event,” Cyndy Morgan, director of Sci-Quest said. If you can’t make it Friday, you can donate directly by clicking here.
Party Time!
So what can you expect at this fun filled evening?
- Delicious food by Cyn Shea’s Complete Catering, including a Chocolate Fountain (and if you’d like to come and say hi to me, just find the chocolate fountain. I’ll be camped out there!)
- Beer by our local brewery Straight to Ale
- Live music by Toy Shop, one of my favorites to dance to
- Fabulous silent and live auction.
- A chance to explore Sci-Quest’s exhibits
- That warm and fuzzy feeling you get knowing that you’re doing a GREAT thing for your community; because you are!
- If that isn’t enough to convince you to come, then you’ll also get the chance to hang out with the likes of ME! (What more could you ask for in an event?!) I’ll be there LIVE tweeting for OVE! Just look for the tiny blonde girl with the OVE iPad.
Girls and Science
A brillant friend of mine recently made an interesting observation. He said that if explained properly anyone could understand even the most complicated theories/concepts. While at first this statement seemed a bit ridiculous, the more I thought about it the more I believed him to be correct (I said he was brillant didn’t I?).
So what does this have to do with the Mad Scientist Ball? In case you haven’t heard, there are a couple more guys than gals in the STEM career fields. And by a couple, I mean women account for less than 25% of STEM jobs, even though they make up 50% of the workforce. At least according to a 2011 study by a little organization called the US Department of Commerce.
Still asking yourself what this has to do with The Mad Scientist Ball? One reason I went into my chosen career is because it came naturally to me. I understood the liberal arts. English, drama and the like made sense to me. Science did not. Many young girls follow this same path.
But we can change the path or better yet pave an entirely new, improved one. With the help of Science Centers like Sci-Quest inspiring our youth, a new generation of young men and women are equally likely to consider a career in aerospace as they would teaching English.
So why do you want to attend The Mad Scientist Ball? Because you want the best and brightest minds going into the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. And some of those minds just might be female. Let’s find out, shall we?
Ticket Giveaway
Event Information
Date: Friday, August 24th
Time: Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Sci-Quest, Hands-on Science Center
Cost: $50/person. Click here to purchase
Guest blogger for We Are Huntsville. Are you interested in writing a post for our site? Email katelyn@wearehuntsville.com.
I <3 Sci-Quest! The annual family membership is a great value and provides for fun seasonal activities all year round!
This looks like a fun time! We’re going to try to make it.