OSC Employee Newsletter: April 2024

WE VOLUNTEERS

April is National Volunteer Month! What started as a weeklong dedication to community volunteers by President Nixon in 1974, has evolved into a month of celebrations and dedications across the United States.

Volunteers have been an important part of the Orlando Science Center's mission for over 70 years!

Since the humble beginnings of our organization, way back in the 1950s, volunteers have played an integral role in engaging our community. Those early volunteers would work with the state of Florida to break ground on the Central Florida Museum, right here in Loch Haven Park Volunteers at

our first location acted as docents for those early exhibits and activities.

Flash forward to the 1990s and a new crop of volunteers helped design and fabricate the exhibits in the "new" Orlando Science Center to open our current building. Since then, volunteers have followed that legacy and created memorable, fun, and exciting experiences around STEM learning.

Over the last year, more than 660 volunteers donated over 30,455 hours to our community. Each of those hours had the massive potential to build meaningful connections with others through learning and fun.

Thank you, OSC Volunteers!

CAN YOU SPOT IT?

Do you know where this photo was taken in the Science Center?

The first five people to use the QR code to submit the correct location will win an OSC pinback button!

April 2024

OSC UPDATES

SEAWORLD DAY IS BACK!

Get ready to have fun with your colleagues and enjoy everything SeaWorld has to offer for the annual Employee Appreciation Day, coming up on Wednesday, April 24!

Back for the first time since 2019 (!), we’re ready to jump on some rollercoasters, meet the animals, learn important conservation tips, and -- frankly -- just have a little fun!

Keep an eye out for an email with more info about how to sign up and join in!

SOLAR ECLIPSE WATCH PARTY

It's time for another solar eclipse party at OSC! On Monday, April 8 a total solar eclipse will pass over North America. Florida is not in the path of totality and will only experience about a 60% partial eclipse, but this scientific phenomenon is a great opportunity to engage the public with science learning!

The eclipse will begin at 1:46 pm, peak at 3:03 pm, and end at 4:17 pm giving viewers an adequate amount of time to see this celestial event as it happens. It is never safe to look directly at the sun, even during a partial eclipse, without specialized eye protection!

The Solar Eclipse Watch Party will be held rain or shine If the eclipse is not visible in our area due to cloud cover or weather conditions, don't worry! We'll be live-streaming the view from other locations Plus, we'll have out-of-this-world programming to help our guests explore and celebrate the solar eclipse - no matter the weather!

We plan to run lots of great games, crafts, and other activities in Loch Haven Park while guests gather and enjoy the event

A big shout-out to the staff and volunteers who will be helping that day! Let’s have some fun and share this unique event with the community!

SPARK WINNER

Liz Aubin (2)

MaiAsia Barrett

Mac Bodden

Chris Bresciani

Rebekah Buzzell

Mary Cloer

Yari Cuevas

Ke'Ana Darden

Sam Drumond

Meghan Farmer

DANIELLE GORDON

Danielle has been working on the Office of Naval Research's Mobile Flight Lab grant program, and she has taken it into its next stage which involves a nationwide expansion!

This Spring was our first opportunity to mail out full classroom sets of flight lab materials (VR headsets, joy sticks, laptops, and learning materials) to partners in Washington DC. Danielle has done an excellent job carefully preparing and managing this outstanding program Her nomination read, "Danielle's organization and attention to detail are much appreciated by her team and all of our afterschool partners!"

Thank you for helping making this program a success!

SPARKS

Sharlene Figueroa

Simone Gomaa

Vanessa Hollingsworth

Lizzie Hunt (3)

Tom Leahy

Maddy Lopez

Yangelis Martinez

Zachary Miller

Liam Montes

Valentine Murphy

Amanda Paneque

Carmen Rivas (3)

Abigail Robinson

Hadley Stoyer (2)

Monday Suydam

Sue Sweetland

Elizabeth Tyson

Carmen Wu

Daira Yulfo-Vargas

Jacob Zimmerman (2)

STAR

OF THE MONTH

ELIZABETH TYSON

APRIL

NATURE MONTH

Apr 1

MONDAY

Homeschool Program

Apr 4 THURSDAY

Inspire Science Breakfast

Take a walk on the wild side! Join us as we learn about the world around us through animal meet & greets and unbe-leaf-able hands on activities

Apr 6 & 7 SAT & SUN Bank of America Weekend

Apr 8 MONDAY

Solar Eclipse Watch Party

Apr 21

SUNDAY

$12 Day

Apr 13 SATURDAY

Curtis Kinetic Science Competition

Apr 24 WEDNESDAY Employee Appreciation Day

Availableshowsinclude:

Animalopolis

DinosaursofAntarctica

JaneGoodall’sWildChimps

JourneytotheSouthPacific

NationalParks

TotheArctic

Galapagos:Nature’sWonderland

Availableshowsinclude:

ParadisePolluted–PacificPlastic

JaneGoodall’sReasonforHope

BacktotheBrink3D

Apr 6 SATURDAY Science Night Live

Apr 13 SATURDAY Kids Night at the Museum

Apr 26 - 28 FRI - SUN Dr. Ying Science Competition

Apr 20 & 21 SAT & SUN

Apr 27

SATURDAY Science of Wine

To the Arctic

An extraordinary journey to the top of the world, the documentary adventure To The Arctic reveals a compelling tale of survival.

Captivating and intimate IMAX footage brings moviegoers up-close and personal with a polar bear family’s struggle in a frigid environment of melting ice, immense glaciers, spectacular waterfalls, and majestic snow-bound peaks. The film takes audiences into the lives of a mother polar bear and her cubs.

Great Outdoors Weekend Please

the

for the

check

website

most up-to-date daily theater schedule @ www.osc.org/theaters

COMMUNITY COMMENTS

The updates to Our Planet Our Universe are wonderful! Thank you so much for refreshing that exhibit area

It's a really coolandvery informative museum, with lots andlots ofactivities for little ones from infantto 12! It's a really fun way to learn.

volunteerhere!

The staff who checked us in went out of their way to show us how to use the Membership app, thank you!

Ilove our Science Center andso does my whole entire family!

OSC BY THE NUMBERS

wholetimeandlovedtheir

Ourstudentswereengagedthe

fieldtripexperience. I’mgladIfinallyvisited. Ibetitwouldbefuntoworkor

WALK IN ATTENDANCE MEMBER ATTENDANCE SCIENCE FOR ALL ATTENDANCE 12,065 17,089 2,832 FISCAL MONTH OF MARCH 2024

ALYSSA FLORES - 5 years Public Programs Apr 22 ARI RAMOS - 3 years Guest Services Apr 5 MELODY PADILLA - 2 years Guest Services Apr 4 ISABELLE SGAMBATI - 2 years Public Programs Apr 9 LESLIE GUTIERREZ-GONZALEZ - 2 years Education Apr 30 NIK LYON - 1 year Theaters Apr 3 STEVE PASCUCCI - 1 year Hospitality Apr 10 YAMI GONZALEZ-MENDOZA - 1 year Preschool Apr 17 PATRICK WALSH - 1 year Education Apr 27 MICHAELA THEIS - 1 year Life Apr 17 WES SNOWDEN Facilities Apr 2 ESHA GILL Public Programs Apr 2 MICHAEL KMIETOWICZ Education Apr 2 MANO FLORES Exhibit Maintenance Apr 2 KATLIN CORREA Events Apr 3 CAMERON ROHME Guest Services Apr 5 MOLLY NELSON Events Apr 6 GRANT SUMMERS Education Apr 7 LIZ AUBIN Birthdays Apr 12 NIK LYON Theaters Apr 2 BOBBY CORTES Birthdays Apr 3 ADRIANA OCAÑA-LARA Education Apr 3 KRYSTAL PEREZ-MORALES Education Apr 5 MADELEINE STONE Volunteer Resources Apr 6 MADISON CARDEN Education Apr 9 PATRICK PEREIRA Exhibit Maintenance Apr 12 YARI CUEVAS Education Apr 12 ERIC MASSE FInance Apr 13 G DUNNIVANT Guest Services Apr 12 BOB SELBY Guest Services Apr 13 CELESTE DIXON Theaters Apr 14 LISA HARDT Development Apr 18 CHRIS BRESCIANI KidsTown Apr 18 MAXIMILIANO SALAZAR Education Apr 20 JULIA TRIPPE Education Apr 25 AMY SNYDER Exhibit Maintenance Apr 26 COOKIE RAMOS Preschool Apr 28 SEAN’ESE ATHOURISTE Birthdays Apr 22 ISABELLE SGAMBATI Public Programs Apr 27 JESSE ZITO Programs Apr 30 (continued)

We should consider:

1. Civic Engagement

Voting and other forms of civic engagement shape our community and help provide access for healthy living.

2. Healthy Neighborhoods

4. New Tools and Innovations

Public health is about preventing disease, so taking advantage of smartwatches, health apps, and telehealth can improve the nation's health.

5. Reproductive & Sexual Health

A healthy community has access to reproductive care as well as screenings for various cancers, STIs, and other sexually transmitted diseases NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK

The American Public Health Association (APHA) is celebrating National Public Health Week from April 1 through April 7 Public health is more than just heath care It includes building communities free from pollution, with safe food and water, and focusing on strong personal relationships.

WELCOME TO THE TEAM

DID YOU KNOW?

Access to fresh nutritious food has a huge effect on health, and everyone needs the opportunity to find and afford good food.

3. Climate Change

By buying less, supporting green spaces, and transitioning to renewable energy we can lessen health impacts of climate change

Stuffee was a 7-foot-tall stuffed doll, used by museums throughout the country, to teach kids about human anatomy. He was "born" at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum in 1990, and he moved to Orlando Science Center in 1993 where he stayed until around the early 2000s

Staff and volunteers at the Science Center were trained on how to operate Stuffee (both figuratively and literally), which involved unzipping his large blue zipper to expose his internal organs