Mark Your Calendars

JANUARY 22

Orlando Science Center is teaming up with community partners to celebrate diversity, history, and culture in STEM. Meet some of the local organizations that are making a difference right here in Central Florida. Join us for engaging workshops, guest presentations, and more!

MARCH 12 & 13

Discover the unbe-leaf-able natural wonders all around us during Great Outdoors Weekend! Become one with nature as you meet extraordinary wildlife, participate in paw-some workshops, and experience the outdoors through wild challenges. Unleash your wild side!

APRIL 2 & 3

KidsTown is transforming into a mighty superhero metropolis for Superhero Weekend to celebrate all heroes, big and small! Assemble your team and learn what it takes to be an everyday superhero at home and in the community. Swoop on in with your capes and other family-friendly costumes for this event!

Creating a Tomorrow of Endless Possibilities for the Next Generation of STEM Talent

Classrooms this year are buzzing again with students, and the energy and enthusiasm of future scientists, doctors and archaeologists is infectious. We feel that energy when they visit the Science Center, turning their curiosity for all things science into play and fun. It is exactly what we’re here for! And we are so thrilled to have them back!

Today’s students will be marked in history as the generation that experienced firsthand the global pandemic and its impacts, but they will also be remembered for their resilience and their ability to turn challenging experiences into innovations that make the world better.

Orlando is fortunate to have one of the fastest-growing STEM job markets in the United States. As our global economy grows with new technology and increasing automation, the Science Center is working to inspire and prepare the next generation for jobs in industries that might not even exist yet. By offering exhibits, workshops and other events that keep in the FUN in the fundamentals of STEM, we amplify what parents and schools are teaching. But it’s just as important to prepare for the financial aspects of a child’s postsecondary education.

As a Corporate Partner of Orlando Science Center, Florida Prepaid is helping to build the future STEM talent pipeline by helping families start saving early for college expenses. No matter how uncertain some aspects of tomorrow can seem, Florida Prepaid College Plans offer a guaranteed, secure way to lock in the cost of college for less. With a Prepaid Plan, families don’t have to worry about the ups and downs of the stock market or rising college costs — that’s on Florida Prepaid to manage. Today’s kindergartners are tomorrow’s scientists, researchers and mechanical engineers – all of them fortunate to be growing up amid a period of high demand for their talent and enthusiasm. Orlando in particular is poised to grow by leaps and bounds during this industrial revolution. The Orlando Economic Partnership anticipates there will be a significant demand for more jobs, and for jobs that pay more. By 2030, Orlando is projected to create between 254,000 and 482,000 new jobs.

K-12 and postsecondary education is a key component to ensure today’s grade schoolers are ready to take on those jobs. By planning early for college, your family can find a way to save that meets your budget and goals. Florida Prepaid, the largest and longest-running prepaid college program in the nation, allows you to lock in the cost of college and save, stress and risk-free.

Together with Florida Prepaid, Orlando Science Center strives to create a tomorrow of endless possibilities for the next generation. We thank Florida Prepaid for their generous support of our STEM learning experiences and look forward to the incredible achievements that participating students will accomplish in the future!

To learn more about how to save for college with Florida Prepaid, go to myfloridaprepaid.com.

We are proud to have received a Communities for Immunity award supporting our work promoting vaccine confidence in Central Florida. This award supported vaccine awareness and education efforts like billboards, pop-up vaccination events and informative presentations and activities on how vaccines work. Communities for Immunity is made possible with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Museum and Library Services and is led by the Association of Science and Technology Centers and the American Alliance of Museums. Thank you, Communities for Immunity for helping us to use science to better understand our world and keep our community safe.

Thank you to the LEGO Group for supporting Orlando Science Center’s outreach efforts. The LEGO Group works to inspire and develop children through play in countries where their employees live and work. This program aims to promote playful learning activities that develop essential life-long skills such as creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, collaboration and engagement. Funding from the LEGO Group will directly support the Science Center’s community outreach efforts, offering high quality STEM programs to all. Inclusion, diversity, equity and access are Orlando Science Center’s guiding principles, and these funds will ensure all children have equal access to STEM learning opportunities. We want to be the spark that ignites curiosity and creativity in all students. Orlando Science Center would like to take this opportunity to extend our thanks to the Chesley G. Magruder Foundation for their generous support. The Chesley G. Magruder Foundation helped immensely to ensure the Science Center remained an essential community resource during the early days of the pandemic. Orlando Science Center’s commitment to our community has only strengthened during this time as we have continued to adapt to meet the evolving STEM learning needs of students and families across the region. Our work was made possible thanks to this foundation’s trust and support.

We are so grateful for the Florida Blue Foundation’s generous contribution to support year-long programming in the Food Heroes exhibit. Programming will include workshops, presentations, and demonstrations that will help expose visitors to a vast variety of foodrelated topics and inform guests how they can impact their own health and the world around them through simple lifestyle changes. Thanks to the support of the Florida Blue Foundation, programming will educate the community about the connection between food choices and individual health and how fostering a sustainable, community-based food system has a lasting effect on the overall health and wellbeing of our community.

Lockheed Martin Leads the Way for Future Success with Catalyst

One of the greatest obstacles for the US as a leader in innovation and technology is an underdeveloped workforce. With major skills gaps and a looming shortage of skilled STEM professionals, manufacturers and technology companies are facing an unprecedented challenge.

Director of the National Science Foundation Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan calls this shortage the “missing millions” – representing a large number of diverse people with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds who are capable of succeeding in science but lack accessible pathways into STEM. Engaging learners early in life to build a viable entry into STEM careers is critical to the US remaining a leader in science and technology into the future.

Companies like Lockheed Martin are on the forefront of tackling this huge challenge by supporting workforce development and readiness programs like Orlando Science Center’s Catalyst program for young learners. Catalyst encourages and develops interest in STEM careers and helps to build the skills and resources necessary to be successful.

Catalyst gives students an opportunity to gain meaningful experience and insight on STEM career opportunities and build critical 21st century skills such as critical thinking and collaboration. Catalyst students are better prepared to meet the needs of our community and succeed in their higher academic and career pursuits.

With approximately 114,000 employees across the globe, Lockheed Martin is committed to fostering the development of the talent pipeline in high school and beyond to ensure continued innovation and success. We are so thankful for Lockheed Martin’s generous support of Catalyst, ensuring that every youth has a chance to learn, dream, explore, and imagine what they can become.

RESEARCH

INNOVATION SCIENCE DISCOVERY IDEA HYPOTHESIS EXPERIMENT TECHNOLOGY ACCESS FUTURE INSPIRE

STEM

PHILANTHROPY IMPACT

COMMUNITY NATURE OBSERVATORY

INVEST IN THE FUTURE

Orlando Science Center’s Corporate Partnership Program is a customizable sponsorship program designed with your company’s philanthropic priorities in mind. This unique program allows your company to support many areas of our mission, including workforce development and STEM education, while receiving year-round recognition through our exhibits, programs, publications, and special events.

YOUR EMPLOYEES BENEFIT:

• Tickets to the Science Center and special events • Engagement and volunteer opportunities • Invitations to exclusive receptions and VIP events

YOUR COMPANY BENEFITS:

• Reach an annual audience of 600,000+ • Logo recognition and advertisements • Support of workforce development through

STEM education • Plus much more!

YOUR COMMUNITY BENEFITS:

• Educational programs that bring STEM education to thousands across Central Florida • Development of new high-quality exhibits and experiences • Access for learners who experience OSC for free or reduced price • Increased youth participation from cradle to career