GLSC’s Sharon Fain & Amanda Taunt provide a tour of the Science Center for EA staff.
Monday, June 5, 2017: This morning, our Project Managers had their monthly meeting inside Cleveland’s Great Lakes Science Center to hear updates from Amanda Taunt (in charge of Guest Experience, no pressure there!) and Sharon Fain (who runs the Great Science Academy). Opened in 1996, there are so many things happening at this lakefront attraction including…
GLSC provides a home to MC2 STEM High School, which is part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The school was created through a public-private partnership among a number of organizations and has had guest speakers from Cargill salt mines, NASA, a company that makes solar panels, etc.).
Some of EA’s leadership team: Peg, Margie, Margy, Cari, Sally, Lynne & Agata.
In addition to witnessing hundreds of kids arriving for summer camp that morning, we heard about additional programs that happen all year including: Great Science Academy, one of just a handful of immersive hands-on science programs in the country with a longitudinal program (multiple years of study) and is ran by a former college dean, Sharon Fain. Sharon says the reason for creating this program was she saw how much time and money was wasted by college students who had picked the wrong major because they hadn’t ever had an immersive experience in that subject or even an internship, and this could help solve that problem. The academy is open students in grades 6th-9th and meets at the Science Center every other Saturday (19 Saturdays total) from October through August for a half day (9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). And, it includes breakfast and lunch. Most activities are in teams to develop collaborative skills through inquiry based learning. Half the 122 students have received some level of scholarship (cost this year was $550/child). Sharon described the ideal student as a kid who likes to get their hands dirty, is always asking questions, takes things apart to see how they work, likes the outdoors (gardens, hikes, loves the water, etc.), loves computers and gaming, etc. With just 24 kids max per class, there is lots of hands on time with the 3 to 4
adults in each classroom (teachers and volunteers). Sign-ups have started for fall 2017. Sessions include guest speakers and field trips with each grade level focused on a different year long topic:
- 6th grade – the Great Lakes
- 7th grade – space & aeronautics
- 9th grade – biomedical technology
- 9th grade – design and innovation
The Science Center upgraded their IMAX, the Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater, to digital last year so they could offer more content and now do both educational and Hollywood movies related to a current exhibit/topic. How fun for the staffer who programs the movies? Recently they showed ET and Close Encounters, which was part of the Take Two! Double Feature Series.
The William G. Mather Steamship, a 618′ ore freighter that was the first ship to use radar on the Great Lakes, is permanently docked outside the Science Center and 
provides a floating museum for visitors.
The staff at EA spends hundreds of hours each year gathering info to help our clients, families relocating to NE Ohio for a job. Thanks for hosting us, GLSC!
If your organization needs help attracting and retaining talent, consider Executive Arrangements the next time your candidate is from out-of-town. Our NE Ohio immersion days quickly show a family how their lifestyle fits into Cleveland or Akron so they say yes to the job offer and happily settle in to the area.