NTX Magazine Volume 5 | Page 70

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Science and Technology Science Math Technology What is STEM? STEM stands for Engineering This acronym is typically used when addressing education policy and curriculum choices to improve competitiveness in science and technology development. science careers that can be both exhilarating and well-paying. We’re also working closely with teachers to provide them the training and tools to make science more relevant and intriguing in the classroom.” The Perot Museum of Nature and Science demonstrates everything is bigger in Texas. “Many Nobel Prize-winning scientists – including Dr. Michael Brown at U.T. Southwestern – will tell you that their early visits to science museums are what fueled their interest in science,” said Colleen Walker, the Eugene McDermott CEO of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. “To think that a child walking through our doors today might someday find a cure for cancer or create the next life-changing discovery is pretty powerful, and it drives us to do better every day! And, the museum also offers adults a place to come hear National Geographic explorers discuss their fascinating work around the globe, or learn about plans to detect asteroids in the hopes of deflecting them from the earth, or see the latest robotic inventions, just to name a few.” 68 www.ntc-dfw.org FALL/WINTER 2015 Since opening in 2012, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science has welcomed just under three million visitors, reached more than half a million school children through field trips and outreach programs, and has hosted nearly 600 special events. Nearly half of the Perot’s visitors are children under 18. “Having strong science museums in North Texas not only demonstrates that STEM education is crucially important to our region, but also illustrates the key role it plays in developing our future workforce,” Walker explained. “Science has become an essential part of our daily lives, and the majority of future careers will be based in the sciences. Our job, our core mission at the Perot Museum, is to inspire excitement for science and introduce young people to the wide array of With a mission to inspire minds through nature and science, the Perot Museum focuses on earth and space sciences, life and natural sciences, chemistry, physical sciences and engineering. The $185 million Perot Museum of Nature and Science, designed by 2005 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Thom Mayne and Morphosis Architects, opened December 1, 2012. The name is the result of a $50 million gift that the five adult Perot children made to the museum in honor of their parents, Margot and Ross Perot, allowing the institution to carry the name and legacy of a family well-known around the world for business and technology. Science and innovation are on display from the outside.