PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
Franklin Institute in Philadelphia has been selected as the national
educational partner for GSK Science in the Summer™, a free
summer program designed to engage children in science, technology,
engineering and math at an early age. In 2017, the program,
which offers hands-on science courses throughout the summer to
elementary students at schools, libraries, shelters, camps, Boys
& Girls Clubs and homeschool groups, will expand to 26 national
sites and is expected to reach approximately 25,000 students this
summer across the country.
Established in Philadelphia 31
years ago by GSK, one of the world's leading research-based
pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, GSK Science in the
Summer quickly spread beyond Philadelphia to sites in North Carolina and Washington DC, impacting more than 160,000
students from all backgrounds and fostering a lifelong appreciation
and passion for science. Since 2012, The Franklin Institute has administered the
GSK-sponsored program throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. Following a
formal RFP grant process, GSK chose The Franklin Institute, a global leader in science
education, to launch a comprehensive nationwide implementation of
GSK Science in the Summer. The grant combines GSK's
scientific expertise and longstanding support of the program with
the exceptional, interactive and engaging STEM learning expertise
that is synonymous with The Franklin
Institute.
"This is such an important partnership for us," said
Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of
The Franklin Institute. "It presents us with an opportunity
to foster, support, and now shine a national spotlight on an
outstanding educational program established by GSK right here in
Philadelphia, it provides us another way in which we can
extend our expertise beyond the museum, and above all, it allows us
to further our mission of inspiring a passion for learning about
science and technology—especially in students at such a vital time
in their educational journey."
The Franklin Institute and GSK will
host representatives from each of the 26 national sites for an
orientation and training workshop in March. The Institute's
educators will continue curriculum work and provide teacher
professional development as part of ongoing support to the sites as
they prepare to work with students this summer. This emerging
GSK Science in the Summer national network will share a
common commitment to providing enrichment experiences for students
from underserved communities.
"GSK is very much looking forward to extending our relationship
with The Franklin Institute to a
national level," said Marti
Skold-Jordan, Manager of Community Partnerships at GSK.
"They have a unique and extraordinary heritage engaging students in
the wonders of scientific discovery, and we know that will help
broaden the reach and success of this special program."
GSK Science in the Summer™ 2017 National
Expansion Sites:
Adventure Science
Center
|
Nashville,
TN
|
Arizona Science
Center
|
Phoenix,
AZ
|
The Bakken
Museum
|
Minneapolis,
MN
|
Berkshire
Museum
|
Pittsfield,
MA
|
Boys and Girls Club
of LA
|
Los Angeles,
CA
|
Carnegie Science
Center
|
Pittsburgh,
PA
|
Discovery
Museum
|
Bridgeport,
CT
|
EdVenture Children's
Museum
|
Columbia,
SC
|
Exploration
Place
|
Wichita,
KS
|
Liberty Science
Center
|
Jersey City,
NJ
|
Maine Discovery
Museum
|
Bangor, ME
|
miSci
|
Schenectady,
NY
|
North Museum of
Nature and Science
|
Lancaster,
PA
|
Science
Central
|
Fort Wayne,
IN
|
Science City at Union
Station
|
Kansas City,
MO
|
Science Museum of
Minnesota
|
St. Paul,
MN
|
Sci-Port
|
Shreveport,
LA
|
Sci-Tech
Discovery
|
Frisco, TX
|
St. Louis Science
Center
|
St. Louis,
MO
|
University of
Montana, The spectrUM Discovery Area
|
Missoula,
MT
|
COSI
|
Columbus,
OH
|
The Discovery
Center
|
Murfreesboro,
TN
|
Museum of Science and
Industry (MOSI)
|
Tampa, FL
|
Fort Worth Museum of
Science and History
|
Fort Worth,
Texas
|
Save the Children
USA
|
Fairfield,
CT
|
American Association
for the Advancement of Science
|
DC, VA, MD
|
The program will also continue to be offered in Greater Philadelphia and North Carolina.
ABOUT THE FRANKLIN
INSTITUTE
Located in the heart of Philadelphia, The Franklin Institute is a renowned and innovative
leader in the field of science and technology learning, as well as
a dynamic center of activity. Pennsylvania's most visited museum, it is
dedicated to creating a passion for learning about science by
offering access to hands-on science education. For more
information, visit www.fi.edu.
ABOUT GSK
GSK – one of the world's leading
research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is
committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people
to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information
visit: http://www.gsk.com.
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SOURCE The Franklin Institute