Science Center Launches Fundraising Campaign For Expansion Project

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Carnegie Science Center has launched a major fundraising campaign to help with a big expansion project.

It's all for a long-range plan called Spark! Vision: 2020.

Organizers are in the process of raising $34.5 million to do the construction. Carnegie Science Center Co-Directors Ann Metzger and Ron Baillie said the upgrade has been in the works for the past five years. They've raised 77 percent of the money already.

Now, the Spark! campaign gives the public an opportunity to help with the rest.

The goal is to start construction this fall on a 37,000 square foot expansion that would house nine STEM learning labs and a special exhibition gallery.

The goal is to educate kids now, to secure positions for them later on.

"About 2,000 unfilled jobs today simply because they don't have the STEM workforce to fill those jobs. So, we'd like to work with the corporate community and the educational community to solve that problem for our region," Metzger said.

The three-floor science pavilion would wrap around the existing Omnimax Theater.

Under the plan, the theater would be upgraded to a laser digital theater, which would be able to show Hollywood films and live streams of performances.

"It's a film theater. Film is obsolete now, so what we want to do is transform that theater into a digital theater - allowing us to livestream any programming from around the world. Anything you can bring up on your computer, we can now put on a 70 by 55-foot screen," Baillie said.

Construction is set to begin in October and could bring millions in revenue to the area and double the amount of visitors.

There are no plans to change parking lot at this time as the majority of visitors use the T.

Construction is expected to be completed by June 2018.

Stay With KDKA.com For More Details

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter