Photo by Alyse Horn

By Alyse Horn

On Tuesday, October 25 the Carnegie Science Center hosted not a ground breaking, but a ground booming celebration for the new Science Pavilion expansion by using liquid nitrogen to mark the beginning of construction.

Pittsburgh Schiller STEAM Academy and members of the Perry High School Band Drumline kicked off the event and assembled upon the future expansion site.

During the ceremony, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and City of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto spoke together, singing praise for the Science Pavilion and how it will raise educational advancements in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The Science Pavilion will be home to 6,000 square feet of STEM Learning Labs and act as a “regional hub for teacher professional development activities,” according to a press release by the Science Center. There will also be a 14,000 square-foot Special Exhibition Gallery above the STEM labs that will bring world-class traveling exhibits to the city, and the top floor will include conference and event space.

The expansion is part of SPARK! A Campaign for Carnegie Science Center, which was created to “address the timely challenge of strengthening STEM education and career awareness in southwestern Pennsylvania, where the demand for STEM professionals far exceeds the supply,” according to the press release.

The cost to construct the Science Pavilion and digital theater will be about $23 million and it is expected to be completed by the summer of 2018.

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