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RMSC to develop hands-on optics exhibit as part of $31M STELLAR project
RMSC to develop hands-on optics exhibit as part of $31M STELLAR project
The Rochester Museum & Science Center is taking a key role in a $31 million regional effort aimed at strengthening Rochester’s position as a hub for laser technology, optics and engineering.
RMSC is a core partner in the University of Rochester‘s Science, Technology and Engineering of Lasers and Laser Applications Research, or STELLAR, project, a regional innovation engine backed by $15 million from the National Science Foundation over the next two years and $16 million in matching New York state support over six years.
The initiative has the potential to grow into a $160 million, 10-year effort.
For RMSC, the project includes roughly $284,000 to develop Optics Everywhere, a hands-on exhibition experience designed to introduce the public to laser technologies and the careers connected to them.
The exhibit will be developed in collaboration with STELLAR’s academic and technical partners, bringing together their expertise in optics and laser technologies with RMSC’s experience in informal science education and public engagement.
Dr. Calvin Uzelmeier will lead RMSC’s work on the project. Uzelmeier has more than 30 years of experience in informal science education and has led numerous collaborative projects involving academia, industry and RMSC.
The first year of the project will focus on developing and testing concepts for hands-on exhibit experiences. The work builds on ideas identified through RMSC’s Exhibit Master Plan, with STELLAR partners contributing technical and content expertise and RMSC staff leading the science engagement and exhibit-development process.
The concepts will undergo iterative development as RMSC works to determine which experiences will be most effective in communicating the science and real-world applications of optics and lasers to public audiences. Development will continue into the second year, followed by a phased approach to final fabrication.
[email protected] / (585) 653-4021
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