March 12th! Happy “Project Exploration Day!”
Dinner with a Dinosaur 1. Maggie Daley helps Paul Sereno and Gabrielle Lyon launch a new organization dedicated to personalized science education for Chicago's youth.
The photo above was taken more than 10 years ago at the Chicago Cultural Center. The evening gave birth to Project Exploration.
Tonight we launch our 10th anniversary at Dinner with a Dinosaur X.
And to commemorate the event, Mayor Daley has officially proclaimed March 12th “Project Exploration Day“ in the City of Chicago!
This evening at Union Station we will host more than 480 guests from around Chicago and the country.We’ll have a life-sized dinosaur, live reptiles courtesy our friends and partners from the Chicago Herpetological Society, and our amazing Project Exploration students working their science magic for the guests. Proceeds from the raffle and live auction will help fill the coffers and get us a strong start for summer programs and beyond.
It will be a commencement for our NEXT ten years. Here’s an excerpt from the speech Paul and I will be giving later this evening:
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place where a curious kid could learn about science alongside scientists? Where they could be immersed in discovery? Where they could be known by name and supported to pursue their interests – regardless of whether or not they did well in school or how financially well-off their parents were? Where they’d have a chance to grow their minds and their self confidence – along with their sense of wonder? There is a place like this. It’s called Project Exploration. We’ve got a track record of:- Inspiring students to graduate high school and go on to further education
- Placing students on a path to science
- Creating a national model
10 years ago Project Exploration was just an idea, sketched out on a napkin. We were making dinosaur discoveries that reached the front page of newspapers around the world – but they were unavailable to the school kids down the street from where we worked and lived. We wanted to offer programs for students least likely to get involved with science to have a chance to work directly with scientists, and to have personalized experiences in small groups of rather than alongside thousands. A well-intentioned friend suggested, “Why don’t you create a nonprofit organization?” Another friend helped us with the paper work. And then all we needed was some cash… …Students who were with us in high school back in 1999 are now graduating college, working, and some have families of their own. Where are they now? They’re majoring in biology at Arkansas State University; and geology at Montana State University; they’re working on PhDs at Drexel and attending the new pharmacy program at Chicago State. They’re working in nonprofits and schools. Last week one of our former Junior Paleontologist sent in applications for HIS students. Our students are trailblazers who now are helping OTHERS to get involved, and stay involved, with science.
Tune in for a full report next week – with snapshots and stories – and the transcript from keynote speaker Shureice Kornegay.
In the meantime, Happy Project Exploration Day, Chicago. And CONGRATS on our first 10 years! Can’t wait to see what happens in the next decade!
-gabe
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