The Northern Virginia Science Center will be a place for STEM and fun and estimated to bring more than 300,000 visitors yearly. Although the project has been in the works for years, it’s inching closer to its debut with the help of its newest title partner of the Launch the Future Capital Campaign.
In December, Fran Craig, founder of Unanet, and her children Ellen Craig and Chris Craig, became the fourth title partner to commit to the campaign to build The Science Center. As the press release states, the gift creates the Craig Family Gallery, which will be home to the “Wonder” exhibition, designed for young learners and their families at the future science center.
“We’re excited to support the future science center that will enable our children, families and businesses to have access to STEM learning experiences and enrich our community,” said Fran, a local entrepreneur and long-standing champion of the Science Center. “We are especially interested in the idea of wonder itself, as it fuels curiosity and inspires people to include science in their everyday lives.”
Wonder will invite the entire family to learn and explore together in hands-on, open-ended exploration infused with STEM learning. The space will encourage creativity, exploration, experimentation, and discovery. The gallery’s interpretive themes will be whimsical, and include rhyming poetry, introducing concepts underpinning the scientific method and design thinking in an inspiring, age-appropriate way, according to the press release.
“Fran has been an inspiration to many in our region as a leading technology entrepreneur and steadfast advocate for STEM education,” said Executive Director of the Science Center, Nene Spivy. “We are so grateful for the Craig Family’s leadership in bringing a world-class interactive science center to our region to inspire learners of all ages for decades to come.”
This announcement brings the Launch the Future campaign closer to completion, with four of the five main gallery spaces named. Exclusive naming opportunities at the title partner level remain for the “Habitat” gallery, the “Cloud” installation, and the “Innovation Wing” with additional naming opportunities available for unique indoor and outdoor learning spaces.
The Science Center will be a world-class, interactive regional science center for families, students, and learners of all ages with 70,000-square-feet of space. The Science Center will be in a prime location within the Dulles Technology Corridor at Kincora and will back to over 200 acres of natural parkland along the Broad Run stream valley.
For more information, visit novasci.org.