Ford Motor Company Supports Innovation, STEM Education with Smithsonian’s Spark!Lab at Michigan Science Center
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Spark!Lab, the first Smithsonian exhibit in Michigan, is opening at
the Michigan Science Center Saturday, April 2, with support from Ford
Motor Company -
Innovation and creativity are at the heart of Spark!Lab’s interactive
science experiments and educational experiences -
Ford’s investment in Spark!Lab at MiSci is part of a continuing
commitment to education and cultural activities in Detroit and
southeast Michigan
DETROIT–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ford Motor Company has been bringing innovation and mobility together
for more than a century. Today, Ford is helping open the world of
invention and creativity to a new generation. With support from Ford and
Ford Motor Company Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, the Michigan
Science Center (MiSci) will host Spark!Lab — the first Smithsonian
exhibit in Michigan.
Spark!Lab features hands-on activities that power creative thinking and
encourage visitors of all ages to tinker and explore. Children and
families can engage in science experiments, games and special programs
designed to support their creativity. Ford Motor Company Fund will
sponsor four free Ford Fund Days this year, and will also support
transportation for a number of school field trips.
“New ideas and innovations spring from creative minds,” said Jim Vella,
president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “Spark!Lab
allows children and families to interact and experience the joy that
comes with learning, while introducing a new world of educational and
career possibilities.”
The Spark!Lab at MiSci is the fifth in the country and another example
of Ford’s ongoing commitment to Detroit and southeast Michigan.
Spark!Lab includes activities that mix fun with science, technology,
engineering and math — the important STEM subjects getting the sharp
focus and support of Ford, as it works to help train the technical
workforce of the future.
Ford supported the initial opening of MiSci in 2012, with a $400,000
commitment. It has since provided additional support, including a Ford
Transit Connect van to help MiSci’s Traveling Science program.
Ford’s support of Spark!Lab is the latest collaboration with the
Smithsonian, a relationship which dates back 40 years and includes a
wide range of learning activities, including Spark!Labs in Anchorage,
Kansas City and Washington, D.C. and the Ford-sponsored Giant Panda Cam
at the National Zoo.
Spark!Lab opens to the public on Saturday, April 2. For more information
on Spark!Lab, visit http://www.mi-sci.org/exhibits-live-shows/sparklab/
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community
and global partners to advance driving safety, education and community
life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 65 years with
ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford Driving Skills for Life is
free, interactive, hands-on safety training focused on skill development
and driving techniques, while addressing inexperience, distractions and
impaired driving. Innovation in education is encouraged through Ford
Blue Oval Scholars, Ford Driving Dreams, Ford Next Generation Learning
and other innovative programs that enhance high school learning and
provide college scholarships and university grants. The Ford Volunteer
Corps enlists more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees each year to
work on local projects that strengthen their communities and improve
people’s lives in more than 40 countries around the world. For more
information, visit http://community.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and
video, visit www.media.ford.com.
Contacts
Ford Motor Company
Todd Nissen, 313.322.4898
tnissen@ford.com
