Milwaukee SPE: Special Features

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Discovery World to Milwaukee SPE - July 31, 2004

Summary Program Report
I am pleased to submit this summary report to the SPE Milwaukee Section on plastics program activities for the period April 1, 2004 through July 31, 2004. We are extremely grateful for your continued support of Discovery World and our plastics education programming.

Gifts Received:
To date we have received two gifts of $3,750 each from the SPE Milwaukee Section and the SPE Milwaukee Section Educational Foundation. Your valuable contributions will help sustain Plastic Awareness Month and Stretch Your Imagination with Plastics program activities delivered in the R & D Café and Manufacturing areas and through our educational Outreach Program in the coming year.

Recognition and Acknowledgement:
To thank you for your support, we are pleased to again list the SPE Milwaukee Section and the SPE Milwaukee Section Educational Foundation as a sponsor on the museum’s website and in the 2004-2005 Educator Reference Guide distributed to teachers and community leaders throughout southeastern Wisconsin. The SPE Logo will again be prominent throughout the Reference Guide highlighting your sponsorship of all plastic program labs, workshops and outreach performances planned for the coming year as a way to recognize your organizational commitment to plastics education in our greater community.

Program Deliveries to Date: (Oct. 1, 2004 through July 31, 2004)
· 7,969 public plastic activities have been delivered in the R & D Café this year (an increase of 1,012 since our May 2004 report)

· 3,185 manufacturing experiences have been provided for public audiences (an increase of 232 since our May 2004 report)

· 7,009 school groups have booked a plastic lab or workshop this year (plus 981 since our last report)

· 5,658 students and families have booked a Plastic Educational Outreach this year (up from 1,871 since our last report)

o Outreach above includes 300 program contacts through the Milwaukee Parks and 250 through the Milwaukee Public Schools Summer Recreation program.

Summer Tech Trek - June 19, 2004 to August 29, 2004:
Launched in June, Tech Trek is Discovery World’s keynote summer public education program for kids and families. 15 new project activities were developed for this years program complimenting an already strong lineup of projects children and youth can make and take home. Six of our new projects utilize plastic or polymer based material and/or a plastics manufacturing procedure to complete the project consistent with our goal of expanding the use and application of plastics in the Entrepreneurs Village exhibit area. Be sure to visit Discovery World this month to experience your summer Tech Trek adventure. Selected Tech Trek activity guides are available for review upon request.

Build It! Career Camps:
Our Built It! summer career camp program has been extremely successful this year. Three new program modules have been developed to expand student interaction with the innovative and entrepreneurial usages of plastics and polymer based materials, plastic manufacturing processes and the engineering design process. Fashion for Tomorrow and Fantastic Plastics will be delivered in August. Helmets and Handbags, a third program module developed this year was prototyped with 60 underserved middle school age girls at the recent Milwaukee Girls Science Camp. A Helmet and Handbags Build It! Camp will also be delivered in August 2004. A report on these camps will be provided in September 2004 upon completion of our internal evaluation of these program elements.

SPE Thermoforming Video:
Work continues with Jack Hill, Walt Walker and Bob Porsche on the “Introduction to Thermoforming Video” being produced at Discovery World. Final script, voice over narration and final video edits will be completed this month in order to meet a projected September 15, 2004 distribution date.

Facility Planning: A New Vision for Discovery World
Ground breaking on Discovery World’s new facility has commenced. Final architectural and exhibit development planning is nearing completion. Current projection is to open the new Discovery World in fall 2005 followed by the completion of the new Great Lakes Aquarium in 2006. As discussed in our previous report, plastics will remain central in the expanded Entrepreneurs Village exhibit area planned for the new building. We would welcome your support for this new venture as well as the opportunity to meet and discuss your possible involvement in its development.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve Atwell, CFRE
Development Director
Discovery World Museum

2004
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