Purpose

The Lawrence Hall of Science is one of the country’s only science centers that is part of a top-tier, public research university—the University of California, Berkeley. The Hall engages world-class scientists, engineers, and educators in designing and disseminating the most innovative and effective science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs available today. What we do at the Lawrence Hall of Science reaches far beyond the science center walls. The programs and products we develop reach more than 12 million young people around the world each year. Our professional learning programs empower thousands of educators, nationally and internationally, to enhance the ways in which science is taught, and we help to increase access to science learning through physical and digital tools for students and educators alike. We prioritize accessibility to Lawrence Hall of Science programs: half of the schools that visit us each year receive Title I funding, and we also offer scholarships and fee reductions to low-income students and groups for classes and programs. Most important, we know that activating an interest in science learning in each child is transformative, leading to a lifetime of discovery, learning, and impact.

For 50 years, the Lawrence Hall of Science has worked at the forefront of science learning. Your sponsorship through this event will help to ensure that we can continue to lead the way for the next 50 years, translating research into the delivery of innovative STEM programs both regionally and globally. We want to make sure that all young people have access to dynamic experiences that will guide them on a path to becoming the innovators, inventors, change-makers, and science-literate citizens of the future. Your support advances this mission and is critical to our continued impact.

The cause for tonight’s event is a celebration of our new Outdoor Nature Lab. The Lawrence Hall of Science is leading the way in environmental education—from co-leading the California Environmental Literacy Steering Committee (which integrates the environment into statewide K–12 education standards) to creating innovative, professional learning experiences for outdoor educators nationwide. Yet the Lawrence Hall of Science lacks its own, on-site, facility to provide immersive outdoor learning experiences to Hall visitors and professional learning programs. In response, we are creating an Outdoor Nature Lab, with our beautiful natural surroundings, our expertise in developing and facilitating learning experiences for youth, and our leadership in creating environmental learning experiences.

You are key to the success of this effort! So invest in the Lawrence Hall of Science—and inspire the future of millions of young people, educators, and citizens alike.