Latest news with #CarnegieScienceCenter
CBS News
09-05-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Kites for Kids event at Carnegie Science Center helping lift up community children in need
Children of all ages will be able to see a lot more color and activities with the Kites for Kids event at the Carnegie Science Center. A space at the museum will be transformed into something special and is all about helping kids just be kids. Learning and having fun go hand in hand at the Carnegie Science Center with exhibits, technology, and of course, science -- but there are kites, too. "The kites here are a fun, childhood activity and a symbol of a chance to soar and be lifted up," said Scott Hollander, Executive Director of KidsVoice. "All five floors, you can see the different kites as you make your way up," said Megan McKenzie, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Carnegie Science Center. With kites big or small, in all colors and designs, made by children in the Allegheny County foster care system, Kites for Kids is an event for at-risk children to anonymously have fun here. "Many of them have never been to the Science Center," Hollander said. KidsVoice is a non-profit that helps abused or neglected children get the social services they need and Kites for Kids is their biggest event of the year. "Thousands of our clients are able to come and see the community supporting them and seeing the Kites for Kids logo means that people believe in them," Hollander said. Hollander says local support and partnerships have kept the Kites for Kids event running for years. "We have a lot of support from UPMC for different programs that we do," Hollander said. "They're also a sponsor of the event." And despite the challenges the children are facing in their personal lives, when they're at the Science Center, they're not thinking about what they're missing or what's going to happen tomorrow, they're just happy they get to be a kid. "They're coming for fun," McKenzie said. "It's science through play, just having fun, learning something new, but truly having a great time and that's what we're excited to be the backdrop for." Kites for Kids is happening Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Carnegie Science Center.
CBS News
04-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Interactive exhibit about mental health opens at Carnegie Science Center
A new interactive exhibit called "Mental Health: Mind Matters" just opened at the Carnegie Science Center. It's designed to encourage conversation and connection around the issue of mental illness. People are often afraid to talk about mental illness, but this exhibit is helping break the stigma. In fact, one in five adults in the U.S. struggles with mental illness. "Even if you don't know directly that someone is struggling with mental health, you probably know someone who is, so this is designed to help facilitate conversations," says Jason Brown, the Henry Buhl Jr. director of Carnegie Science Center. This touring exhibit focuses on the seven most common mental illnesses, including depression, PTSD and eating disorders. It explains the science of what's happening in the brain and shares personal stories of people experiencing the illnesses. Thirteen-year-old Arya Zevallos visited the exhibit with her family from Upper Saint Clair and her relatives visiting from Atlanta. She says of the exhibit, "It's helpful for people who struggle with these things to feel seen and to feel like people understand and that they can go to people and that they are not alone with what they're struggling with." "Mental Health: Mind Matters" is designed for anyone 11 and older, though much of it is appropriate for younger children. Any area with sensitive material is clearly labeled. A "worry shredder" is a symbolic way of releasing stress and anxiety where you can express your concerns and watch them fall away. The younger kids especially like an area designed to teach how movement and exercise can help with mental health. "That exhibit applies to the 'move a muscle, change a thought' mentality where if you're struggling with things in your head, sometimes it's helpful to do physical exercise which allows you to escape the anxiety," Brown says. "And so that's another opportunity for kids to see if they're stressed out about something or anxious about something, it gives strategies for how they can deal with that." Another area explores the history of the treatment of mental illness, including Freud's theories from the 1870s and the evolution of mental hospitals. Visitors to the exhibit have found it illuminating and a great conversation starter for people of all ages. "I think it helps to normalize the discussion of mental illness and help kids identify when they have an issue to talk about," says parent Amber Zevallos, who experienced the exhibit with her teenagers. "Being able to learn about it, you see the reality of it," her daughter Arya says. "So if you see that, and you [think], 'I know someone who says they struggle with this. Is that really what they're going through?' You're able to speak to them. 'You can come to me.'" Every Wednesday and Saturday, local mental health organizations will be at the exhibit to talk with visitors. It's all included with admission and will be there until mid-August. here.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
$25M ‘historic' gift lets Carnegie Museum of Natural History upgrade its iconic dinosaur exhibit
A historic gift to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History will allow for renovations to a beloved exhibit. The museum announced Wednesday they were given a $25 million gift from Daniel and Carole Kamin. It's the largest individual monetary donation to the museum since Andrew Carnegie founded the Cargenie Museums in 1895. The couple last year provided a 'transformative' $65 million gift to the Carnegie Science Center — also the largest donation that museum has received since its creation. RELATED COVERAGE >>> Carnegie Science Center to change name following $65M 'transformational gift' 'Twice in the past year, Dan and Carole Kamin have demonstrated their profound commitment to the work of our museums through transformational gifts totaling $90 million,' said Dr. Steven Knapp, President and CEO of Carnegie Museums. 'We are deeply grateful for their unparalleled endorsement of our museums' power to inspire and inform, and we are honored to be a part of their great legacy of generosity in the Pittsburgh region.' A portion of the $25 million donation will be used to renovate the museum's Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibition between now and 2028. To honor the generous gift, the gallery where this exhibit is displayed will be renamed the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Hall of Dinosaurs. Some of the updates museum officials highlight to the nearly 20-year-old exhibit include immersive and interactive elements, in-gallery storytelling and an emphasis on accessibility. 'Carnegie Museum of Natural History stewards one of the most extraordinary dinosaur fossil collections in the world...' said museum director Gretchen Baker. 'Now, with Carole and Dan's generous support, we'll reimagine the gallery in which these iconic specimens are displayed, plus tens of thousands of additional square feet within the museum.' The rest of the funds will be used to establish an endowment to support the museum's scientific mission. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
