Mayborn Museum Complex Receives $10,000 Grant from The Allergan Foundation

Contact: Terry Goodrich,(254) 710-3321
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WACO, Texas (Nov. 10, 2017) — Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum Complex is the recipient of a $10,000 community grant from The Allergan Foundation in support of its participation in the Portal to the Public Network.

Portal to the Public encompasses more than 60 informal science education institutions that seek to bring scientists and public audiences together to promote appreciation and understanding of scientific research and its application. The Mayborn Museum offers Portal to the Public professional development training and has conducted workshops with Baylor’s departments of psychology and neuroscience, biology, anthropology, geology and geosciences. To date, the Mayborn has trained 65 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) experts, and more than 2,500 visitors have participated in activities through Portal to the Public.

Participants complete a workshop that consists of two sessions of professional development. After the workshop, scientific professionals share their current research at the museum before a live audience. The Allergan Foundation community grant will allow the Mayborn to continue to host these valuable training programs for science professionals and will help supplement costs of the subsequent special events for museum visitors.

“Communities are filled with scientists and professionals with the knowledge and experience to inspire the next generation of STEM professionals,” said Charles Walter, director of Mayborn Museum Complex. “The Allergan Foundation community grant will enable the Mayborn Museum to offer more opportunities to researchers and scientists in our greater community.”

Some of the museum’s previous Portal to the Public Events include:
• Water Quality Testing on the Brazos River with Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Studies and Research
• Leave No Trace Behind & Camping Skills with Outdoor Recreation
• Brain Awareness with the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
• Keeping Waco Water Healthy with the Department of Environmental Science
• Earth Sciences Week through a collaboration with the Department of Geosciences

Portal to the Public Participants also have been invited to join museum staff to present hands-on activities during the biannual Sic ‘Em Science Day, and Family Science Nights aimed to improve Family Engagement in science-based activities with underperforming schools.

Upcoming events include:
• Portal to the Public with Outdoor Recreation: Monday, Nov. 13, and Wednesday, Nov. 15, from noon to 3 p.m.: Hands-on activities presented by Outdoor Recreation students at Baylor University. Among the topics will be armadillos, bats, water purification and fly fishing.
• Engineering Week with the Department of Engineering: Feb. 19-23, 2018

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY’S MAYBORN MUSEUM COMPLEX

The Mayborn Museum Complex at Baylor University provides a wide spectrum of learning opportunities to engage visitors of all ages. The exhibits and education programs encourage families to learn together and design their own museum experience. This complex features a natural science and cultural history museum focusing on Central Texas with walk-in dioramas including one on the Waco Mammoth Site. The Mayborn Museum Complex also encompasses a multi-floor science discovery center encouraging hands-on learning for all ages and the Gov. Bill & Vara Daniel Historic Village. The nine wood frame buildings that comprise the village, provide a glimpse into the past, bringing to life a community in the 1890s.

ABOUT PORTAL TO THE PUBLIC

The Portal to the Public approach helps informal learning organizations connect public audiences with current science in their own communities through conversations with local scientists and engineers. Led by Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington, the Portal to the Public framework has been implemented at over 60 organizations that form the Portal to the Public Network, a community of practitioners dedicated to sharing ideas and strategies for scientist-and-public engagement. Through funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Science Foundation, the Portal to the Public Network has expanded to a range of informal science settings including science centers, museums, universities, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and research organizations.

ABOUT THE ALLERGAN FOUNDATION

The Allergan Foundation is a U.S.-based, private charitable foundation established by Allergan, Inc. in 1998 with a mission to make a positive and lasting impact on the community. The Allergan Foundation lends philanthropic support and involvement to organizations working hard to make the lives of individuals healthier and happier and to make their communities better places to live.