ScienceSouth Pavilion Offers Hands-On Learning
Published Dec 02, 2008
Students participate in ScienceSouth’s Electrophoresis workshop.
Science education has sprung up along Jeffries Creek in the Freedom Florence Recreational Complex.
That’s where, in March 2008, ScienceSouth dedicated its new headquarters and fun-filled science laboratory, housed in a Sprung Instant Structure that is itself a 5,000-square-foot attraction that captures the attention of inquiring young minds.
Across the building’s aluminum frame stretches a fire-retardant architectural membrane that gives the building, called the ScienceSouth Pavilion, a tent-like appearance.
“Down the road, we hope to have a bigger, more permanent facility. This one can be moved, but I think it will be here for quite some time,” says Sheryl Love, ScienceSouth director of marketing and development.
ScienceSouth is a nonprofit education initiative founded in 2000 by education and business leaders to advance scientific understanding at all ages and inspire youngsters to choose scientific careers. The program boasts three mobile labs and an inflatable StarLab Planetarium, which travel to schools and events across the Pee Dee Region. ScienceSouth scientists also offer workshops in classrooms and for assembly audiences.
ScienceSouth’s offerings took a giant leap forward in summer 2008, when the new facility and its sprawling creekside acreage allowed for summer camps for kids, a particular treat for disadvantaged children whose attendance fees were covered by a combination of government funds and private donations. More than 500 children attended in the summer.
“It’s really fabulous and has taken off,” Love says. “We also do birthday parties out here.”
Weekend workshops at the Jeffries Creek locale also mean opportunities for family time. “What’s wonderful about the workshops especially is that they are something you can come and do with your child.
ScienceSouth is all about hands-on learning, and we also encourage family learning,” Love explains. “A lot of times, mom and dad are going to learn something new while their little one is building a robot or learning about collecting insects.”
Story by Sharon H. Fitzgerald
Photo by Courtesy of Andreka Johnson
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