The Drake Mission
Drake Planetarium & Science Center is operated by Tri-State Education & Technology Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization with the mission to provide exceptional STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning experiences for the youth of Greater Cincinnati. This is accomplished through Drake Planetarium, Drake Science Center, Environmental Education at Lindner Park, and outreach programs for area schools. We offer educational opportunities from preschool through high school; teacher and adult workshops are also available. All of our student programming is designed to incorporate national and state curriculum requirements as well as the state proficiency standards. Every program is not only educational, but fun and rewarding as well. Our Mission is to provide a wide range of supplemental, active learning science programs that stress the learned use of higher order thinking skills necessary to function in today’s society. We are committed to offering age-appropriate, hands-on, fun oriented student participation in lab experiences that stress higher order thinking skills. Drake Science Center houses our Engineering and Lego® Labs, our Summer Camps, Saturday Lego® Programs, and Lego® Birthday Parties.
We also offer several outreach programs and our eight week STEM summer academy. Some are conducted in the classroom, others, like our after-school Lego® and Traveling Galaxy Dome are placed in larger settings such as a gymnasium. The Traveling Galaxy Dome is a portable planetarium that can travel to children and audiences throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. This outreach program instructs, motivates, and fuels students’ curiosity about the universe. Our programs are customized to grade levels, presenting the most interesting & appropriate material for each age group. The content flows through your curriculum and supports learning in math, science, and English.
About Our Director
Pam Bowers is the Executive Director/Founder of Tri-State Education & Technology Foundation which operates Drake Planetarium & Science Center. Pam has been engaged as a national trainer for the Harvard-Smithsonian MicroObservatory Astrophysics Project and for NASA Goddard’s After-School Universe Program. For over 20 years Pam has been a JPL Solar System Ambassador bringing the wonders of the universe through NASA projects to area students and the general public. Some of Pam’s accomplishments include receiving several National Science Foundation grants, Harvard Astrophysics Lab partnership, and NASA grants (from JPI, Goddard, and Glenn Research Centers). Gems Developer and Teacher Trainer Lawrence Hall of Science “Hands On Universe”. She was also the on-air personality for science and technology segments on Cincinnati media outlets 700-WLW, WCPO-9, WKRC-12, and WXIX-19.