News

Science Factory Sponsors 1st Paper Airplane Contest

  On Saturday, April 19th over 40 Lancaster area children enjoyed a fun-filled morning of building and flying paper airplanes at the Lancaster Science Factory on New Holland Ave. in Lancaster. During this first –ever competition, contestants had the opportunity to construct and ‘test fly’ several airplanes of their own design.

Ressler Mill Announces 6th Grade Science Program

Lancaster Science Factory recently announced an educational opportunity created by the Ressler Mill Foundation for all 6th grade classes in Lancaster County.  It is part of the Science Factory’s mission to make the Factory accessible to all youth in the County and the Ressler Mill Foundation 6th Grade Science Program helps achieve that goal. We thank the Foundation for their vision and commitment to education in Lancaster County.

Science Factory gets rave reviews from young critics

We had launched parachutes, swirled water tornadoes, looped roller coasters, banged on instruments, wiggled magnets, bounced balls and played with rainbows.

Sadly, it was time to leave the hands-on exhibits in the colorful playground of the Lancaster Science Factory. My two kids gloomily dragged their feet like they were being led to the chair as we headed toward the exits.

Suddenly, my 10-year-old daughter's face brightened, as she spied something in the corner, near the coat racks.

Center featured on ABC 27

The Lancaster Science Factory was recently featured on ABC 27's evening news. 

Courtesy ABC 27 WHTM

When you think of science, perhaps you picture white coats, flasks and beakers in a lab. But in Lancaster, science happens in a factory. Young minds make it happen.

The Lancaster Science Factory is an 11,000 square foot converted factory that takes hands-on learning seriously.

Volunteers and staff classify many exhibits as: structural engineering, air power, fluid dynamics or Newton's Laws of Motion. Children, though, classify them as fun.

Opening

Opening Day set for January 22, 2008.  

HOOOOOray! The Lancaster Science Factory has scheduled Opening Day for Tuesday, January 22, 2008: from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Over 40 interactive exhibits have been installed in the 11,000 sq. ft. main exhibit hall which was once an old factory building. Exhibits are arranged in ten exhibit “clusters” including: Structural Engineering, Air Power, Conductors and Insulators, Electricity, Light and Vision, Newton’s Laws, and Fluid Dynamics.   

Volunteer Orientation Session: January 5th

Volunteer Orientation Session set for Saturday January 5th from 3:00 to 5:00pm  

Want to learn more about volunteering at The Lancaster Science Factory? Come to the the Volunteer Orientation Session being held at the Lancaster Science Factory. People will be able to find out about the volunteer opportunities that are available and they will have the opportunity to fill out a volunteer application, try out the exhibits, see the space and ask questions. We will be answering questions such as what kind of time commitment is required and the requirements for volunteers at the science center. There is no obligation to volunteer, only a chance to find out about volunteering.

Membership

Science Factory offers five membership options. 

The Lancaster Science Factory offers fun for the whole family with over 40 interactive exhibits and experiments. Five membership options will be available for 2008.

Day of Discovery

Ressler Mill opens Science Factory to county sixth-graders

By Melissa Julius
Sunday News Staff
mjulius@lnpnews.com

Eleven-year old Melissa Checo thought she knew her colors.  The Lancaster Science Factory’s “Colored Shadows” exhibit showed the sixth-grader she could still learn more.

“Blue, red, and green make white, Melissa said after using the exhibit to blend colors and guess the results.  “I thought it would be black.”

Melissa and her Lincoln Middle School classmates were the first beneficiaries of a grant the Ressler Mill Foundation gave the Science Factory.  Thanks to the windfall, sixth-graders in Lancaster County can visit the museum free of charge.  The students must visit as a class, and the program is open to public and private school students, as well as homeschoolers.

Last fall, the Ressler Mill Foundation, which already supports educational programs for both older and younger students, gave the Science Factory more than $ 24,000.00 in an effort to reach middle-school-age children.

Harold Yoder, Jr., executive director of the foundation, said that his organization had searched for a way to serve these students.  He was pleased, he said that now “all six-graders in Lancaster County [have] the chance to attend.

Nicole Shoemaker is a Mountville Elementary School teacher and master’s degree candidate whose thesis suggests that students who interact with experiments, as opposed to simply hearing lectures, better learn science.

The Science Factory, she said, provides an ideal setting for students to explore ideas through hands-on experience.  They can use what they’ve observed at the Science Factory as context and foundation for classroom instruction, she said.

Itza Rodrigues, for one, thought the Science Factory helped her.  While building different Lego-like structures and testing their stability in the earthquake exhibit, the 11-year old said it was helpful to “see what we do wrong and what we do right.”

Lincoln Middle School teacher and chaperone Wendy Moncak enjoyed watching the enthusiastic students and appreciated how the museum made “learning fun for them.”  

Whitney Ortiz, 13, said “I learned things I never learned before.”

The Science Factory’s executive director, Dr. William Griscom, hopes the grant will allow the museum to “engage all kids” in science.  “Kids” can apparently mean adults, too.  Kelly Arroyo, chaperone and stepmother of Jose Schley, said “I’m learning, too.”

The Lancaster Science Factory, 454 New Holland Avenue, is open form 10 a.m. – 5p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon – 5p.m. Sunday.  For more information, call 509-6363 or visit www.lancastersciencefactory.com.

Construction Completed for Lancaster Science Factory

With construction now completed, and the interior industrial space transformed into a bright, open environment, installation of the exhibits that will fill the space can begin based on an interior space plan by Lancaster exhibit designer and space planner, Deb Young. “As the exhibits arrive and are placed according to the interior plan, the former industrial space will become an exciting learning place for all ages.” stated Young.

Construction Begins at the Science Factory

Work began in July of 2007 in the old old Kerr Glass factory building on New Holland Avenue in Lancaster PA. Currently the building boasts 11,000 square feet of clear-span space with 30 foot ceilings. The space is perfect for the 40 interactive exhibits and learning stations that will emphasize the physical sciences, engineering, technology and math.

TLSF Commissions Jeffrey Zachmann

The Lancaster Science Factory has commissioned Jeffrey Zachmann to create a Kinetic Sculpture. Jeff Zachmann is known around the world for his large and small scale Kinetic sculptures. All of his sculptures feature mechanical movements of machinery and rolling balls. 

Science Factory designated Innovative Education Organization

The Lancaster Science Factory has been designated an Innovative Education Organization by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development. The Lancaster Science Factory will serve as a demonstration lab for elementary and middle schools within the School District of Lancaster.

At work on the wow factor

Construction on science center for children, to open New Year?s Day, is under way at Urban Place

By JON RUTTER, Staff writer
Sunday News

When Jim Bunting strolled through the doors of the future Lancaster Science Factory last week, he beheld 11,000 square feet of mostly wide open space. But all that room is rapidly yielding to an ambitious vision as workers hammer and drill. If all goes according to plan, little paper parachutes will soon drift down from the ceiling. Miniature earthquakes will test the structural integrity of little, kid-made buildings. And the sound of young voices will rise to the rafters as children circulate among 40 interactive exhibits, experimenting and learning.

Science Factory in works

By Jon Rutter, Staff Writer
Sunday News

The notion blossomed spontaneously Thursday, in the best tradition of science.

One Tank Trip: Lancaster Science Factory

For some students, getting through science class can be a chore. But what if you could fly a paper airplane, launch a tennis ball, and play the drums instead of sitting in a classroom? WFMZ's Karin Mallett takes us to a new playground where you might learn a few things this week's One Tank Trip.