CONTACT:
Jo Withers
[email protected]
608.316.4651

MADISON — More children and families can take a monthly plunge into hands-on science, thanks to an American Family Insurance and Boys & Girls Club of Dane County partnership to provide transportation to and from Saturday Science events at the Discovery Building.

American Family’s generosity allows families to bus from Boys & Girls Club to the Town Center of the Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, on the first Saturday of each month.

Saturday Science is run by Discovery Outreach, a joint project of the Morgridge Institute for Research and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The event, which frequently draws 500-plus attendees each month, also features creative exhibits from science outreach partners across the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

“American Family is proud to support the Saturday Science pilot program with the Boys and Girls Club of Madison,” says Judd Schemmel, community investment director at American Family. “It’s important not only that members of the Club have an opportunity to be introduced to science in a fun, interactive fashion, but also that these young students and their families see UW–Madison as their university too, and a place where they’re welcome to engage.”

Saturday Science at Discovery is a monthly series that features interactive exploration stations centered on select topics. Families and learners of all ages are invited to explore hands-on science during this free drop-in event, generally held from 10 a.m. until noon.

Previous events included activities on everything from the science of special effects to dairy science in Wisconsin. The upcoming Saturday Science on June 3 will feature exploration of the five senses with stations to smell, see, feel, taste and touch.

Jo Withers, Morgridge corporate partnerships manager, says kids have the opportunity to see themselves behind the table, learning “fun” science, conducting experiments and developing problem-solving skills in order to gain higher-education exposure and spark interest in the STEM fields.

“Thanks to this partnership, more families in the area have exposure to out-of-class learning opportunities—and we hope to instill that higher education, especially in STEM fields, is within their grasp,” Withers says.

For more information about the program, contact Withers at [email protected].