Carnegie Science Centre Gets Largest Donation of $7.5 mn by PPG

PPG Industries Inc (PPG) and the PPG Foundation said they have contributed $7.5 million to Carnegie Science Centre of Pittsburgh.

The largest donation in the centre's history is earmarked for a new building that will be named the PPG Science Pavilion.

Scheduled for completion in 2018, the PPG Science Pavilion will house science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning labs; a two-story, 14,000-square-foot exhibitions gallery allowing for large touring exhibitions; PointView Hall, a conference and event space overlooking the city skyline; and new, expanded STEM education programs.

With nine classrooms including a wet lab, the PPG Science Pavilion will enable Carnegie Science Centre to offer more programs for children and adults, such as day camps for students and professional development programs for teachers. The pavilion is the centrepiece of a more than $35 million SPARK! Campaign for Carnegie Science Centre, which was launched in 2014.

“Given our reliance on thousands of chemists, material scientists and other STEM professionals to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and speciality materials that our customers have trusted for more than 130 years, PPG sees firsthand the need for a skilled STEM workforce. To meet this demand – and the challenges of the changing world – we invest in resources like the PPG Science Pavilion that will excite youth about STEM fields and encourage the next generation of innovators,” said Bryan Iams, PPG VP, corporate and government affairs, and PPG Foundation vice president.

“We are excited to deepen our relationship with PPG. PPG’s interest in STEM education aligns perfectly with the science centre’s mission and activities that will occur in our new PPG Science Pavilion expansion,” said Ann Metzger, co-director of Carnegie Science Centre.

“The new PPG Science Pavilion will enable us to expand our capabilities to offer distance learning through video conferencing for rural schools in remote areas, use our early learner classrooms to model best practices in STEM for preschoolers, and provide camps and classes on topics such as coding, cybersecurity and river chemistry,” added Ron Baillie, co-director of Carnegie Science Centre.