Press Releases

July 30, 2010

Dingell Announces Grant for the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — JULY 30, 2010 — WASHINGTON, DC

Congressman John Dingell (D-MI15) is pleased to announce that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) will be awarding a National Leadership Planning Grant of $49,257 to the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.

“The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is a favorite destination of Ann Arborites as well as people who visit Southeast Michigan,” Dingell said. “Kids love that place. I think this federal investment will help the museum develop and grow. I am especially pleased to see the investment will go toward climate literacy and learning about the environment. Our children will be future stewards of this planet. Investing in them now will help protect the earth for decades to come.”

Mel Drumm, Executive Director of the Museum, added: “The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is committed to developing innovative programs that inspire the imagination. This grant award provides an exciting opportunity to collaborate with regional and national partners to create new programming aimed at educating children on science and the environment.”

IMLS awards National Leadership Grants (NLG) to libraries and museums for projects that will have a national impact and generate results that can be widely replicated. The NLG program awarded the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum a collaborative planning grant, which enables project teams from more than one institution to work together to plan and research a project.

The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum will use this collaborative planning grant to work with the Mideastern Michigan Library Cooperative, the Michigan State University Extension 4-H Youth Development and other regional and national partners to develop plans for a regional program promoting scientific and environmental literacy and interest among school-age children and other populations in the Great Lakes region.

The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum intends to use this program to focus on climate literacy and environmental stewardship. The collaborators will also develop a new strategy for creating replicable, customizable and low-cost traveling exhibitions and programs that support these educational objectives.

About the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum provides more than 250 interactive exhibits that spark the imagination. The Museum is a regional destination attracting over 200,000 visitors every year. The mission of the Museum is to inspire people to discover the wonder of science, math and technology. Visit www.aahom.org or call 734.995.5439 for more information.

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