Science Central Inc.

“A copy of form 990 will be emailed to the board of directors prior to filing for review.”

“Conflicts of interest must be reported immediately; disclosure of conflicts of interest is an essential and ongoing obligation for board members in the course of their duties. If a conflict of interest is identified, it should be discussed with the president and chairman of the board to identify the proper course of remedial action. These actions may range from recusal in any business transactions involving science central or the other interested organization to withdrawing from involvement in the other organization's business or board of directors to other actions that assure the conflict of interest or even the appearance of a conflict of interest may be avoided.”

“Science central's executive committee reviews and establishes (or makes a recommendation to the full board for approval) executive compensation on an annual basis, usually in the first month of the fiscal year, based on the following factors: a. Achievement of goals and objectives as established by the executive committee, either through the establishment of such goals and objectives on an annual basis and/or successful implementation of a board approved strategic plan during the just concluded fiscal year. B. A survey of executive compensation for not-for-profit executive directors/presidents in the fort wayne, allen county and northeast indiana area, as such information is available c. Availability of funding as determined during preparation of the fiscal year's budget and approved by the executive committee or full board of directors.”

“The organization's irs form 990 for the prior three years is available at www.guidestar.org. The organizations 990 is also available at irs.gov.”

“Governing documents, policies and financial statements are available upon request.”

“Science central's mission is to be a "regional resource that provides inspiring and fun hands-on science education for all people of all ages." our purpose is to engage our community and the surrounding region with stem concepts in ways that inspire lifelong learning and future careers. Our science center provides visitors with over 200 permanent exhibits that explore and demonstrate the physical, natural, and applied sciences. We provide an annual measurable impact to 135,000 people in the region and through our virtual programs. In 2023, new exhibits include a ball wall that teaches visitors about potential and kinetic energy, friction, inertia and gravity. The complimentary gear wall exhibit uses gears of varying shapes and sizes that can be arranged into countless alignments to demonstrate the function of this simple machine element. A new catenary arch interactive exhibit teaches visitors the science of geometry and construction. Through team building activities, visitors are able to successfully construct the strongest of architectural forms. The light stick exhibit uses leds to flash a portion of a larger image that is imprinted on the viewers eyes to compile the complete image. The new exhibit, build a habitat on mars, expands our permanent exhibit on the solar system. It is designed to inspire, engage, and educate the next generation of explorers about the human exploration of mars. A restored musical stairs exhibit features laser lines that produce a musical note when crossed. This exhibit highlights the intersection of technology and art as the visitor plays a tune while walking up the grand staircase. A new giant slide has been installed to replace an original slide exhibit. The new design increases safety for the visitors as they travel down the 24-foot slide being exposed to the topics of gravity and friction. With these new exhibits, we strive to provide learning experiences that are relevant to significant careers in our region, address contemporary issues, engage diverse age groups, and reach out to traditionally underserved populations such as girls and women. The recent remodel of our nature nook (formerly the swap shop) continues to be an improved experience for visitors as they interact with the animals. We continue to upgrade the animal enclosures with the large-window format to provide an opportunity for visitors to see them at better vantage points. The food storage and prep station provides another opportunity for staff and visitors to engage and ask questions about the animals. We have seen a lot more activity between the animals and visitors since the remodel. Over the course of the year, we were also able to present the community with four temporary exhibitions in our temporary exhibitions gallery. First, we hosted "tactile da vinci," a unique exhibition about the inventions of leonardo da vinci that was designed for visitors with visual impairments, and used 3- dimensional, braille and auditory components. Next was "a-maze-d" about mazes, games, puzzles and problem-solving. The third exhibition, build it, used large foam blocks to allow visitors to build new creations based on suggested models, or to create their own unique designs. Our final exhibit in early 2024 was quilts: light the world, which provided visual and tactile opportunities to interact with 40 different quilt designs. This allowed the visitors to explore the connection between light, color, chemistry, geometry, and textiles. Upon completing the fundraising, architectural design and equipment acquisition phases for our planetarium capital project, construction of this large exhibit has started. This expansion, using both a classic starball projector and cutting-edge digital equipment will allow us to have the region's only public planetarium in the region's only science center. In 2023 science central hosted 409 study trips (field trips) from schools throughout the northeast indiana and ohio area. Study trips include floor exploratio”