Worcester, Massachusetts is a small city with an enormous amount of energy, creativity, and commitment.
Worcester competed successfully with several other and much larger communities to be one of the AOSL incubators, developing their winning proposal through a high level of initiative, creative planning and excellent collaboration between local sponsors and organizations.
The lead organization in Worcester is the EcoTarium, a unique indoor-outdoor museum, whose mission is to “contribute to a better world by inspiring a passion for science and nature through discovery”. Set in a surprising oasis of greenery in the middle of urban development, the EcoTarium offers a chance to walk “through the treetops, take a thrilling multimedia journey through the galaxy at a digital planetarium, meet wildlife, stroll nature trails, ride a narrow gauge railroad, and get hands-on with family-friendly exhibits”.
Despite the contemporary design and the latest learning technologies, the EcoTarium has a long history. The current president, Joe Cox, notes that “the EcoTarium has been inspiring a passion for science and nature for almost 200 years.” The private, non-profit institution was founded in 1825 as the Worcester Lyceum of Natural History and was incorporated in 1884 as the Worcester Natural History Society, eventually becoming the New England Science Center, and then the EcoTarium.
Worcester itself has evolved from an industrial hub in the 19th century to a community focused on education and healthcare. There are 13 colleges in Worcester and the UMass Medical School. The arts are active as well, with a world-class arts museum and 60+ arts organizations involved in the Worcester Cultural Coalition, cultivating the arts in the community and arts-related economic development. The Coalition won a 2009 Commonwealth Award as a “creative economy catalyst” in 1998.
The Ecotarium has also been recognized as a place where the arts and sciences come together. “Throughout our history we have recognized the importance of the connection between art and science – a role that resulted in the EcoTarium recently receiving the Massachusetts Cultural Council/s 2013 Commonwealth Award for Art / Science Collaboration”, Cox points out. “The EcoTarium is excited to be one of three sites on this National Science Foundation grant that adds Art to the STEM mix. We’ll be exploring how to spark creativity in science education and develop an innovative 21st century STEM workforce that is truly pioneering and original, as well as skilled in science and math. Serving as an incubator for innovation, helping community members apply creative learning practices to a real-world problem facing the City of Worcester, is core to our mission.”
The Worcester Incubator Advisory Council has 20 leaders from education, museums, businesses, and city government helping to guide the effort and organize participation and contributions. In choosing the civic challenge for the Worcester incubator, the Advisory Council members submitted a number of possibilities and sought proposals from their connections throughout the city. The incubator staff received 11 ideas in different stages of development. Working with the Council and the president of the Ecotarium, different proposals were discussed, combined and filtered. The winning choice (transportation alternatives) contained elements of 3 or 4 of the original proposals.
Worcester members of the National Advisory Council are:
- Nancy Budwig, Associate Provost and Dean of Research, Clark University
- Karen Kashmanian Oates, Dean of Arts & Sciences, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Members of the Worcester Incubator Advisory Council include:
- Melinda Boone, Superintendent of Schools, Worcester Public Schools
- Kristin Boudreau, Professor & Department Head, Humanities & Arts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Ted Buswick, Executive-in-Residence for Leadership & the Arts, Clark University; National Collaborations Manager for this project
- Jack Foley, Vice President for Government and Community Affairs and Campus Services, Clark University
- Marcia Lagerwey, Head of Education, Worcester Art Museum
- Timothy Loew, Executive Director, Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDIGI)
- Sandra Mayrand, Executive Director & Founder, Regional Science Resource Center (RSRC), UMass Medical School; Director, Central Massachusetts STEM Network
- Stephen Pitcher, President, EcoTarium
- Wyatt Wade, President & CEO, Davis Publications
- Erin Williams, Cultural Development Officer, City of Worcester; Executive Director, Worcester Cultural Coalition
