NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tamara Krizek, tamara.krizek@davincisciencecenter.org
ALLENTOWN, PA, April 15, 2026 – Da Vinci Science Center was awarded $50,000 by NASA in a competitive grant program. The Science Center is one of 12 institutions in this year’s Community Anchor TEAM II cohort (TEAMS Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions) which engages formal and informal educators, students, and communities in NASA’s missions as the nation enters a Golden Age of innovation and exploration.
The project, entitled Artemis Pathways: Bridging NASA’s Vision with Allentown Youth and Families was funded through NASA’s Next Generation STEM project, part of NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, which creates innovative resources and hands-on experiences designed to ignite curiosity in STEM and help students discover pathways into the aerospace workforce.
With this funding, up to 120 students in Allentown and Parkland School Districts will receive afterschool outreach programs focused on Artemis Moon exploration, two middle schools (in Allentown and Whitehall-Coplay School Districts) will receive Space Exploration Science Celebrations, and hundreds of families from Parkland and Whitehall-Coplay School Districts will receive free admission vouchers for the Artemis II Celebration on Saturday, April 18, 1-4 p.m.
The celebration event, titled Mission Launch Party, will foster students’ love for space exploration and help them get inspired for the future. Families will have the opportunity to:
- Watch highlights of the Artemis II mission on our giant screen in Curiosity Hall
- Attend a talk and Q&A session with Terry Hart, former Space Shuttle Astronaut and current Lehigh University engineering professor
- Talk with representatives from JULABO and Bosch Rexroth, two local Lehigh Valley companies doing NASA-related work
- Meet students and professors from Lehigh University and Cedar Crest College who conduct space-related and/or NASA-funded research
- Observe the Sun (weather permitting) and learn about telescopes and astronomy with Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society
- See a demonstration of the vacuum distillation process that NASA uses to turn urine into potable water on the International Space Station
About Da Vinci Science Center
Da Vinci Science Center is a national award-winning non-profit science center that has been bringing science to life and lives to science for 30 years. With our exciting new downtown Allentown location, the Da Vinci Science Center makes science fun and approachable, helping to connect people of all ages and backgrounds with the wonders of science. To learn more about our programs, visit davincisciencecenter.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
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