Above: Teammates Brandon Burroughs (from left), Amanda Ireland and Ziad Ojakli pose for a photo inside the new Wondrous Space exhibit. Burroughs and Ireland served as members of the content advisory team for Wondrous Space, helping to bring the exhibition to life. (Boeing Photo)
Once a young student in the Philadelphia region, Amanda Ireland visited The Franklin Institute many times for hands-on STEM learning experiences.
Fast-forward to today, Amanda recently stood at a podium at The Franklin Institute as a Boeing CST-100 Starliner Launch Operations engineer, addressing a crowd for the opening of the museum’s newest interactive exhibit, Wondrous Space.
Amanda shared her personal tie to The Franklin Institute and how the museum’s many science, technology, engineering and math experiences inspired her to follow a career in science and space exploration.
The brand-new space exhibit, Wondrous Space, at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia (Boeing Photo)
“When I was asked to help on this project, I was literally in tears because this museum means so much to me,” Ireland said. “This museum impacts students in the area in really outstanding ways.”
Boeing is the lead sponsor of the new exhibit, Wondrous Space, an immersive two-story journey through the marvels of space exploration.
Amanda and colleague Brandon Burroughs, business development lead for Human Space Exploration, were also selected to serve as members of the content advisory team for Wondrous Space. As part of the content advisory team, Amanda and Brandon were involved in the concept and design of the exhibit and brought real-world expertise to the team during their year-long planning of the exhibit.
“It is impossible to think about space exploration without considering the innovation and mastery of Boeing,” said Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute. “And we are grateful for their investment in Wondrous Space and the future of space education at The Franklin Institute.”
Wondrous Space provides simulations and interactive experiences that allow visitors to journey across the universe and witness unique space phenomena. The exhibit also showcases 80 space artifacts on loan from Carnegie Mellon University and Kennedy Space Center.
One of the goals of the exhibit is to encourage creativity and innovation, which was one of Burroughs’ driving motivations on the content advisory board.
“At the end of the day, this exhibit is what will inspire the next generation to go into those STEM fields and look at space careers,” Burroughs said. “When you go through this exhibit, imagine us going even further into space and doing so in a way that’s true to ourselves, using everyone’s unique and different perspectives.”
Leaders from the Franklin Institute and Boeing cut the ribbon on Wondrous Space, a new immersive space exhibit. (Boeing Photo)Boeing executive vice president of Government Operations, Ziad Ojakli, helped cut the ribbon on Wondrous Space and reflected on the importance of the company’s space leadership and longtime partnership with The Franklin Institute.
“Boeing and The Franklin Institute are united in our commitment to advancing STEM education and workforce development programs for students of all backgrounds,” Ojakli said. “This exhibit offers endless possibilities for immersive STEM education experiences. Imagine a 12-year-old, who dreams bigger after seeing the model of our Starliner or imagining themselves in a Boeing blue space suit.”
Wondrous Space is on a mission to ensure that students of all backgrounds can see themselves in STEM careers and find inspiration through interaction with this exhibit.
The second floor of the exhibit contains Faces of the Future, a feature within the exhibit that showcases the diversity of careers within the space and aeronautic industry. Many Boeing employees are featured in videos that highlight their careers, and these videos serve as inspiration for hundreds of thousands of young people who will visit the exhibit each year.
“We are trying to show students that they belong in this industry,” Ireland said. “We are inviting them to incorporate and work in science. Not just getting ready for their classes, but seeing themselves in STEM long-term."
By Kurt LaBelle