NETL Energy Challenge Exhibit To Open at Carnegie Science Center

MARSHALL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO HELP DEDICATE EXHIBIT DURING NETL CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION ON OCT. 13

PITTSBURGH — On Wednesday, Oct. 13, Carnegie Science Center will unveil the new Energy Challenge Exhibit, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

Energy Challenge is an interactive kiosk that quizzes players on sources of energy, the science behind energy, and ways to use it wisely in daily life. The exhibit will be located on the fourth floor of the Science Center and will be included in general admission.

NETL will dedicate the exhibit as part of its 100th anniversary celebration. Also part of the celebration is the launch of the Regional University Alliance (NETL-RUA), a partnership between NETL and five universities—University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, West Virginia University, Penn State University, and Virginia Tech—dedicated to developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. Guests will include Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy James Markowsky, U.S. Representatives Mike Doyle and Tim Murphy, Pittsburgh-area leaders, and NETL research partners from China and Poland. The program will begin at 1 pm.

At 1:30 pm, NETL director Anthony Cugini will host an energy panel, which will discuss options for meeting critical U.S. energy challenges. Panel members will include the presidents of NETL-RUA’s university partners at Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University, as well as representatives from GlobalPittsburgh and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

“We are excited to welcome distinguished guests and supporters of the effort to make smart energy choices as we unveil this new exhibit and host NETL’s centennial celebration,” says Ann Metzger, Henry Buhl, Jr. co-director of Carnegie Science Center. “Our region is a hub for innovation in science and technology, and finding new ways to use energy efficiently is going to continue to play a key role in shaping our nation’s future.”

After the formal program, students from Wexford’s Marshall Middle School (MMS) will help dedicate the NETL Energy Challenge exhibit. The MMS students will be the first to play the new exhibit’s game show-style energy quiz. MMS won the 2010 Southwestern Pennsylvania Science Bowl competition, hosted by NETL, and traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete nationally.

“Energy Challenge will be yet another way kids and adults alike can get hands-on with the real science that is around us every day,” says Ron Baillie, Henry Buhl, Jr. co-director of Carnegie Science Center. “Our visitors will be able to learn about energy and smart energy choices, and that reaches to the core of what we do every day—provide informal science education, create opportunities for the development of a scientifically literate society, and support the science leaders of tomorrow.”

More information about NETL and NETL-RUA is available online.

About the National Energy Technology Laboratory
The National Energy Technology Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory focused on developing tools and processes that can provide clean, reliable, affordable energy to the American people. NETL-RUA is an academia-government partnership that promotes energy innovation and economic development through research collaboration. In launching the Alliance, NETL commences its next 100 years of energy innovation.
About Carnegie Science Center
Carnegie Science Center is dedicated to inspiring learning and curiosity by connecting science and technology with everyday life. By making science both relevant and fun, the Science Center’s goal is to increase science literacy in the region and motivate young people to seek careers in science and technology. One of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Science Center is Pittsburgh’s premier science exploration destination, reaching more than 700,000 people annually through its hands-on exhibits, camps, classes, and off-site education programs.

About Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1895, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is a collection of four distinctive museums dedicated to exploration through art and science: Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, and The Andy Warhol Museum. In 2009, the museums reached more than 1.2 million people through exhibitions, educational programs, outreach activities, and special events.