Challenger Learning Center at SC4 announces Dec. 10 public mission date

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Challenger Learning Center at St. Clair County Community College (SC4) will launch visitors to the moon with Mission: Lunar Quest at 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10. The mission date is open to the public and limited to the first 34 registrants. Seats on the mission are $25 per person and those ages 10-99+ are welcome!

Challenger Learning Center at SC4 is the only Center of its kind in Michigan and one of 40 Challenger Learning Centers nationwide and around the world. It is a fully immersive, space-themed experience aimed at deepening understanding and appreciation of STEM careers and topics and building critical 21st-century skills. It offers unique learning and team-building opportunities for students, educators, corporations and community residents.

“We’re so pleased to announce this open mission date,” said Kristin Copenhaver, vice president of communication and special projects. “If you haven’t yet checked out the Challenger Learning Center, this is an incredible opportunity to do so. Come and join the crew for this mission as individuals or with your families, friends or teammates. See what the excitement is all about!”

Mission participants will launch to the moon in search of a long-term human habitat, command and assist in Mission Control, or board the Spacecraft as an astronaut, serving on teams like biology, geology, weather, robotics, life support and more. They will help deploy a Lunar Exploration Rover to investigate areas of the lunar surface and make critical decisions to turn a potential catastrophe into NASA’s finest hour.

Challenger Center was founded in 1986 in the aftermath of the Challenger shuttle tragedy. The families of the crew came together and created Challenger Center to carry on the spirit of their loved ones and continue the Challenger crew’s educational mission. Challenger Center, with its network of Challenger Learning Centers and digital programs, has reached more than 5.5 million students and learners worldwide.

Register for the Dec. 10 mission at stclair.nbsstore.net/open-lunar-quest-mission-december-10. Mission: Lunar Quest is open to learners in 5th grade and beyond. Support may be available. Contact us with inquiries and questions at experiencecenter@sc4.edu or (810) 989-5789.

To schedule a full group mission at another time, visit challenger.sc4.edu/schedule-a-visit/.

Registration open for SC4’s Golf Classic to benefit student-athletes

The St. Clair County Community College Athletic Department will host the SC4 Golf Classic on Friday, July 22, at Marysville Golf Course. Participants will enjoy 18 holes of golf with friends to support student-athletes.

This year’s event is sponsored by Joe Mericka in honor of his sister Georgette “Gigi” Mericka. As both a community and SC4 supporter, Gigi assisted in securing sponsorships and helped make the SC4 golf outing a success for many years.

“We are grateful for the ongoing community support of Skippers Athletics and our students,” said SC4 Athletic Director Dale Vos. “This event is a great opportunity for us to come together, have some fun and help our hard-working student athletes pursue a college degree.”

The four-person scramble is limited to the first 32 teams to register. The cost is $125 per golfer or $500 per team. Registration for golfers and additional sponsorship opportunities are available online at sc4.edu/thepier/golf.

Check in begins at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. Dinner, awards and prizes will begin at 4:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Dale Vos at (810) 989-5671 or email dvos@sc4.edu.

Challenger Center founding chair and former NASA astronauts to help launch Challenger Learning Center at SC4 April 30

June Scobee Rodgers, Ph.D., founding chair of Challenger Center and widow of Challenger Space Shuttle Commander Richard “Dick” Scobee, will be featured at the April 30 public launch of the Challenger Learning Center at St. Clair County Community College (SC4). She will be joined at the event by former NASA astronauts Robert Curbeam, senior vice president of space capture at Maxar Technologies, and Dorothy (“Dottie”) Metcalf-Lindenburger, earth scientist at Geosyntec Consultants, LCC.

“We are thrilled to welcome June, Robert and Dottie to campus for this event, which honors the legacy of the Challenger crew and opens the door to new and exciting immersive STEM education and engagement opportunities for Michigan and Ontario residents,” said Challenger Learning Center at SC4 partners Dr. Deborah Snyder, president of St. Clair County Community College, Lance Bush, president and CEO of Challenger Center, and Mel Drumm, president and CEO of Unity in Learning (Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, the Leslie Science & Nature Center, the Yankee Air Museum and SC4) in a joint statement.

Challenger Center was founded in 1986 in the aftermath of the Challenger shuttle tragedy. The families of the crew came together and created Challenger Center to carry on the spirit of their loved ones and continue the Challenger crew’s educational mission. Challenger Center, with its network of Challenger Learning Centers and digital programs, has reached more than 5.5 million students and learners worldwide.

Challenger Learning Center at SC4 is the only Center of its kind in Michigan and one of 40 Challenger Learning Centers nationwide and around the world. It is a fully immersive, space-themed, STEM experience aimed at deepening understanding and appreciation of STEM careers and topics and building critical 21st-century skills. It offers a unique learning and team-building opportunities for students, educators, corporations and community residents.

“The Challenger crew’s desire to teach and inspire our children lives on in each of our Challenger Learning Centers around the globe,” Scobee Rodgers said. “We are thrilled to be welcoming St. Clair County Community College to this group of Centers and bring our inspiring STEM programs to the community. Robert, Dottie, and I look forward to being on the campus of SC4 to celebrate the grand opening!”

The launch event on April 30 will take place in two sessions between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public, though registration is required. It will take place throughout the Experience Center, located in the Clara E. Mackenzie Building, and also will feature opportunities to tour the Challenger Learning Center and conduct Super Sciences experiments.

Guests to the April 30 launch event also can take advantage of other Experience Center highlights, including the Dr. Bassam H. Nasr Natural Science Museum, Live Sturgeon, Jacob’s Ladder, Green Screen Photo Experience, Mineral Gallery, Fossil Dig, Bird and Technology exhibits.

Challenger Learning Center at SC4 also has opened early registration for the first full space mission offering, Lunar Quest, which is available for learners in 5th grade and above.

To register for the April 30 event, visit challenger.sc4.edu/launch-event/. For more information and to book a Lunar Quest mission, visit challenger.sc4.edu.