Your Monthly News & Updates | |
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Our Mission
To ignite the natural curiosity of all learners to explore and shape their world.
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AFTERNOON EXPLORATIONS
Afternoon Explorations is open every Thursday and Friday from 1:30PM-5:00PM (last entry at 4:00PM). During each visit you’ll have the opportunity to explore some of your favorite parts of Roper Mountain including Environmental Science Building, Harrison Hall, the Living History Farm, Pirate Playground, and so much more!
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For the LOVE of STEM event is here! Visit Roper Mountain on February 14th to learn more about why our community partners love their careers in STEM.
Get a jump start and mark your calendar for our next Afternoon Explorations Special Event on Earth Day on April 17th!
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FRIDAY STARRY NIGHTS
Fueled by Fluor | |
Members: If you are unable to attend your scheduled showtime, please contact us at 864-355-0805 by 2:00pm Friday so your reserved seats can be made available to other patrons. | |
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PI DAY PARTY
Join us for an evening of adult fun, hands-on STEM demonstrations, drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and pie (of course!) at our annual Pi Day Party! The event will be held at the Environmental Science Building and is formulated by Roper Mountain Science Center Association (RMSCA) in support of the region’s foremost Science Center focusing on STEM education for our children.
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SUMMER 2025 CAMPS!
Our Summer Camp Guide is posted. Check our website for more information.
Members only online registration begins Tuesday March 11 at 7am. Public registration online registration begins Thursday, March 13 at 8am.
Consider upgrading your membership to the CREATOR or ORIGINATOR level for access to our special Concierge ONSITE member registration days on Tuesday, March 4 and Wednesday March 5.
To upgrade your membership, log-in to your membership at RoperMountain.org and renew at either the Creator or Originator level (found under Supporting Memberships). Creator members ($500) are eligible for up to 6 total camp registrations during concierge registration. Originator members ($1000) may pre-register for an unlimited number of camps. Creator and Originator memberships are good for one year of Concierge camp registration.
There are a limited number of Creator and Originator memberships available. Unless sold out earlier, the last day to upgrade for an appointment for 2025 concierge registration is Tuesday, February 25. Get yours before they are gone!
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GIRL SCOUT PROGRAMMING
Join us as we look to the sky and learn all about the stars and planets. We’ll start off in our planetarium where we’ll focus on the constellations and then move to our observatory where (weather permitting) we’ll observe the planets. Let’s find out all there is to love about space and astronomy! Troop leaders are welcome to supervise, however, space in the labs will be minimal.
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ROPER MOUNTAIN ANNIVERSARY | |
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Celebrating 40 Years of Discovery: 1985-2025
This May, Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville, SC, celebrates a remarkable milestone—40 years of igniting curiosity, inspiring innovation, and shaping the future of science education. To honor this anniversary, we’re embarking on a journey through the history of Roper Mountain Science Center. In this series of articles, social media posts, and a blog on our website. We'll explore the origins of this extraordinary institution, the visionary leaders and educators who brought it to life, and the countless milestones that have marked its path.
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From Tricentennial Vision to Educational Legacy: The Story of Piedmont Exposition Park and Origin of Roper Mountain Science Center
In 1970, South Carolina celebrated its 300th anniversary with a statewide Tricentennial Celebration, aiming to honor its past while envisioning the future. As part of this grand event, three parks were built, one in Charleston, one in Columbia and one in Greenville, each representing different aspects of the state’s historic journey. Greenville’s Piedmont Exposition Park was the boldest of the trio, focusing on South Carolina’s future role in science, technology, and industry.
Located atop Roper Mountain, the park featured a cutting-edge design by Buckminster Fuller. The highlight was the Tetron, a unique cube-shaped superstructure standing on one point, housing five levels of terraces that showcased South Carolina’s natural beauty, industrial advancements, and technological innovations. While the five-story terraced building was completed and exhibits installed, the futuristic Tetron, faced numerous structural issues that prevented it from being completed in time for the grand opening on July 4, 1970. Because of the issues with the Tetron and the expense required to repair it, the park permanently closed by the end of the year, leaving behind an unfulfilled vision.
In 1974, Greenville County Schools purchased the site for $5, under the condition that it be used for educational purposes. This acquisition led to the creation of Roper Mountain Science Center, transforming the once-failed exposition into a thriving center for education and innovation.
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SYMMES HALL OF SCIENCE UPDATE | |
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Solar exhibit-repaired!
Originally designed to demonstrate how the solar panels on the roof of Symmes Hall generate energy, the kinetic solar exhibit behind the building had been inactive for several years. Now, thanks to the work of Eric Basso, it has been fully restored and once again responds to sunlight, spinning effortlessly in direct rays and stopping when its solar panel is shaded when placing your hand over the panel to simulate cloud cover. Thanks Eric!
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New exhibit coming to Symmes Hall
– watch this space!
The Symmes team is excited to announce that AFL is providing funding for an exhibit that will go upstairs in the Symmes Hall of Science! This new interactive exhibit in the upper lobby of Symmes Hall will engage students when they arrive early for classes or auditorium shows, between learning labs, lunch breaks and as they wait for buses after labs. The exhibit will use fiber optics to enhance student understanding of wave and light behavior. Designed to spark student interest, it will also illustrate key scientific concepts including reflection, refraction, opacity, and other wave behaviors. We are so excited to get started on it!
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Do You Know the animals most likely to find your home as a perfect hideout during the winter? In our Ecology Lab in Harrison Hall of Natural Science, look for these animals in the attic or beneath the walls of the house in the mural above and around our Backyard Habitat observation window: bats, honeybees, spiders, a rat, mud daubers, a Flicker woodpecker, a paper wasp nest and a flying squirrel. | |
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There’s no place like home. Every animal on Earth needs the same basic conditions to survive. When we provide these habitat needs, either knowingly or not, we put out the welcome mat for our homes to become a habitat for animals too. During the winter especially, animals sometimes seek shelter in our homes. Our homes provide easy access to warmth, food, water and protection from predators.
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Animals especially seek attics or under decks or crawlspaces since they are not frequently visited. Rodents, raccoons, opossums, bats, insects and even some birds might find your home as a perfect hideout. Have you had any of these animals seek shelter in your home? I know at our house we have had an opossum living beneath our house and chimney swift birds living in our chimney. At our house, we have a welcome mat out for most of these animals seeking shelter during the cold winter.
By Tim Taylor, Roper Mountain Natural Science Specialist
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Meet Asher! Asher is one of our newer volunteers at Roper Mountain! You can find him on Thursdays in his happy place, the Marine Lab! Asher graduated from Hope Academy last year. He came to us through participation in the Pre-Employment Program through the Barbara Stone Foundation. This program helps people with disabilities prepare for and find meaningful work. Asher was diagnosed with Autism at 3 years old and for even longer, his love and interest has always been sea creatures.
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Asher's role here gives him the opportunity to share his passion and knowledge of marine life with the children and adults that come to visit the Marine Lab. His dedication to volunteering at Roper Mountain is not only increasing awareness of our specially abled friends, but it is also giving Asher real opportunities to work on social and professional soft skills that can often be the hallmark of an Autism diagnosis. Asher recently accepted an offer to attend Coastal Carolina's LIFE program where, next Fall, he hopes to learn more about self reliance and his true loves, sea creatures and conservation. Next time you visit the Marine Lab, look for Asher and say hi! He is a wealth of knowledge and loves to share the names that he has lovingly given to every animal that lives in the Marine Lab.
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This month we recognize Fluor for their longtime and generous support. A grant from the Fluor Golf for Greenville event funded a new digital system for the Hooper Planetarium, providing us with updated and enhanced astronomy programs, including new licensed shows, pre-scripted astronomy and science demonstrations, star talks and interactive live shows that will be available not only to students, but also to the public as part of our Starry Nights program.
In addition, funds from the Fluor Foundation brought to life new 6th grade physical science labs called Hands on Engineering. A new thermal engineering lab explores heat transfer, while the “Robot Zoo” lab gives students the opportunity to program robots to simulate animal responses to various stimuli.
Thank you Fluor, one of our longest and most valued community partners, for helping us ignite the natural curiosity of all learners to explore and shape their world.
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Members receive 10% off all t-shirt and hat purchases. Mention that you are a member to receive your discount.
PLUS earn an additional 25 points each time you wear your t-shirt to Nature Exchange!
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Spark Good
Walmart recently launched Walmart Spark Good Round Up where customers can round up their purchases to the nearest dollar and donate the change to their favorite charity. We would love for you to choose Roper Mountain Science Center as your charity to receive these donations every time you shop on Walmart.com. Just select us from the drop down menu when you checkout!
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Give Back to Roper Mountain
We appreciate your consideration in making a donation to support our mission to help lay the foundation for future successes for school and public programming.
Make a gift to Roper Mountain today.
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THANK YOU COMMUNITY PARTNERS | | |
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Visionary:
BOSCH Community Fund
The Daniel-Mickel Foundation
Dodge Industrial, Inc.
Fluor Foundation
Fluor Golf for Greenville
Greenville Water
Lockheed Martin Corporation
ReWa
South Carolina Farm Bureau
Explorer:
BMW Manufacturing
GE
SEW-EURODRIVE
Voyager:
Arthrex Charitable Foundation
Audacy Communications
Greenville Federal Credit Union
Milliken & Company
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Adventurer:
ABB
AFL Global
Bank of Travelers Rest
Bannon Foundation
Brian Cauthen
Contec, Inc.
John R. and M Margrite Davis Foundation
HDR
Moons Drug Store
Ryobi Power Tools
ScanSource Charitable Foundation
TD Charitable Foundation
The Timken Company
Upcountry Fiber Foundation
Vulcan Materials Company
Innovator:
Broad River Electric Charities
Greenville Master Gardeners
Piedmont Natural Gas
Publix Super Market Charities
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We welcome your feedback. Email Roper Mountain to share your thoughts. | | | | |
