January 2020
Your monthly news & updates
Our Mission
To ignite the natural curiosity of all learners to explore and shape their world
MOUNTAIN UPDATES
Be sure your membership is up to date (and consider upgrading to our Creator or Originator levels) as 2020 Summer Exploration Camps Registration is right around the corner! VIP Concierge Registration will be on Friday, Feb. 14, Member Registration will be on Monday, Feb. 17, and Open Registration will be on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Visit the   Membership Page to learn more.
Roper Mountain Science Center is a facility of Greenville County Schools. Because of that, our buildings are not open to the public during the week, as we are busy facilitating engaging, hands-on learning for hundreds of students from all around the state and beyond within our walls. Please check our website or social media for details on when we are open to the public for special events. 

Note: our facility will be closed until Monday, Jan. 6,
as we follow Greenville County Schools’ Winter Break schedule.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday Starry Nights
  • 6:00pm Feature Show: The Cowboy Astronomer
  • 7:30pm Feature Show: Oasis In Space
 

STEMFest Second Saturday
Saturday, February 8
9:00am - 3:00pm
Mark your calendar for our first Second Saturday event of 2020. Let’s build the future…Together!  

DEPARTMENT UPDATES
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY BUILDING UPDATES:
When you stop in for Friday Starry Nights this month you will see both floors framed in steel of the new Environmental Science and Sustainability building. We’re excited for the walls to go up and truly see the architectural renderings come to life in the weeks ahead.
MOUNTAIN HIGHLIGHT - SYMMES HALL OF SCIENCE:


The four new Dremel Idea Builder 3D printers have arrived and are being put to use for our STEM labs. 



We recently created larger mountains for our Spy Academy Lab where students compare measurements on the mountain with data they are given about our secret agent’s location. We also printed a custom design hub holder which holds our wind turbine hubs so students can accurately adjust the angle of their wind blades in the Wind Energy Lab. And we’ve printed models of various landforms for the Sea It In A Day labs where students use the 3D models to explore ocean topography.
STEMFest 2020
Mark your calendars for Saturday, Feb. 8, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. for STEMFest! We’re excited to bring back amazing hands-on activities from our long-time supporting organizations and some new community partners. This year’s key organizations include ABB, AFL Global, BMW Manufacturing, Clemson University Emag!ne, Craig Gaulden Davis, Entech 281 Robotics Team, Fisher Middle School STEAM projects, Fluor, Greenville Water, Harper Construction, iMagine Upstate, Michelin North America, Upstate SC STEM Collaborative, ZF Transmissions, and much more! Come build the future with us at this exciting event that lets you interact directly with local engineers, scientists, and staff from these amazing organizations. You’ll explore everything STEM from robots, 3D printers, virtual reality and more. 
OTHER PROGRAM UPDATES:
We recently received praise from a school in Canada for our Fossil Finders Virtual Field Trip, a program where students get to use evidence from long ago to make inferences about what life was like in those times. 
The priority deadline for the summer Science PLUS Institute is fast approaching. Be sure to apply before Friday, Feb. 7, to be considered in the first round of selections. The application can be found HERE. The Science PLUS Institute is a free professional development program for South Carolina public school teachers in grades 1 st – 12 th. The 2020 Summer Institute offers two types of programs: week-long and two-day. For more information, please contact Amy St. John by email or by calling 864.355.8916.
DID YOU KNOW?
…that due to our milder winters, pond turtles can be seen in our pond on warmer days? Be on the lookout for our Red-Eared and Yellowbelly Sliders sunbathing out of the water to heat up with some healthy UV Rays. If you’re lucky, you may even spot a lizard as well!
SUPPORT THE MOUNTAIN
Spread The Word About Roper Mountain
Please consider visiting our  Facebook page, TripAdvisor page, Google listing and / or Yelp page to leave a review and help us spread the word about all that we have to offer.
Give Back To Roper Mountain:
Have you considered making Roper Mountain one of the charities you support this year? Without donations from individuals like you, we wouldn’t be able to invest back in the hands-on, story-based lessons children come to know and love when here for school field trips; we wouldn’t be able to be the “place of yes” for visitors who attend our public programs; and we wouldn’t be able to invest in our current and future workforce in the community. Please consider making a gift to Roper Mountain today. 
AmazonSmile
What if you could contribute to science education without spending a dime? Go to Smile.Amazon.com and choose Roper Mountain Science Center Association as your charity. Bookmark the site – which looks exactly like the regular Amazon site – so that when you make your normal purchases, we will be credited. Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchases back to Roper Mountain.
THANK YOU COMMUNITY PARTNERS!
Visionary:
Duke Energy Foundation
Fluor Foundation
Greater Greenville Sanitation
Greenville Water
John I. Smith Charities
The Jolley Foundation
Ernest and Betty Lathem
Lockheed Martin
Michelin North America
Piedmont Arthritis Clinic, PA
ScanSource
Symmes Foundation

Explorer:
GE
Greenville Evening Rotary Charities, Inc.

Voyager:
BMW Manufacturing
South Carolina Charities, Inc.
Wells Fargo Foundation
Adventurer:
Aeronix, Inc.
Chick Fil-A of Pelham Road
Milliken
State Farm Insurance
Ron and Tommie Reece

Innovator:
AFL Global
Fluor
ZF North America, Inc.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
We welcome feedback on what you like to read about or see more of when you visit Roper Mountain. Email Amanda Lenar to share your thoughts.