Light a star at The Mind Museum

MANILA, Philippines - Having raised 88 percent of its P1 billion target through the generous support of 31 companies and families, The Mind Museum reaches out to more Filipinos here and abroad who want to be part of helping build our country’s first world-class science museum. Project proponent Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc. (BAFI) recently launched the “Help Build Imaginative Minds” online fundraising campaign.

The Mind Museum will light a star (P1,000) or a constellation (P5,000) in its website under the donor’s name. The donor just has to click on the star or constellation of choice, read the description, and decide whether he or she wants it to be named after him or her. The donation must be made online using a credit card. Eventually, donations via ATM will be accepted.

Visit www.themindmuseum.org and click on the “Donate by Lighting a Star” link, and this will bring you to a fascinating, interactive way of learning about the stars, supporting the science museum, and being recognized in perpetuity for doing so.

The goal is to reach P2 million to help light the night sky of The Mind Museum in the form of a Star Cloth in the Universe Gallery when it opens in 2011. Donors will receive electronic certificates of donation and a posting on their FaceBook wall (if they have one). Donors’ names will also appear by their chosen star or constellation in the Museum’s virtual night sky. They will also be acknowledged in a donors’ marker at the Universe Gallery.

Soon, The Mind Museum will offer more virtual exhibits, such as the sponsorship of elements and their products through its Chemical Kitchen exhibit.

With the launch of this online campaign, The Mind Museum hopes to get more people to embrace our collective dream of telling the story of science to Filipinos.

Managing director Manny Blas said, “By helping build The Mind Museum, we help build imaginative minds — we help inspire future scientists, engineers, doctors, etc. that would build our country. Research shows that a country’s progress in science and technology is directly correlated to economic progress.”

The launching of The Mind Museum’s online fundraising campaign coincided with the debut of its Roving Space Shell, a traveling eight-meter-diameter inflatable dome that brings the wonders of the universe within reach.

Acquired in partnership with JP Morgan Chase & Company from Cosmodome Australia, this inflatable planetarium can sit up to 50 people comfortably with a 360-degree view of the shows.

Its initial show offering is titled “Impact Earth.” It takes you from the birth of the solar system to the craters of Mercury and the moon, focusing on the history of and possibilities for asteroid impacts. As it travels to schools, the Roving Space Shell will have teaching modules on the workings of the solar system. It will also be used to provide the public a sneak preview of what The Mind Museum will be like when it opens in late 2011. 

Call 818-3601 or visit www.themindmuseum.org for schedule and venue of shows.