By Matt Wiley
If it’s better to give than to receive, then Florida Hospital is at the top of its game, as the hospital located on E. Fletcher Ave. at Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. recently made a hefty gift to the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI).
Located just a few miles south of New Tampa on E. Fowler Ave. (across from the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus), MOSI provides seasonal exhibits and educational entertainment for adults and kids. And, a new business relationship with FHT is poised to take those experiences to a whole new level.
According to a July 25 press release, FH (which is part of the Adventist Health System, which operates 45 hospitals in ten U.S. states, including FHT and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel) presented MOSI with a $2-million check to, “keep the science center moving forward and to help convert the (museum’s) IMAX dome theatre to state-of-the-art digital technology.” The conversion from film will make MOSI’s theater, which already is the only dome theater in the state, one of the first science centers in the U.S. to convert to a digital platform.
“This partnership is the result of a strategic relationship that we have been building with Florida Hospital for more than a year, and their transformational gift will help change the lives of millions of Florida residents,” said Molly Demeulenaere, MOSI’s VP of Growth, in the release. “A relationship like this creates endless possibilities for the future of MOSI, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) education and the Tampa Bay community. By moving to a digital 3D format, we will be able to offer more movies that will attract additional and new visitors to MOSI, which is an important revenue source that will help with the long-term sustainability of the museum.”
Following the conversion, the theater officially will be known as the Florida Hospital IMAX Dome Theatre. “The IMAX Dome Theatre is an impressive and significant experience for our visitors and has enabled us to take millions of our guests to places they never dreamed possible – from the deepest part of the ocean to the outer reaches of space,” said MOSI president/CEO Wit Ostrenko in the release. “We are excited to be partnering with Florida Hospital to continue bringing amazing IMAX experiences to the Tampa Bay community.”
In addition to the theater’s name change, the press release says that the relationship between the two organizations will help facilitate the creation of a unique new program called “Florida Hospital Presents Live SX,” a first-of-its-kind partnership between a hospital and a science center in the state. The program will create an interactive experience, during which Florida Hospital surgeons will perform routine surgeries that will be broadcast live in MOSI’s Coleman Science Works Theater for middle school, high school and college students. The experience is designed to pique students’ interest in a friendly environment where they can ask questions.
The release also says that the partnership will focus on creating more new programs, enhancing existing science education and advancing public interest, knowledge and the understanding of science, industry and technology.
In 1982, MOSI opened to the community and is now the largest science center in the Southeast and the eighth largest in the nation. It’s also the only institution with the focus of experiential STEAM education in the Tampa Bay region. MOSI also is home to MOSI Partnership School, which received an ‘A’ grade this year from the Florida Department of Education. (Find out New Tampa’s school grades on page 35).
For more info, visit MOSI.org or FloridaHospital.com.
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