The Arizona Science Center has a new leader, but she’s not new to the organization. Tammy Stewart has served as the onterim CEO since last fall, but was recently named the Hazel A. Hare president and CEO.
Stewart stopped by the studio earlier to talk about the science center and some of her plans for it. The conversation started with what appeals to her about running the Arizona Science Center.
Full conversation
TAMMY STEWART: Oh, that could take a whole show. No, truly for me, I’ve been in the arts and culture sector for over 25 years, but when I came to the Science Center nine years ago, I felt like I had found my home.
I had started off my career in IT, in technology, then moved into nonprofits, kind of moved my way through there and now being at the Science Center, I get to be part of a team that makes these incredible learning moments happen for our community. And I actually couldn’t think of a more ideal place to be.
MARK BRODIE: How do you see the role of the Science Center in this community at this particular time?
TAMMY STEWART: That is kind of an ever-evolving idea. But I would say part of it is to be a center in our community that is bringing the latest science, technology, engineering and math — conversations, subjects — in an accessible way for both students but also for adults.
Our technology in this world is changing too fast. Artificial intelligence, semiconductors. Like all those subjects are not things that adults today learned about in school, and a science center can be that place you can go to to learn about those subjects, along with our standard basics — the physics, the chemistry — all those subject matters, too.
MARK BRODIE: Well so do you see it as sort of a way kind of what you’re just saying, yes, you have the volcanoes and sort of learn about the earth and learn about the desert and things like that; but also as a place where people can maybe explore what is AI and how is it impacting our lives and autonomous vehicles and all that stuff?
TAMMY STEWART: Yes, we actually a couple years ago did a partnership with a very popular autonomous vehicle company here in town where we talked about the lidar system. So we brought that technology and were able to show our community what actually those cars are seeing and how they operate.
And then most recently, we actually have a exhibition up about semiconductors called SEMIquest. We partnered with SEMI Foundation to bring that subject to our science center. It’s on view for another month, but we do have plans in the future to have a permanent gallery dedicated to the subject.
And I can tell you, we were sharing earlier about yesterday we had 1,500 school kids on our property. And I was out on the floor, and we had a young girl probably 8, 9 years old, and she came running up ahead, she stopped in front of the semiconductor gallery space, and she looked in, and she could see the model clean room, and her eyes were so big. And she just said, “What is that?” and went running in.
And to know that you’ve just created that excitement for something like semiconductors, and she wanted to learn more. She put on a bunny suit, she jumped into the clean room and she started to explore.
MARK BRODIE: Oh, that’s really cool. What would you like to be able to do at the Science Center that you’ve not been able to do, or it hasn’t been able to do? And I know you’ve been there for a little while even though you’re fairly new to this position. Do you have grand plans for stuff you’d like to do there?
TAMMY STEWART: Oh yeah. We have grand plans, the entire team. And some of it I’m going to keep secret so you can bring me back, but we are we are looking at a a full renewal of our building and bringing in those subjects that I talked about — artificial intelligence, semiconductors — but also renewing the other galleries and bringing some new exhibits, new opportunities to have some interactive experiences.
MARK BRODIE: At a time when a lot of institutions like the Science Center, other museums are kind of struggling to figure out where their funding is going to come from, is that a concern that you have? Has that been a challenge over the last number of months or years?
TAMMY STEWART: You know as a nonprofit, it definitely is always top of mind of looking at how can we diversify our revenue, both earned from ticket sales but also contributed revenue from private sources. So it is a constant conversation. It’s a constant planning that we as an organization are looking at to make sure that we’re financially sustainable for today but also in the future.
MARK BRODIE: Do you find that’s becoming more challenging as more and more institutions are sort of going after the same shrinking pots of money?
TAMMY STEWART: An a certain point it’s always been challenging. As nonprofit organizations, we’re always trying to meet our community where they’re at and where their needs are, and as the community’s needs grow then the nonprofits needs are going to have to grow, and we want our resources to help to provide for the community.
So it’s always been a challenge, and it will, I will say, continue to be a challenge. But we have an incredibly generous community that helps support us from a philanthropic side, but also as we provide more engaging experiences then we’re attracting new audiences, tourists to come in and it will help with our earned revenue.
MARK BRODIE: Well speaking of of those kinds of experiences, the Science Center just opened a new one, which I assume you’re excited about based on the giant smile on your face as soon as I brought it up: replacing what had been the planetarium with kind of what looks like a smaller version of the Sphere in Las Vegas?
TAMMY STEWART: Yes, it is a smaller version of the Sphere. Different technology, and we actually say it is a better experience than the Sphere. Now I really hope the Sphere doesn’t hear this part of the conversation.
But yes, we did. We went through a two-year construction project where we actually remodeled our planetarium. We now have the Dorrance Dome. And words cannot do it justice. I’ve tried for two years to talk about how amazing the experience is going to be and when people walk in now they look at me and go, “Oh, now I know what you’re talking about.”
MARK BRODIE: It seems like the Phoenix area and Arizona broadly are kind of different scientifically than so many other places. I wonder like when you’re thinking about the kinds of exhibits or the kinds of programming you want to do at the Arizona Science Center, how much are you thinking about talking about the desert or the Grand Canyon or solar energy or, you know, you mentioned semiconductors, which is obviously a big a big industry here? Like how much are you thinking about specifically this place and how much are you thinking about just science more broadly?
TAMMY STEWART: I love that question because you are actually thinking exactly what we are thinking about right now. And one of our new experiences that will be opening up later this year is a gallery that is dedicated to Arizona’s water story. So top of mind for our team is exactly looking at our community and those areas that make this community unique, but then how we can also talk about the science or the technology side depending on the particular subject we’re talking about, how we can bring that into the Science Center to educate not only our local community but also the tourists who come to visit.
MARK BRODIE: All right, that is Tammy Stewart, the Hazel A. Hare CEO and president of the Arizona Science Center. Tammy, thanks so much.
TAMMY STEWART: Thank you so much.
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