Frost Science and CappSci Announce $1 Million Prize Program

Posted on February 19th, 2015

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By: MiaSci

CappSci Inventors Banner

Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science and CappSci announced today a series of annual prize contests to develop innovative solutions in the health and environmental sectors. Two separate prizes will be offered in 2015: one for the best invention to restore coral reefs and one for the best invention to help people reduce their exposure to carcinogens.

Building on CappSci’s experience with global competitions, the CappSci Inventors program solicits submissions of prototype inventions with local relevance and global significance. Applications will be accepted starting today and are open worldwide. Two winners will each be awarded a $100,000 grant to support a 12-18 month installation at the Musuem, as part of the Museum’s inventors-in-residence initiative. During their residencies, inventors will interact with museum visitors while building out and testing their technologies. Museum visitors will be able to watch the inventor work in their public facing workspace, read interactive daily project logs, and discuss the progress and details of the project with a dedicated intern who will serve as a knowledge liaison between the inventor and the public. CappSci and the Museum will also support inventors with mentorship and growth opportunities. Entry forms and additional details of the prizes are available at www.cappsci.org.

CappSci is a nonprofit applied science company created by engineer and entrepreneur Dr. Ted Caplow and his wife, the former ballerina, Pascale van Kipnis Caplow.CappSci made headlines around the world in 2013 with the $1 million Caplow Children’s Prize, the largest prize in the world to date dedicated to saving the lives of children under five. The Caplows have previously donated $1 million to the Innovation Center at the new Museum.

“The CappSci Inventors program is designed to help stimulate the growth of a world-class technology sector in south Florida while tackling big challenges,” said Ted Caplow, CEO of CappSci. “By using a global prize contest and installing our winners at Frost Science, Miami’s most incredible space for public education, we leverage our investment many fold.”

“CappSci is a generous partner and a unique one to have,” said Gillian Thomas, President and CEO of Frost Science. “This particular program will enable visitors to explore and understand the process of invention, as well as provide these inventors with mentorship and growth opportunities through our new Innovation Center.”

The five-floor Innovation Center at the new Museum will provide an opportunity to collaboratively explore the future city, with project-based classes, maker’s activities, public demonstrations and workshops celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship while displaying the latest global developments.

The prizes were announced this morning at the Museum’s current location as part of its “Innovation & Engineering Weekend.” The announcement was followed by a panel discussion on the importance of competitions, featuring local leaders in science, medicine, and business. The panelists includedRebecca Fishman Lipsey, Member, Florida Board of Education and CEO of Radical Partners, marine biologist Dr. Andrew Baker from University of Miami, medical entrepreneur Dr. Maurice Ferré, and oncologist Dr. Nicholas C. Lambrou.

For more information on “Innovation & Engineering Weekend,” please visit www.miamisci.org/iefrost.

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RFQ: People & Science Exhibition

Posted on January 28th, 2015

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By: MiaSci

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science is seeking to identify and select a partner to perform conceptual design services for our People & Science exhibition at the new (currently under construction) $275 million Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, to be located in Museum Park in Miami, Florida. This new highly sustainable facility will include a planetarium, aquarium, both indoor and outdoor flexible space for science exhibits as well as educational facilities.

The Museum is seeking a design firm, or consortium of firms, who individually or collectively possess the experience, skills, and knowledge to design the exhibition. The Museum intends to contract with a single entity, and encourages interested parties to assemble teams as needed. The selected design firm will be required to work with the Museum project team and the Museum’s appointed accessibility and exhibition evaluation consultant.

To obtain a copy of the RFQ, contact Trevor Powers, P.E. at tpowers@frostscience.org

Please provide the name of your company, location, main point of contact and contact information with your request for the RFQ.

RFQ requests will be accepted until February 14, 2015.

All responses are due to by 5:00 pm EST on February 24th, 2015.

Museum Receives $1 Million Gift from FPL

Posted on January 21st, 2015

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By: MiaSci

Sun Deck

Sun Deck

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) and its philanthropic organization NextEra Energy Foundation has donated $1 million to The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science to support the Innovation Center, which is currently under construction as part of the new museum facility at Museum Park. In addition, FPL is also giving the Museum an in-kind donation of photovoltaic solar panels, valued at $80,000. The panels will be located on the roof’s solar farm, a valuable addition to the Museum’s Sky Garden rooftop, and will generate power for the LEED certified facility.

“As the first utility to make the smart grid and large scale solar realities in Florida, we are excited to partner with the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science as a founding member of the Innovation Center,” said Eric Silagy, President and CEO of FPL. “This is a great opportunity to support a pillar in our community and promote energy education. We share the Museum’s commitment to inspire hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to think innovatively.”

The Innovation Center, which is the first wing seen by visitors upon entering Museum Park, provides an opportunity to explore the future city, with project-based classes, encounters, new exhibitions and programs celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship while displaying the latest global developments. Opportunities for careers, volunteering, and in-depth learning will abound within the five-story wing.

“FPL has a long history of leading innovation in Florida and is touted as one of the most innovative companies in the U.S.,” said Gillian Thomas, President and CEO of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. “We are honored to partner with FPL to bring the Innovation Center to life, and their generous gift will work toward enhancing science and education for people of all ages.”

FPL is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and a good neighbor. FPL’s investments, community partnerships and employee giving help to improve the quality of life in the communities it serves. The company’s history of embracing innovation is reflected in its support of programs directly related to its business objectives, including energy-related projects or curriculum, preserving wildlife and natural resources and providing environmental education, supporting health and human services and improving the quality of life.

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RFP: Feathers to the Stars Exhibition

Posted on January 6th, 2015

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By: MiaSci

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science is seeking to identify and select a partner to design and implement the “Feathers to the Stars: The Past, Present, and Future of Flight” exhibition for the new $275 million Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, to be located in Museum Park in Miami, Florida. This new highly sustainable facility will include a planetarium, aquarium, both indoor and outdoor flexible space for science exhibits as well as educational facilities.

The Museum is seeking a design firm, or consortium of firms, who individually or collectively possess the experience, skills, and knowledge to design, develop and install a state-of-the-art exhibition. The Museum intends to contract with a single entity, and encourages interested parties to assemble teams as needed in order to respond to all aspects of the requested scope, including all software development and hardware procurement. The selected design firm will be required to work with the Museum project team and the Museum’s appointed accessibility and exhibition evaluation consultant.

To obtain a copy of the RFP, contact Dr. Jorge Perez-Gallego at jgallego@frostscience.org.

RFP requests will be accepted until January 16, 2015.

All responses are due to by 5:00 pm EST on January 26th, 2015.

Let it Pour: Gulf Stream Tank Concrete Pour

Posted on December 18th, 2014

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By: MiaSci

Golden Dusk Photography - Frost Museum of Science-33

Beginning Friday, December 12, crews worked non-stop for 24 hours, 48 minutes and 59 straight seconds, to place over 1,200 cubic yards (120 trucks) of concrete, making up more than 9,000 square feet of tank surface area, filling the walls of the massive cone-shaped Gulf Stream tank aquarium and marking the Museum’s biggest milestone in construction to date. The 500,000 gallon tank, open to the sun and sky, will serve as the centerpiece of the new Museum. Not only will this be the city’s newest iconic landmark, but also one of the most complex projects currently being undertaken in the United States. In addition to the erection of monumental amounts of shoring and formwork, impressive in and of itself, the laborious groundwork included the installation of over 370 tons of epoxy coated steel reinforcement intertwined by a web of 57 pipes containing over 700 high strength post tensioning cables that generate over 14,000 tons of compression force into the concrete to prevent cracking once poured. Stepping onto the outdoor top level of the Living Core once the Museum opens in 2016, visitors will encounter the 100-foot open surface of the tank vessel to catch glimpses of marine creatures such as hammerhead sharks and tunas.

One of the most significant achievements in architectural design and one whose shape alone has never been done before, the form will come to life later this week as the wet blanket is removed, and the dried and settled concrete is revealed. The tank is now prepared to support over 4 million pounds of sea water and… SHARKS! Complex in its conical shape, inclination and suspension, as well as a 30-foot diameter oculus at the bottom of the basin, the shape is energy-efficient and ideal for sharks as there are no sharp corners, maximizing the cruising surface while reducing the amount of water – it’s not just the view that’s great.

This milestone means the Museum is officially more than half-way through construction and on track to open its doors in the summer of 2016. In a city where construction cranes dominate the skyline, this Museum is undeniably the most elaborate project being built in Miami, and we’re excited to celebrate key milestones with you.

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Museum Receives $1 Million Gift from Dr. Ted Caplow

Posted on December 11th, 2014

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By: MiaSci

View of the Innovation Center from Museum Park

View of the Innovation Center from Museum Park

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science has been gifted $1 million from Dr. Ted Caplow, CEO of Caplow Applied Science (CappSci), to support the Innovation Center, currently under construction as part of the new museum facility at Museum Park. Dr. Caplow’s gift serves as the first for the Museum’s Innovation Center, the five-floor north building, designed to serve as a destination and inventors’ space for bold ideas and new products. Dr. Caplow, an engineer and entrepreneur who serves on the Museum’s Board of Trustees, also designed the Vertically Integrated Greenhouse (VIG) hydroponics system currently on display in the current Museum’s Sea Lab.

“We are honored to continue our partnership with Dr. Ted Caplow to help bring the Innovation Center to life,” said Gillian Thomas, President and CEO of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. “This generous gift will work toward enhancing science education for people of all ages who are current and future innovators.”

The five-floor Innovation Center will provide an opportunity to collaboratively explore the future city, with project-based classes, maker’s activities, public demonstrations and workshops celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship while displaying the latest global developments. Opportunities for careers, volunteering, and in-depth learning will abound at the Center, which will include an Innovation Café, focused on innovation in garden and kitchen, waste management, and the role of food in healthy lifestyles. The top floor will host a conference center, offering a wonderful space for partners and staff members to meet overlooking Greater Miami and Biscayne Bay.

“The Innovation Center is a place for learning and a place for doing” said Dr. Ted Caplow. “I am thrilled to help make possible a Center dedicated to changing the world together by drawing on the diverse talents of our community.”

A pioneer in the field of building-integrated agriculture, Dr. Caplow founded New York Sun Works in 2004, created the Science Barge sustainable urban farm in 2006, and founded urban farming enterprise BrightFarms in 2008 to pursue a range of opportunities in urban agriculture. He also founded Fish Navy Films in 2009 to produce intelligent, unbiased documentary features and shorts on environmental sustainability and human health. In 2013 he also created the $1 million Children’s Prize to apply a quantitative approach to reducing child mortality worldwide, ranking among the world’s largest humanitarian prizes. Dr. Caplow applied years of experience in the areas of sustainability and engineering to the development of CappSci. Founded by Dr. Caplow and Pascale van Kipnis Caplow, CappSci is focused on resolving a select set of major global challenges through crowdsourcing ideas, solutions, and support, choosing the intervention point carefully for each challenge, and measuring impact throughout the process.

 

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