Scott S. Downs

01/11/2023

Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott recently announced her donations since 2019 have totaled more than $14 billion and helped fund around 1,600 nonprofits. But as much as the scale, it is the style of giving that is causing a stir; it's targeted at a wide spectrum of causes, without a formal application process and--it appears--no strings attached.

I admire Ms. Scott for the way she has disrupted the traditional model of and hope that many more people and organizations are inspired to follow her lead.

Donations often come with rigorous applications and reporting requirements. Billionaire MacKenzie Scott, who divorced Jeff Bezos in 2019 and vowed to give away most of her fortune, does it her way.

06/20/2022

12/27/2021

“ … this kind of rhetoric builds upon reckless attempts by some pundits to dance as close to the line of advocating violence as possible while leaving themselves plausible deniability in terms of their intentions. Then they gaslight everyone else for being so "stupid" and "sensitive" for taking such metaphors literally.”

It is at the very least callous for Jesse Watters to deploy metaphors of death against the person leading the charge to help keep Americans alive during the pandemic.

12/29/2020

Support our Pandemic Responsive Programming With your help we’re reaching over 1,050,000 households and counting Donate TodayDear Friend of the North Museum, “We see their eyes light up as they learn, even if we can’t see the smiles beneath their masks.”   It has been a challenging year for...

11/19/2020

“Dr. Levitt’s proposal is simple: Condense three years of high-school math—typically Algebra I in ninth grade, Geometry in 10th grade and Algebra II in junior year—to two years. Then, devote the freed up time to more relevant learning, such as data science or financial literacy.”

“Freakonomics” co-author Steven Levitt and other reformers are pushing for more equitable curriculum that better equips students for a data-driven world.

10/28/2020

“Topline findings from the survey showed 80 percent of nonprofits reported revenue losses, with small nonprofits hit hardest.”

A survey of 1,000 nonprofits showed COVID-19 costs of $708 million and billions in unreported losses. More importantly, it showed a refreshing seriousness.

10/26/2020

STEM Learning Activity Packs The North Museum @ Home STEM Learning Activity Pack provides engaging, hands-on educational experiences that help your child and family learn more about a specific topic. Available in three age ranges. STEM BOXES STEM Boxes are the perfect way for your kids to entertain....

10/02/2020

On October 5, 2020, as part of Lancaster County Agriculture week, the North Museum of Nature and Science and the Lancaster County Agriculture Council will be rolling out "Agriculture and Food," the latest edition of the North Museum Series. There are three age-appropriate packets - one for pre-kindergarten, one for grades K - 4 and another for grades 5 - 8 that focus on several themes:

Farmers and people in agriculture are people who take care of the land…soil, air, water;

There is a close connection between agriculture products that farmers grow and the food that we eat;

There are a lot of people involved in making meat and vegetables into food.

At a short ceremony on Monday, October 5, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. at the North Museum, 400 College Ave., Lancaster, PA 17603, the two organizations will celebrate the availability of the downloadable materials, as well as the beginning of two weeks of special emphasis at the museum on Agriculture, and the new themes and content.

Speakers include:
George Cook, Chair, Lancaster County Ag Council and Andrea Rush, CEO, North Museum (9:15 a.m.)
Dr. Scott J. Sheely, Executive Director, Lancaster County Ag Council (9:25 a.m.)
Gary Swan and Representative Barbara Gleim, Commissioners, Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence (9:30 a.m.)
Jack Coleman, Cherry Crest Adventure Farm, Ronks (9:45 a.m.)
Jessica Herr, Secretary; Emma Musser, Chaplain; Alayna Harrell, Reporter; PA FFA Organization (9:50 a.m.)
At Monday's event, children from the school at the North Museum, and ceremony attendees, will have an opportunity to participate in a series of demonstrations and activities at the Museum that illustrate some of the principles in the "Agriculture and Food" materials.

Activities will be available to the public from 9:00 a.m. until noon.

The event is sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, New Holland North America and Blakinger|Thomas Law Firm.

ATTENDANCE IS LIMITED AND RULES REGARDING SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MASKS WILL BE FOLLOWED.
***In the event of rain, the event will be held indoors, adhering to the CDC protocols the museum has put into place.

Go to https://northmuseum.org/ag-week/ for more information on downloading the packets.

The North Museum STEM Learning Activity Packs provide engaging, hands-on educational experience to help children and their families learn more about specific topics. The program is part of multiple initiatives implemented by the North Museum to better assist the emerging new educational needs and circumstances faced by students, their families and educators. The North Museum has also launched School @ North Museum, for children whose schools only offer half-day classes, or are entirely virtual, with certified teachers and highly educated facilitators to foster student learning as children attend virtual classes provided by their own schools. On October 12, 2020, After School @ North Museum will be launched.

The North Museum of Nature and Science's mission is to enable knowledge of nature and science by inspiring individuals, engaging communities and connecting organizations.

Information Coming Soon.

10/01/2020

Works by Dan Zdilla, of Lancaster, now on display at the North Museum of Nature and Science.