Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1251192
www.HartfordBusiness.com • May 25, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 15 LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF CRISIS 250 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford, CT 06103 | CTScienceCenter.org | p: (860) SCIENCE [724 3623] Dear Connecticut Science Center Community, Over the past several months, we have seen an historic public health crisis catapult us into a time of social and eco- nomic pain. This reminds us that life as we know it depends fundamentally on our ability to protect our health and that of our world. When conditions outpace our science and our abil- ity to act on science, the guardrails that steady us crumble, and so do the routines we cherish. As we seek answers and reach for clarity, many questions are on our minds and in our hearts. Will we and our loved ones be safe? What will school and work look like? How will our economy recover? How will our individual lives change? We share these questions and concerns. And at the Con- necticut Science Center, our mission has us thinking carefully about the future of our children and the communities we serve across the state. Without question, this crisis highlights the need for a science-literate society to invest in disease preven- tion and cures. Nearly every prognosticator puts effective treatments and a vaccine at the center of a full return to economic and lifestyle normalcy. This requires nothing less than overwhelming public and policy support. And short of the silver bullets that only science has any hope of delivering, sci- ence also leads the coping mechanisms to predict and contain further loss of life and guide economic stability. The children and grandchildren of those most at risk from COVID-19 are the innovators who will answer these ques- tions, and the generations to follow will not be far behind. This underscores the deep need to inspire a culture of respect, enthusiasm and support for science and those who use it for the benefit of everyone. Today's healthcare profes- sionals and all those around them are the poignant example of the moment. Our work at the Connecticut Science Center is focused on each of these priorities. While our doors may be closed, we are providing science content to classrooms throughout the region through our daily, online offerings. We are support- ing the parents who have found themselves as newly minted head teachers. We continue to support the professional educators who are striving to continue teaching our children, now in dramatically different formats. For the 10 years since the Connecticut Science Center opened, and for the decades to come, the cause of science has been and will be at the center of our mission. We live to bring joy and excitement to science in the popular setting that we hope soon to re-open. Our message must resonate now more than ever, and even when the doors are closed: Science will find the answers. Science will be with us, and it is here to help when we put it to work and follow what it tells us. Science is the way forward. Love Science. Matt Fleury President & CEO