Rocket lovers have a new reason to visit the California Science Center.
Long Beach-based Rocket Lab USA has donated an Electron rocket to the Exposition Park-based museum’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center expansion.
“We’re proud to be included among historic names in aerospace from Southern California in this exhibit,” Peter Beck, Rocket Lab’s founder and chief executive said. “Our mission is to make access to space accessible to everyone, and we hope Electron’s inclusion will inspire future STEM leaders.”
Electron has completed 50 launches to date (read more on Page 9). It uses 3D-printed engines designed and made in Long Beach. Electron has delivered 190 satellites to orbit since 2017.
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is in the midst of a transformation, adding 200,000 square feet of space for exhibits and events. The expansion will include three galleries and house special exhibits and events.
It’s not the only museum in the area being expanded. Nearby the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is months away from completing its NHM Commons project.
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In June, Sawtelle-based Riot Games and South L.A.-based SoLa Impact hosted an event dubbed The FutureFest: Gaming & Tech Summit. The event aimed to expose kids in South L.A. to jobs in the gaming industry.
Riot Games’ Paul Bellezza, who started as an intern before working his way up to executive producer of League of Legends, gave the opening keynote speech at the event. Industry leaders also spoke about the future of the industry and a number of interactive workshops were held.
The event, which was held at SoLa’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Center Powered by Riot Games, also featured a tech expo and career fair. The center opened in 2022 and is free to South L.A. residents. It is 13,000 square feet and includes a 3,000-square-foot esports and gaming area.
It has served more than 4,800 students since its launch.
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California Humanities, in Chinatown, has awarded the Koreatown Storytelling Program, $25,000 for its project titled “Traditional Healing Arts in Koreatown.” The program is part of the Koreatown Youth and Community Center.
“This support will enable local high school students and elders to explore the culture of health and traditional healing practices in Los Angeles’s multicultural Koreatown neighborhood,” said Katherine Kim, KSP’s program director.
David Delgado Shorter, a UCLA professor, will advise the yearlong project, which will feature interviews about acupuncturists, herbalists, shamans, botanicas and curanderas.
“The ability to help community members share and safeguard their knowledge about healing will provide UCLA students a rare opportunity to learn community-based research while simultaneously gaining culturally specific insights about cross-cultural concepts of health,” Shorter said.
