Exploratorium Hosts 30th Annual Awards Dinner

On April 4, 2007, the Exploratorium hosts the 30th Annual Awards Dinner. Carol Bartz, Executive Chairman of the Board at Autodesk will be presented with the prestigious Director's Award; Natalie Angier, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for the New York Times, receives the Public Understanding of Science Award; Dr. Kenneth Miller and Dr. Eugenie C. Scott, scientists both active in the evolution vs. intelligent design debate, will receive the Outstanding Educator's Award.

The Exploratorium has honored leaders in technology, science and education for over a quarter century.

The Awards Dinner Event Committee includes, among others, President and CEO of Autodesk Carl Bass and Daryl Austen; Chairman and CEO of Cisco John Chambers; Chairman Emeritus of Intel Corporation Gordon and Betty Moore; Chairman of NetApp Don Valentine and Rachel Valentine, and CEO of NetApp Dan Warmenhoven and Charmaine Warmenhoven.

Kate Kelly will act as Master of Ceremonies. Over 700 guests are anticipated. The reception begins at 6:30pm. Dinner begins at 7:30pm. Table sponsorships range from $50,000 to $5,000. Individual tickets are $500.

Funds generously provided through the Exploratorium Awards Dinner are used to develop and maintain the 400+ educational exhibits that are the heart of educational programming for training teachers in the Greater Bay Area, as well as in 862 school districts in 39 states. The funds also enable the Exploratorium to reach out to underserved audiences in the community, and to make science content easily understandable and freely available to the 20 million annual visitors to our Website.
The honorees are:

Carol Bartz, Autodesk's Executive Chairman of the Board: Director's Award

The Exploratorium honors Carol Bartz for her work in revolutionizing design software and for her commitment to encouraging young women and girls in math and science. Ms. Bartz is the executive chairman of the board of Autodesk, Inc. She held the position of chairman, president and CEO of Autodesk for 14 years, stepping down in April, 2006. Autodesk revolutionized the design world with its AutoCAD (computer-aided design) program used to assist engineers, architects and other design professionals in their work, eventually including designers in the manufacturing and infrastructure fields. Their numerous software programs are used all over the world by designers in the building, infrastructure, manufacturing, media and entertainment fields, including even the exhibit designers at the Exploratorium. A leader in the technology field for over 20 years, Ms. Bartz has been recognized by numerous organizations and publications including Fortune, Wall Street Journal, Barron's and Forbes.

Natalie Angier, Science Writer, The New York Times: Public Understanding of Science Award

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Natalie Angier is being honored for her passionate and successful life writing about science. Currently a science writer for The New York Times, Ms. Angier has also contributed to over 25 magazines including Discover and Time. An accomplished author, Ms. Angier has published three books, including the critically acclaimed Woman: An Intimate Geography. Her 4th book, The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science is slated for release in May 2007.

Dr. Kenneth Miller and Dr. Eugenie C. Scott: Outstanding Educator's Award

Brown University Biology Professor, Dr. Kenneth Miller, is an expert in cell membrane structure and function. A prolific writer, Dr. Miller is the author of more than 50 scientific papers and reviews. He also coauthored three different high school and college biology textbooks that are used by millions of students nationwide. Dr. Miller is the author of Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground between God and Evolution and served as a key witness for the plantiffs in the Dover, Pennsylvania intelligent design case. He has received numerous honors including 5 teaching awards and the President's Citation Award for Distinguished Contributions to Biology Sciences.

Dr. Eugenie C. Scott is Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, Inc., a not-for-profit membership organization of scientists, teachers, and others that works to improve the teaching of evolution, and of science as a way of knowing. One of the country's foremost experts on evolution and intelligent design, Dr. Scott has leant her expertise to numerous organizations, foundations, school boards and academies including the ACLU and the National Science Foundation. She has received numerous honors including the Bruce Alberts Award of the American Society for Cell Biology and the Isaac Asimov Science Award from the American Humanist Association. She has held elective offices in the American Anthropological Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. -- www.exploratorium.edu