CLEVELAND (January 14, 2022) – Great Lakes Science Center is set to unveil a new periodic table of chemical elements exhibit when it reopens to the public on Saturday, thanks to a donation from the Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair (NEOSEF).
 
NEOSEF donated the funds for the exhibit in honor of Dr. Glenn Brown and Dr. Jeanette Grasselli Brown. It was dedicated at a private ceremony during the Science Center’s current closure for cleaning and maintenance.
 
“We are grateful to the entire Board of NEOSEF for this wonderful gift in honor of Glenn and Jenny, said Science Center President & CEO Kirsten Ellenbogen. “We are especially grateful to NEOSEF President Oanh Loi-Powell for her work to make this ambitious tribute happen.”
 
The legacy of Jenny and the late Glenn’s board service throughout the Cleveland area is one of leadership and strategic partnership. Glenn, a chemical engineer and senior vice president at Standard Oil, was instrumental in the strategic merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve College, and served on more than 20 boards including as chairman of the Playhouse Square Foundation.
 
The Browns had a strong leadership role with NEOSEF as well, and were instrumental in bringing the organization into a partnership with the Science Center to host the International Science and Engineering Fair when it came to Cleveland in 2003. When the organization began looking for a gift to honor the legacy of the Browns, their board agreed it was only fitting for them to have a presence at the Science Center, a place Jenny, an analytic chemist, helped found, going back to the formation of the non-profit organization in 1991 before the building even opened. Jenny served as a Science Center board member for many years, eventually being named Board Member Emeritus.
 
The periodic table exhibit is located on the second floor of the Science Center in the Science Phenomena gallery. The larger-than-life exhibit allows families to explore chemical elements, their interconnections, and how they’re used in everyday life. The Science Center installed this new iconic piece alongside the PPG Demo Lab, where frequent chemistry workshops allow guests and school groups to experiment with diverse topics such as polymer chemistry, spectrometry, acid/base reactions, and stoichiometry.
 
About Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Science Center, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022, is home to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center and makes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) come alive for more than 300,000 visitors a year through hundreds of hands-on exhibits, temporary exhibitions, the Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater, historic Steamship William G. Mather, daily science demonstrations, seasonal camps, and more. The Science Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit institution, is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Visit GreatScience.com for more information.
 
About Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair
Established in 1953, the Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair (NEOSEF) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to get young adults interested in science and engineering by participating in a science and engineering competition. During the annual four-day event, approximately 600 students from over 80 schools in the northeast Ohio area set up their science fair displays, discuss their projects with 260+ judges and compete for more than $30,000 in prizes. One of the most rewarding aspects of NEOSEF is the opportunity for the students to discuss their research with professional scientists and engineers from the local area. NEOSEF selects students to move on to the next levels of competition: The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and Society for Science and the Public Broadcom MASTERS Program.