CLEVELAND, OH – (November 9, 2018) – Great Lakes Science Center will accept the cryptocurrency bitcoin for transactions at its box office beginning November 13, making it one of only a handful of museums in the country to do so. The Science Center’s box office will use BitPay to process the transactions.
The start date precedes the Blockland Solutions Conference in downtown Cleveland, a four-day event to promote the advantages of creating a blockchain technology network in Northeast Ohio.
“There is a lot of excitement around the conference,” said Science Center President & CEO Kirsten Ellenbogen. “Accepting bitcoin is just a small part of the momentum to grow a blockchain ecosystem in Cleveland.”
Ellenbogen explained that adapting to innovation is an important part of the Science Center’s role as a forward-looking organization focused on science, technology, engineering, and math. “Last year we launched our mobile app that uses augmented and virtual reality to allow guests to experiment with flames in space and test spacecraft designs re-entering Earth’s atmosphere when they visit the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, and now they’ll be able to use their phone to pay for their admission using bitcoin.”
The acceptance of bitcoin is not the first time in recent years the Science Center has been on the cutting edge of developing technology. In 2016, the Science Center was renovated to become the world’s first giant dome cinema laser-illuminated projection system.
(Editor’s Note: The Science Center’s fall/winter operating hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The Science Center is closed on Mondays and during all Cleveland Browns home games. The Science Center also will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.)
About Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Science Center, home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, 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, Steamship William G. Mather, daily science demonstrations, seasonal camps, and more. The Science Center is funded in part by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Visit GreatScience.com for more information.
