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LEHI — The Thanksgiving Point board of trustees approved a new children's science and technology center Tuesday to "expand the nonprofit's mission to bring the joy of learning and the wonders of the natural world to life," according to a statement from the organization.
On Wednesday, a board of directors made up of some of "Utah's leading STEM thinkers" met to discuss the project and advise Thanksgiving Point on how to create a venue that brings science, technology, engineering and math to life for kids.
Those in attendance included entrepreneurs, engineers, real estate developers, investors and people from companies such as Gabb Wireless, Google Fiber, Lumio, Texas Instruments, Utah Aerospace and Defense, Deseret Biologicals, Pattern, Tesani Companies, MX, Halia Therapeutics and Entrata.
"Thanksgiving Point helps kids gain confidence through the power of STEM," CEO McKay Christensen said. "The new center will give every child the chance to see themselves and the world in a new way, in a way that can change their life for good by encouraging curiosity."
Thanksgiving point spokeswoman Erica Brown said the company is investigating all possible locations for where the center will be housed, but most likely it will be built adjacent to the Show Barn. Construction is anticipated to begin at the end of 2024 with an estimated opening date in 2026.
Thanksgiving Point staff have been visiting science and technology museums across the country in the last year "with the goal of producing the best children's science museum in the nation," a news release states.
More than 2 million people visit Thanksgiving Point every year exploring the Ashton Gardens, the Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life, the Museum of Natural Curiosity, the Butterfly Biosphere and a working farm.
