50th Anniversary

#SCI50th: As we celebrate 50 years of inspiration and impact at the Science Center of Iowa, we are sharing stories and memories of how SCI was established, grew and continues to serve the next generation. View the timeline and stories at www.sciowa.org/50th

"At every step of the way, the team was energized by the excitement of the community as we shared our vision."

In 1988, Tom Hutchins, an energy company executive, attended a utility conference in Des Moines. It was there he and his pregnant wife happened to meet the director of the preschool at the Science Center of Iowa. She warned them if they wanted to get their child into the SCI Preschool, they’d have to register the baby soon.  

Hutchins and his wife did a little investigation and found the preschool highly regarded -- and with a long waiting list. The two signed up as quickly as they could, and four years later, their son had a spot in the program. 

Four years after that, the Hutchins enrolled their second child. 

Through that experience, Hutchins became familiar with the work being done at the science center, and he was impressed enough that he made a call and offered to help out in any way he could. 

As a result of his volunteer work, Hutchins was eventually invited to join the SCI Board of Directors, where he served for nearly 20 years. He oversaw years of change at the science center, and even served as chairman of the board when SCI made its big move downtown in 2005. A major part of his job during that time was to act as the voice of SCI in order to share the vision and plans for the new center with the community. 

While the process of moving from the old science center to the new took years and a lot of hard work, Hutchins said there were highlights along the way. 

"Building the new science center was hard work for all involved,” he said. “However, at every step of the way, the team was energized by the excitement of the community as we shared our vision." 

Now, his favorite spot in SCI’s downtown building is in the administrative offices. If you look up and to the right when you walk in the science center, there’s a window that Hutchins likes to look out. 

"The view from the administrative area window overlooks where new visitors enter and begin their SCI experience,” Hutchins said. “The energy and excitement of families as they arrive provides a visual reminder of SCI’s ability to engage and inspire families to explore opportunities in science." 

#SCI50th: As we celebrate 50 years of inspiration and impact at the Science Center of Iowa, we are sharing stories and memories of how SCI was established, grew and continues to serve the next generation. View the timeline and stories at www.sciowa.org/50th

"We can now not only show you a planet in the heavens, we can actually take you there."

It only seems right that Captain James T. Kirk of Star Trek fame cut the ribbon at the Sargent Space Theater’s reopening on September 4, 1989.  

And he celebrated the newest technology in the science center -- a Digistar, a computer-generated device that projected a three-dimensional image onto the theater dome. 

It’s hard to figure out how he got to the ribbon cutting, though, considering the fictional Kirk won’t officially be born in Riverside, Iowa, until March 22, 2228. 

William Shatner, the actor who plays Kirk in Star Trek was there to reveal the state-of-the-art Digistar Projection System.  

The graphics system was developed specifically for planetariums, and in 1989, it was one of only 10 in the world. At the time, the $600,000 project was the single largest undertaking by the science center since it opened in 1970. 

"The images it projects are revolutionary," SCI’s PR Director Jack Jones told the Urbandale News at the time. "We can now not only show you a planet in the heavens, we can actually take you there, and let you look back at mother Earth."

After cutting the ribbon at the Sargent Space Theater, Shatner delivered a keynote address to guests at a VIP dinner at the science center that evening. 

While the night was filled with fun, it certainly wasn’t Shatner's first or last trip to Iowa. 

He first came to the state in the late 1960s to shoot some scenes for Star Trek. He came back in 2004 to film a television show called “Invasion Iowa" and then again in 2015 for the Wizard World Comic Con at the Iowa Events Center. 

While Kirk won’t officially be an Iowan for another 208 years, Shatner seems to have found a second home here, nonetheless. 

*Information was provided by The Urbandale News and the Des Moines Register.