BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
STEAM Center
• Renovated Robotics & Engineering Spaces: Our students are currently working in cramped, outdated spaces. Your donation will help us create a dynamic environment where they can collaborate, innovate, and bring their ideas to life.
• Expanded Media Arts Programs: Media arts is a fast-growing career field with a lot of student interest. With your support, we can provide students with the cutting-edge tools they need to excel in filmmaking, digital design, and other emergent media forms.
• Support for STEM Pathways: Your contributions will also help students earn LSU STEM Pathways certificates in pre-engineering and digital design, giving them a competitive edge as they prepare for college and careers. Thanks to the generous support of our community, we’ve already made impressive progress toward seeing this project come to fruition. To date, we’ve raised over $325,000 on this project! The renovation will begin spring break 2025.
The Katherine Johnson STEAM Center will bring much-needed classroom space and critical upgrades to our fabrication lab, giving our students the tools they need to move full STEAM ahead and compete at a national level.
• Renovated Robotics & Engineering Spaces: Our students are currently working in cramped, outdated spaces. Your donation will help us create a dynamic environment where they can collaborate, innovate, and bring their ideas to life.
• Expanded Media Arts Programs: Media arts is a fast-growing career field with a lot of student interest. With your support, we can provide students with the cutting-edge tools they need to excel in filmmaking, digital design, and other emergent media forms.
• Support for STEM Pathways: Your contributions will also help students earn LSU STEM Pathways certificates in pre-engineering and digital design, giving them a competitive edge as they prepare for college and careers. Thanks to the generous support of our community, we’ve already made impressive progress toward seeing this project come to fruition. To date, we’ve raised over $325,000 on this project! The renovation will begin spring break 2025. Scan the QR code above to learn more about the center and how you can help.
The Katherine Johnson STEAM Center will bring much-needed classroom space and critical upgrades to our fabrication lab, giving our students the tools they need to move full STEAM ahead and compete at a national level.
Shared Legacies: Benjamin Franklin and Katherine Johnson
Benjamin Franklin and Katherine Johnson stand as timeless icons of innovation, exploration, and human ingenuity. Though separated by centuries, their legacies are united by their pursuit of knowledge and groundbreaking contributions to science and society.
Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s Founding Fathers, was a visionary inventor, scientist, and diplomat. His discoveries in electricity, development of new technologies like the lightning rod, and founding of institutions for the public good solidified his reputation as a pioneer of the Enlightenment.
Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician, embodied similar traits of trailblazing brilliance. Born in 1918, Johnson’s extraordinary talents in mathematics were apparent from an early age. She overcame systemic barriers of race and gender to become a pivotal figure in America’s space exploration history. Her precise calculations for orbital mechanics were critical to the success of NASA missions, including the 1961 flight of Alan Shepard (the first American in space), the 1962 orbit of John Glenn, and the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.
Both Franklin and Johnson represent the human spirit’s boundless potential. Franklin explored the natural world and human possibility in his era, laying the foundation for a young nation. Johnson’s work helped propel humanity into space, inspiring future generations to imagine and innovate. Together, they remind us that progress thrives when curiosity meets courage.
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Shared Legacies: Benjamin Franklin and Katherine Johnson
Benjamin Franklin and Katherine Johnson stand as timeless icons of innovation, exploration, and human ingenuity. Though separated by centuries, their legacies are united by their pursuit of knowledge and groundbreaking contributions to science and society.
Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s Founding Fathers, was a visionary inventor, scientist, and diplomat. His discoveries in electricity, development of new technologies like the lightning rod, and founding of institutions for the public good solidified his reputation as a pioneer of the Enlightenment.
Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician, embodied similar traits of trailblazing brilliance. Born in 1918, Johnson’s extraordinary talents in mathematics were apparent from an early age. She overcame systemic barriers of race and gender to become a pivotal figure in America’s space exploration history. Her precise calculations for orbital mechanics were critical to the success of NASA missions, including the 1961 flight of Alan Shepard (the first American in space), the 1962 orbit of John Glenn, and the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.
Both Franklin and Johnson represent the human spirit’s boundless potential. Franklin explored the natural world and human possibility in his era, laying the foundation for a young nation. Johnson’s work helped propel humanity into space, inspiring future generations to imagine and innovate. Together, they remind us that progress thrives when curiosity meets courage.