The Digital Dome features the planetarium and the IMAX Theater, and STEM educational classrooms make up the Challenger Learning Center in downtown Tallahassee, Florida, which are all part of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. (Mark Wallheiser/FAMU-FSU College of Engineering)
The Challenger Learning Center (CLC) has renamed its planetarium the “Fogg Planetarium” in recognition of a landmark $750,000 donation from the Fogg Charitable Trust.
This gift, the largest ever received by the CLC, will support the center’s mission to promote STEM education through engaging science-based entertainment for children and families in the Tallahassee area.
The funds will enable the Challenger Learning Center to expand its educational offerings, develop new curriculum materials, provide scholarships, and host astronomy and space science workshops. The donation will be placed into the Challenger’s Endowment and earnings from the fund will provide annual support for these programs for years to come.
“This gift is transformational for the center, our planetarium, and the entire region by supporting facility upgrades, educational programming, accessibility improvements and outreach,” said Alan Hanstein, executive director of the Challenger Learning Center. “This donation allows us to further our commitment to STEM education and inspire future generations.”
The Edward C. Fogg, III and Lisbeth A. Fogg Charitable Trust made the donation through the Florida State University Foundation. Since 2018, the trust has contributed $1.1 million to FSU, supporting various educational programs. This contribution to the CLC represents the trust’s most significant gift to the university.
Todd Clark, Fogg Foundation trustee and a CLC Board of Directors member, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership: “The trustees of the Fogg Trust are proud to support educational, research, and public service institutions. The planetarium at the Challenger Learning Center in Tallahassee provides opportunities for learning and wonder for children and adults and is a venue for lectures and bedtime stories. This financial support will allow an upgrade that will continue to make the planetarium a center of learning and inspiration.”
As the K-12 educational outreach arm of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, the nation’s only joint college of its kind, the Challenger Learning Center reaches more than 60,000 students annually from the tri-state area. It remains dedicated to fostering a love for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) while serving as a popular destination for local families and school groups.
About the Fogg Charitable Trust
Edward C. and Lisbeth A. Fogg were partners both in business and in marriage. They met and married in Miami, where they applied their many talents to developing and managing Farm Stores that specialized in their own brand of milk, bread and ice cream.
About Challenger Learning Center
The Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee (CLC) is the K-12 outreach facility of the Florida A&M University – Florida State University (FAMU-FSU) College of Engineering. Located in the heart of downtown Tallahassee, the CLC serves approximately 60,000 students annually throughout a 68 county, tri-state service area. The CLC provides high-quality “hands-on, minds-on” educational experiences using a space mission simulator, demonstrational and hands-on laboratory activities, an IMAX® Theatre and a Planetarium. Through the IMAX Theatre and Planetarium, the CLC also provides the public and tourists with stunningly unique, entertaining, and culturally relevant experiences by acquiring and exhibiting the best films and programs available. For more information, visit www.challengertlh.com.
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