Discovery Center’s New Director on Southern Tier Close Up

The Discovery Center of the Southern Tier's new executive Director, Dr. Brenda Myers is the guest on the weekly, local public affairs program, Southern Tier Close Up.

Dr. Myers took over as head of the local, hands-on children's museum on Binghamton's South Side in August, 2021 but has owned a home in the Binghamton area for years even while working as a schools superintendent in Connecticut.

Dr. Myers talks about her background, history in the area and love of early childhood education while offering insight in how the Discovery Center has handled the ups and downs of the COVID-19 pandemic before and after she took over as director.

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The Discovery Center has benefitted from fairly good weather over the past several months and has been able to host a number of programs outside.  Even so, Dr. Myers says there have really been no serious issues in getting even the smallest of the children enjoying the facilities to wear masks, wash their hands and maintain a safe distance from their playmates.

The new director says it is evident as children get back to face-to-face interaction that personal contact is enormously important to development intellectually and socially.  However, Dr. Myers says it may be years before the full effects of COVID are seen as children grow.

One impact of the pandemic, as seen by numerous organizations, businesses and individuals, has been the ability to pivot and adapt.

Last year for Halloween, the Discovery Center had a drive-through event with treats distributed remotely through vehicle windows. This year, Dr. Myers says there are big plans for Halloweekend in cooperation with the Ross Park Zoo, located on the same campus as the Discovery Center on Morgan Road in Binghamton.

For adults, a Trick or Trivia event will be held virtually with the opportunity to win cash prizes and a juicy 50/50 raffle pot.

Information about those events, regular programs at the Discovery Center and opportunities to help the non-profit can be found at the museum's website.

Southern Tier Close Up can be heard Saturdays at 6:03 a.m. on News Radio 1290 WNBF and on the WNBF podcast any time.