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Matsui Secures Funding For Sacramento State Planetarium

Date: Nov. 9, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Science


Matsui Secures Funding For Sacramento State Planetarium

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (CA-5) announced that Sacramento State University would receive $950,000 for its Space Science Center - an education and outreach facility featuring a planetarium, an observatory, and a science center. This funding, included in the Science, State, Justice and Commerce Appropriations Conference Report for this fiscal year, will fulfill the University's $1.5 million equipment request for the planetarium.

"Not only will this funding for the Space Science Center benefit students by enhancing Sacramento State's science and astronomy teaching programs, but it will benefit the surrounding community as well," stated Congresswoman Matsui. "This facility will further enhance Sacramento State's leadership, which already partners with NASA scientists on engineering and astrophysics research projects."

Sacramento State University is building an integrated Space Science education and outreach facility, which would provide tremendous benefit to Sacramento State and the regional community. The center would help to attract more students to pursue science related fields, educate Sacramento State students in astronomy, satisfy a public desire to learn more about the heavens, and support K-12 science education in the Sacramento region.

Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez said, "Sacramento State and the science and math community owe a great debt of gratitude to Congresswoman Doris Matsui and the late Robert Matsui and for their dedicated work on behalf of the University. The $1.4 million in federal funding they have secured for the University will be the catalyst for building a Science and Space Center that will benefit not only the students of Sacramento State but the entire Sacramento Region."

Furthermore, the California State University system currently is working with NASA on a statewide collaborative intended to increase the number of high school science and math teachers. Sacramento State is an active part of that effort and the proposed Space Science Center would help to train more math and science teachers statewide.

The House of Representatives passed this legislation today.

http://matsui.house.gov/Newsroom.asp?ARTICLE2939=5324

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