C3Tec Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

After a decade in the making, C3Tec opens its doors from Caguas to the world. A dynamic, interactive, and fun space that becomes a magical bridge between the mysteries of science and the everyday life of humanity. We present our Permanent Exhibition: Our Bodies, Our Island, and Our Planet.

We also feature traveling exhibitions such as Curious George, Thomas the Train, and Clifford, the Big Red Dog. We are launching the program: A Cinematic Educational Experience. Camera Mundi joins C3Tec with its C3Shoppe store, where you will find educational, scientific, and innovative materials and toys.

We expanded our educational programming with initiatives such as Science Encounters, Science Nights, Weird Science, Green Christmas, Educators Network, STEAM Summer, and Fun Birthdays.

The City of Caguas joins the Maker Cities promoted by the “Maker Mayor Challenge” initiative under President Obama’s administration. We celebrated the 1st Caguas Mini Maker Faire alongside Ana G. Méndez University, the Puerto Rico Department of Education, and the entrepreneurial community, promoting innovation and creativity to share knowledge across generations.

We also celebrated the first Efi Energy Games in partnership with the Office of the President of the Puerto Rican Senate, Honorable Eduardo Bhatia. As part of our fundraising efforts, we launched the “Take a Seat” campaign at the Ángel Ramos Foundation Cinema. We inaugurated the Terra Viva exhibition on our green roof, providing an interactive environmental experience.

The program Girls in Science - Codepillar’s Club encourages young girls to pursue careers in Science and Technology through Design and Research processes, equipping them with the tools to develop critical thinking and entrepreneurial skills. We present the traveling exhibit “Fractals”, created by C3Tec’s team of educators, showcasing types of mathematical forms that are infinitely complex and repeat forever. We celebrate Pi Day (3.14). Together with the International Intellectual Property Association, we recognize and promote innovation and creativity with the theme “Protect the Inventor Within You”. We inaugurate our “Chiquiespacio”, a space dedicated to fostering creativity in early childhood, and we celebrate STEAM Careers.

After Hurricane Maria struck the Island, our team adapted its offerings by visiting communities, schools, and nonprofit organizations, bringing educational entertainment directly to them. We became one of the Emergency Stop & Go locations around the Island, providing assistance and entertainment to citizens. We made history by hosting hundreds of people for the observation of the Total Solar Eclipse, a memorable event. For the first time in Puerto Rico, our facilities welcomed hundreds of students from across the Island to celebrate the MIT Launch Entrepreneurial Clubs 2017 in collaboration with Banco Popular’s Echar Pa’lante initiative. We also inaugurated the traveling exhibit “Digital Life”.

We presented the Commemorative Traveling Exhibition for the Centennial of the 1918 Earthquake in collaboration with the Seismic Network of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. We also celebrated Lemonade Day Puerto Rico, promoting entrepreneurship among children and youth. Coding activities were held with Amazon Web Services, we increased participation in STEAM Summer, and traveled to the island of Vieques to offer summer workshops. C3Tec joined the Education Department of the Autonomous Municipality of Caguas to offer workshops at Pedro Millán and Segunda Unidad José Mercado schools, establishing the Criollo Integral Learning Center. Additionally, we redesigned our policies and administrative processes, received recognition for our Volunteer Program, and hosted the Documentary Festival in partnership with Puerto Rican filmmakers.

From our Ángel Ramos Foundation cinema, we broadcasted live from the Pacific Ocean, showcasing part of the journey and work conducted on the Nautilus vessel. We hosted the traveling exhibition from the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao Campus, featuring displays on sea turtles and Puerto Rican beaches in collaboration with the Sea Grant program. We continued supporting southern Puerto Rico communities affected by earthquakes, launching the Empower Your Knowledge initiative in partnership with various schools and organizations, including the CIMATEC Specialized School in Science, Mathematics, and Technology, the ARTUSA Club of Caguas, and Luis Ramos González School. This year, we introduced virtual Educational Entertainment to reach a wider community audience. During the summer, we welcomed the virtual camp for children and family members of Medtronic employees, a valued member of Friends of C3Tec.

Supervised Educational Assistance sessions with social distancing began, and “C3Tec at Home” was born. We launched digital literacy efforts in collaboration with the Caribbean School of Data at the University of Jamaica and promoted inclusion in our offerings by advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the community. We also hosted the traveling exhibit “Sun, Earth, and Universe” from the Ángel Ramos Foundation Science and Visitor Center at the Arecibo Observatory. We launched the “World of Molecular Biology” workshops in collaboration with AMGEN, began restoration efforts for the Green Roof thanks to the sponsorship of Corteva Agriscience, and celebrated “Green Christmas” with support from 3M.

Embracing Our Island, Committed to the Environment

We were honored with an award from the International Association of Educating Cities for our Girls in Science, Codepillars Club program. Our communications strategy was strengthened to promote C3Tec as an innovative and convergent space. We launched an awareness campaign to combat global warming due to climate change and celebrated the Climate Change Micro-Stories Film Festival in partnership with the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao Campus. STEAM for Kids was introduced, we inaugurated the Maker Academy, hosted our family event “Back to School Safe and Healthy,” and welcomed 404 Coffee and Beer as our food service provider.

We celebrated Fun & Family Day, held the young adult event “Hanging Out with Chemistry,” and visited schools with the Science Encounters Program in collaboration with our friends at 3M. We welcomed Colectivo Arriba el Cine with the “Cine Más Corto” exhibitions and inaugurated the traveling exhibit “Borinqueñas in STEM” with Ciencia Puerto Rico. Our outreach expanded to girls in the “JOIN the STEM Movement” programs with Johnson & Johnson, in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Puerto Rico and the Child Protection Coalition. We launched programs for seniors and Alzheimer’s patients with support from the Triple-S Foundation. Additionally, we celebrated innovation and creativity with the School of Engineering and Design at Ana G. Méndez University. This year, we also held the 1st Family Symposium as part of Coral Reef Week and welcomed the children and family members of Johnson & Johnson employees to our STEAM Summer program.