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Reaching Out

The Franklin Institute 2008 Annual Report

REACHING OUT

I HAVE NO SPECIAL TALENTS. I AM ONLY PASSIONATELY CURIOUS.— Albert einstein

The Franklin insTiTuTe is dedicated to nurturing the natural curiosity that exists somewhere in all of us,

no matter what our age. it is that curiosity, coupled with a passion for learning about science and its

role in our lives, that leads us to question, to dream of what might be, to explore, to discover and perhaps,

in the process, unlock a mystery, cure a disease, give birth to a new technology, or solve a problem

that has yet to exist.

2  executive MessAge4  the science MuseuM10  center for innovAtion in science leArning16  the frAnklin center22  finAnciAl report 24  2008 contributed support32  boArd of trustees

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That outreach was formally recognized on October 7, 2008 when former First Lady Laura Bush awarded The Franklin Institute the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries, at a White House cere-mony. The Institute for Museum and Library Services [IMLS], which supports the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums, awards the National Medals to five museums and five libraries annually for outstanding community outreach programs. On hand to receive the award was Institute President and CEO Dennis Wint, Board Chair Marsha Perelman and Albert Hicks, M.D., chief resident at Hahnemann University Hospital and an alumnus of the Institute’s signature PACTS (Partnership for Achieving Careers in Technology on Science) program. The Franklin Institute is only the fifth science museum to ever receive this honor.

The Institute received this coveted award in recognition of its his-tory of programs and services that extend beyond the museum walls, reaching out to every member of the community, not only those who self-identify as museum visitors. The Institute’s long-term com-munity commitment, as reaffirmed in the Strategic Plan 2006-2012, includes: outreach to those whose attendance is hampered either by economic or logistical factors; strategic education programs focused on the needs of minorities and young women; professional develop-ment for teachers; improved science and math curricula for schools; synergistic collaborations with community organizations and other non-profits; and family learning.

The Institute’s Community Nights, PACTS and Science Leadership Academy [SLA] are vibrant examples of the service honored by IMLS. Community Nights, initiated in 2006, welcomed almost 12,500 children and adults from underserved communities to visit the museum and participate in special activities free of charge. The program attracted Target as the title sponsor starting in 2009. Science Leadership Academy, an innovative magnet public high school cre-ated in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, opened in September 2006 with a freshman class of 112 students. The 2008 freshman class was drawn from a pool of nearly 2,000 gifted appli-cants. SLA’s project-based learning, rich innovative curriculum, internship programs and exceptional faculty have catapulted the school to national prominence.

A third program, PACTS, enrolls underserved middle school and high school students from the Philadelphia area in after-school and

summer-based science education and leadership training. Begun as a grant-based effort more than 15 years ago, PACTS has become a permanent, Institute supported program. Since its inception, more than 2,500 students have enrolled in PACTS summer and year-round programs.

The increased depth and breadth of community service and out-reach is evidenced by the growth of these three programs, as well as the proliferation of high-profile lectures, moderated panel discus-sions and other initiatives that have blossomed through intramural efforts and expanded partnerships. Through these, as well as exhibits and other programs described in this report, The Franklin Institute ably fulfills its mission of inspiring a passion for learning about sci-ence and technology among visitors and the community-at-large.

Capital CampaignThe Institute’s outreach efforts blossomed in tandem with consid-erable growth in other areas. In April 2008, with $27 million in commitments, the Institute announced a $60 million capital cam-paign. Inspire Science! will fund an ambitious series of revitalization efforts including a building extension. Pivotal to the campaign is a $4 million contribution from international biopharmaceutical leader Cephalon, Inc. to develop a new signature exhibit centering on the brain and neuroscience. Crowning a long-time relationship with The Franklin Institute, the Cephalon commitment marks the largest single corporate donation in Institute history and one of the largest corporate gifts to any science museum.

The Institute is fortunate to have an able and dedicated cadre of community leaders spearheading Inspire Science! Campaign Chairman William H. Shea, Jr., along with Board Chair Marsha R. Perelman, has recruited a strong committee including Vice Chairs Frank Baldino, Paul Baran, Christine Berrettini, Don Callaghan, Herb Kelleher and Denis O’Brien. As of December 31, the campaign had raised more than $33 million.

Strategic Plan on Track The previous and current capital campaigns enabled the Institute to complete several projects in 2008. In March the totally refurbished Franklin Theater reopened as a state-of-the-art 3D digital facility, and in May, Amazing Machine — the final exhibit funded by the previous capital campaign — opened in the Mandell Center. The Institute also completed most of the first phase of the Strategic Plan 2006-2012,

The Franklin Institute has undergone a seismic transformation both physically and programmatically

in recent years. Major traveling exhibitions, innovative new ongoing exhibits and live presentations have put the

Institute on the radar screens of Travel and Leisure, Parents Magazine, Zagat, the Today Show and others,

helping build attendance and the level of national and international recognition. This is, however, only

part of the story. The Institute’s transformation is equally reflected in the exceptional quality and scope of its

community outreach.

executive MessAge

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which included the extensive restoration of the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial and installation of a multi-media presentation, made possible by $3.8 million in capital campaign contributions from The Pew Charitable Trusts, City of Philadelphia’s Cultural Corridors Fund, and the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Adjacent to the Memorial, the elegant Jordan Lobby was restored, and the first in a series of Franklin Pathways — programming “path-ways” illuminating some of Franklin’s scientific discoveries — was created in a nearby corridor. In addition, exterior and garage repairs were completed, insuring their structural integrity for many years to come. It is a credit to the staff and outside contractors — more than 30 percent of which are minority owned — that all projects were fin-ished well within budget.

The Memorial and Franklin Pathways made their debut during the 2008 Association of Science-Technology Centers [ASTC] Conference which was hosted by The Franklin Institute and attended by some 1,800 science center professionals from 31 countries. During the conference ASTC presented Dr. Wint with its highest honor — the ASTC Fellow Award — in recognition of over three decades of exemplary leadership in the science center field.

The Challenging Second HalfMuseum attendance for 2008 started strongly, tracking comfortably above targets. It comes as no surprise, however, that as gasoline prices rose, financial markets collapsed, workers lost jobs and school dis-trict budgets contracted, that museum attendance dropped sharply throughout the last two quarters. Museums across the country expe-rienced similar scenarios, as noted in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Of the 64 museums participating in the ASTC attendance consortium, 50 reported attendance declines averag-ing approximately 16 percent. The Franklin Institute’s attendance for the year totaled 944,181, including more than 27,000 students from Philadelphia public and parochial schools, and Camden and Delaware public schools, who visited free through the Institute’s ACCESS program, and another 146,000 schoolchildren who visited at much reduced fees.

As it became apparent that economic forces beyond the Institute’s control would likely continue for an indeterminate period of time, budgets, projections and staffing for the fourth quarter and 2009 were rapidly adjusted. Interestingly, in 2008 Franklin Institute’s cumulative membership soared to a record 30,000 households, influ-

enced by both increased member programming and the underlying value of membership. Nevertheless, even with all the adjustments, the Institute ended the year with an operating loss, only the second time in 14 years.

While the Institute anticipates that 2009 will be challenging eco-nomically, members and visitors will benefit from The New Franklin Institute Experience — programs and exhibits created by integrating the unique talents of the Institute’s centers of excellence — as well as from five traveling exhibits, including the much anticipated Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy. The one-time only special exhi-bition is made possible through an exclusive partnership with the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza of Florence and presented by Officine Panerai.

None of our achievements would be possible without the sup-port of the Institute’s generous donors, dedicated staff, committed Board of Trustees and a cadre of more than 1,200 committed volun-teers who provided 57,000 hours of service. Their contributions have allowed plans to become reality and dreams to come true.

This past September, the museum world lost one of its great-est dreamers when former president and director of The Franklin Institute Science Museum, Joel N. Bloom, died at age 83. As former president of both the American Association of Museums [AAM] and ASTC, he was a revolutionary champion of hands-on learning and the role of museums in education. He influenced the direction of The Franklin Institute and science centers throughout the world.

As a fitting coda, in December the Institute received word that it had once again received accreditation from AAM, a distinction enjoyed by only 750 of the nation’s museums and an affirmation of the Institute’s professionalism and its enduring strength even in a challenging environment.

Marsha R. Perelman Chair

Dennis M. Wint President & CEO

the science MuseuMBUILDING COMMUNITY

The FrankLIn InSTITuTe is a national leader in innovative science and technology learning. Through a changing

mix of continuing and traveling exhibitions, comprehensive school packages, educational theater shows

and innovative public programming, the Institute’s Science Museum touches the lives of an ever-broadening

demographic, turning thousands of children and adults into eager learners and frequent visitors.

The Heart Bar. This popular heart dissection demonstration is one of many free science shows conducted daily throughout the museum by trained interpreters.

Heart Health. For more than 50 years, the Institute’s Giant Heart has been the Philadelphia icon for heart health. Today this modern walk-through organ is the centerpiece of a comprehensive wellness exhibit focusing on heart health and the circulatory system.

Amazing Machine (top right). This campaign-funded exhibit, installed in 2008, integrates kinetic sculpture and 19th century artifacts with hands-on components like the giant grappling arm to engage children and adults alike in discovering basic principles of physics and mechanics.

Family Learning. Educators know that children tend to learn better when parents are involved in their education. For generations, The Franklin Institute has been a favorite family destination, providing a variety of ongoing and changing exhibits and programs that they can experience together.

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From discovering the genetic origins of our ancestors 60,000 years ago, to the evolution of the machine, from unmasking the inextri-cable link between piracy and slavery in the Americas, to examining the endangered ecosystem of the Colorado River, 2008 was a year of scientific and personal exploration. In the course of the year, The Franklin Institute hosted four thought-provoking traveling exhibi-tions; installed Amazing Machine, a new continuing exhibit; cemented plans for the 2009 Galileo exhibit coming from Italy; and designed two future exhibitions — Changing Earth and Electricity — for instal-lation in 2010.

Each exhibit will be accompanied by a robust series of activi-ties that enhance the visitor experience. Identity: an exhibition of you, which opened in November 2007 and ran through April 2008, was an intensely personal exhibit developed by The Franklin Institute for the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative. It exempli-fied this multi-faceted approach. While 65 percent of the exhibit’s visitors were adults, an interesting phenomenon in itself, teachers responded enthusiastically to the comprehensive experiential pack-ages for schools which included a DNA lab. Several other programs were developed around the topic of identity. In January Dr. Spencer Wells, director of National Geographic’s Genographic project, deliv-ered a presentation entitled “Deep Ancestry: Inside the Genographic Project” at a fully subscribed adult program. Dozens of attendees purchased DNA kits so they could participate in the largest geno-graphic study ever undertaken. Wells presented a second program at the Science Leadership Academy.

In February Philadelphia was literally taken by storm as The Franklin Institute’s guerrilla marketers, volunteer legions of storm troopers, took to Center City streets and suburban shopping malls to promote the exhibit Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. During its three-month run, more than 257,000 people explored the exhibit, fascinated by sci-fi technologies from the 70s and 80s that have become 21st century realities. More than 4,850 students took part in special Star Wars Experiential Packages that coupled the exhibit exploration with a spectroscopy workshop, a special plan-etarium show and an observatory visit. The Institute opened the exhibit free of charge to more than 1,300 Community Night attend-ees; many schools that qualified for free admission via the ACCESS program also received free transportation.

During the past five years, The Franklin Institute significantly increased its attendance with both upgraded facilities and block-buster exhibits like Titanic, BodyWorlds and King Tut, all providing

a considerable contribution to Philadelphia’s economy. Similarly, during Star Wars’ three-month visit, the Institute’s ten hotel partners sold 1,781 Star Wars packages, resulting in 2,259 hotel room nights.

The first half of 2008 also witnessed the opening of an imaginative new ongoing exhibit, Amazing Machine, in the lower Mandell Center gallery, to explore the basics of how machines work. Huge kinetic sculptures designed by artist/architect Ben Trautman frame a gallery of creative interactives — like the giant can crusher, deconstructed models of familiar tools, clips from classic machine-centered films like Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times, and more than two dozen valu-able artifacts from the Institute’s collections. The exhibit enjoyed a short-term loan of a working model of the first successful combus-tion engine, designed by Nicolo Barsanti and Felice Matteucci in 1854, from the Barsanti and Matteucci Foundation in Florence, Italy.

The Economy Hits HomeTwo large traveling exhibits opened during the second half of the year. The National Geographic exhibit Real Pirates presented the story of the British slave ship Whydah that was captured by pirates before sinking off Cape Cod in 1717 with a rich cargo of gold, weapons and artifacts. Recovered items provided a vivid lesson in global history, sociology and archeological recovery for the 170,000 visitors who explored the recreation of the Whydah’s interior. The exhibit was also the springboard for four lectures (including two in the Out of Africa Lecture Series), new live science shows and workshops, and a special planetarium show — Navigation: From Pirate Ships to Spaceships. Real Pirates was also the focal point of two Community Night programs during which 3,700 children and adults explored the exhibit without charge.

By mid-summer the economic downturn, including rising gas prices, began negatively affecting tourism and fall school field trip plans, making it impossible to meet projections created during a more typical economy. This scenario continued into the fourth quar-ter. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition opened Thanksgiving weekend, immediately following the stock market’s precipitous decline. The exhibit continued into mid-April 2009 with an expanded educational component for schools, but fell short of expectations.

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Exploring Science Programs for Young PeopleWhile attendance was lower than projected during the second half of the year, the four traveling exhibitions provided multiple oppor-tunities for developing exciting curriculum-based explorations that benefitted students all year round. More than 16,000 school-children enjoyed these experiential packages for grades 3-12. The packages, which are engineered to support National Science Education Standards, included experiences such as live meteorology and astronomy shows, DNA labs, earth science workshops and age appropriate dissection workshops.

Extracurricular activities for youngsters filled weekends and vaca-tions. Discovery Camp, Spring Break Camp and the new “School’s Out” Camp welcomed 515 youngsters and the weekend overnight Camp-In program drew another 9,600 young people. In addition, more than 260,000 students and adults saw one of the ten different live science shows offered by the Traveling Science Shows program at schools, recreation centers, and corporate and community events from Virginia to Connecticut.

OutreachIn addition to these more traditional programs, for the past 15 years The Franklin Institute collaborated with the Philadelphia Zoo, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Adventure Aquarium and a dozen community partners to train leaders in community centers to facilitate science learning and to introduce community mem-bers — representing more than a dozen ethnicities — to using the Institute and its partners as educational resources. The collaborative’s recently concluded project, Community Ambassadors for Science Education, was so well received by both funders and community, that the National Science Foundation approved a supplemental grant enabling the partnership to produce a book outlining its approach and successes.

Astronomy and Other AdventuresScientists’ understanding of the universe has undergone explosive transformations since Samuel Fels donated the first planetarium instrument 75 years ago. Space telescopes and technologically sophis-ticated ground-based observatories around the world have quite literally opened up new worlds. With its modern technology, the Fels Planetarium continues to open these new worlds to hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, sharing the mysteries of the uni-verse and the excitement of discovery in hopes of cultivating in

children and adults the kind of curiosity about what lies beyond that may lead them to careers in astronomy, astrophysics, space explora-tion — or maybe a lifelong hobby of backyard astronomy.

The Fels Planetarium is the second oldest planetarium in the western hemisphere and, in combination with the Joel N. Bloom Observatory, it is the oldest and most extensive planetarium/obser-vatory combination in the United States. This unique combination means that visitors not only learn about astronomy, but are able to discover it for themselves. Like Galileo, visitors can look through the observatory telescope to see the moon or Jupiter or Saturn during the monthly Night Skies in the Observatory program. Visitors come from up and down the East Coast for these unique evenings, hosted by Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts.

The Institute’s other two theaters enabled visitors to explore different frontiers. In March 2008 the new Franklin Theater, a multi-purpose, state-of-the-art 3D/Blu-Ray facility, came online. Sea Monsters 3D, 3D-Sun, Bugs! 3D and other films had audiences reach-ing out to touch solar flares and butterflies. The Tuttleman IMAX® lineup complemented exhibits with environmentally oriented films like The Alps, Wild Ocean and Grand Canyon Adventure, as well as the picturesque Mystic India. Evening screenings of commercial films like U23D in Franklin Theater and Dark Knight and Madagascar 2 in the IMAX, helped boost revenues during a difficult time.

Key Learnings2008 marked the second year for the Out of Africa Lecture Series and the third year for both Community Nights and the Wellness Lectures. Eloquent scholars including Princeton’s Dr. Cornel West, the University of Pennsylvania’s Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, Temple University’s Dr. Molefi Asante, University of Missouri-Columbia’s Dr. Clenora Hudson-Weems, and Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Cottman spoke before capacity audiences. Wellness forums dealt with steroids, heart disease, childhood vaccines, genetics and the future of neuroscience. Through these stimulating programs and others, The Franklin Institute has engaged new audiences and old friends alike. And as first time visitors returned a second and third time, their interest and comfort level increased; it became clear that The Franklin Institute was no longer just a big building on the Parkway, but a place that they, too, could claim as their own.

Exhibits Touch Lives. Museum exhibits touch visitors in many ways, from teaching basic principles to changing the way visitors view the world. America’s passion for sports makes The Sports Challenge (top right) an effective way to demonstrate concepts like friction, momentum and velocity. Identity (middle right) provided visitors with a personal learning experience about who they are by drawing on disciplines like physiology, biology and sociology in ways that impact each person differently. Other exhibits, like The Train Factory (bottom right), integrate history, technology and a social science to provide the real story behind the Institute’s iron behemoths and the growth of rail technology.

In the spirit of inquiry and discovery, the mission of The Franklin Institute is to inspire a passion for learning about science and technology.

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center for innovAtion in science leArningBUILDING THE NExT GENERATION

The CenTer For InnovaTIon In SCIenCe LearnIng has exemplified the benefits of educational initiatives

through informal science learning experiences. With a wide range of collaborative partnerships with academic

centers, corporations and public educational systems, the Center for Innovation continues to empower an

inclusive demographic of learners of all ages. Through its dynamic programs and areas of practice, the Center

for Innovation has left its footprint both regionally and nationally on k-12 science education, while significantly

impacting family and community science awareness. These programs include: gender and Families in

Science; Professional Development; educational Technologies; Youth Programs; and a partnership with the magnet

public high school — Science Leadership academy.

PACTS’ Robotics. PACTS very successful junior and senior robotics teams spend Saturdays and many after school hours focused intently on researching and developing robots for competitions.

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PACTS. Students working in the PACTS basement research lab solder intricate parts for their robot. In addition to engaging students in technology, the project encourages planning, teamwork and responsibility. Opposite page, one of the many robotic competition sessions that drew more than 1,000 participants from across the country to the Institute.

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A Model for Effective CollaborationAs America hopes to increase its science literacy and create capacity in the arenas of science, technology, engineering and math [STEM], collaborations and leveraging of available resources has become the hallmark of this national priority. The Franklin Institute recognizes this call for synergy. As such, partnerships have become a corner-stone to the success of its mission, and the Center for Innovation in Science Learning [CISL] leads this charge. Highlights for 2008 include sustaining a significant educational grant portfolio includ-ing receiving a highly competitive National Science Foundation grant for its multi-disciplinary Augmented Reality for Interpretive and Experimental Learning [ARIEL] project. This unique col-laborative effort amongst the The Franklin Institute, University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University, will result in an excit-ing new online, interactive experience for the science center visitor, and underscores the power of partnership in building educational resources for science instruction.

While CISL continues its long-standing traditional grant activ-ity, it also reaches out for exciting new collaborative initiatives. This is perhaps best exemplified by its new partnership with PECO and the National Energy Education Development [NEED], to develop, disseminate and implement a bold new environmental energy cur-riculum for middle and high schools in the five county Greater Philadelphia region. The overall mandate of this program is to create an educational platform that allows for a robust integrated environmental education program in schools, homes, families and communities. PECO is taking a leadership role in environmental education, and The Franklin Institute is proud to be its lead partner.

From Science Enrichment to PhilanthropyFrom the Robotics Team to the Science in the City program, the Center for Innovation’s Partnerships for Achieving Careers in Technology and Science [PACTS] continues its standard of excel-lence. This inner city museum outreach science program attracts students from Philadelphia and South Jersey. PACTS hosted more than 1,000 participants at its annual Robotics on the Parkway event which showcased robotic ingenuity and state-of-the art develop-ments in amateur and para-professional robot design from all over the country. The weekend events culminated with the awarding of the Franklin Cup to the team with the most innovative, creative and resilient robot design. This year, The Franklin Institute’s PACTS students were proud to have placed first, bringing back home the coveted Franklin Cup.

The year 2008 also witnessed the birth of the PACTS Alumni Association, with a goal of raising money for an annual PACTS scholarship. Within four months of its launch, this association of former PACTS students and now rising professionals awarded its first scholarship for $1,000 to a PACTS student of the class of 2008. In addition, this past year friends and family of Gilbert A. West, Jr. established a scholarship fund in memory of this early PACTS member to help current PACTS students further their education.

Honors. Receiving the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service for The Franklin Institute is President and CEO, Dr. Dennis Wint and PACTS alumnus Albert Hicks, M.D. Flanking them are former First Lady Laura Bush and Institute for Museum and Library Services Director, Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice (right).

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A Continuum of Professional DevelopmentFor more than 15 years the Center for Innovation in Science Learning has been a leader in providing professional development to help educators to teach science more effectively. Following the Center’s Summer Science Academy, which supplied professional develop-ment for the School District of Philadelphia [SDP], it geared up to partner with other key stakeholders in the public education sphere in Philadelphia. Specifically, the Philadelphia Education Fund and The 21st Century Center for Research and Development in Cognition and Science Instruction and CISL are strategizing to best provide a collaborative front for professional development for the SDP. The purpose of The 21st Century Center, which received unique funding from the U.S. Department of Education, is to draw upon advances in cognitive science to enhance science curricula and improve student learning. The Center for Innovation’s vast experience and sustained competence in this area and long-term partnership with the SDP will prove useful to cognitive science attempts at improving current trends in professional development.

Science Leadership AcademyThe Science Leadership Academy [SLA] continues on its positive tra-jectory as it accepted its third freshman class of 124 students chosen from a pool of just under 2,000 applicants representing more than 60 middle schools throughout Philadelphia. The excitement and inter-est in the Science Leadership Academy is in direct correlation to the exemplary success of its students, teachers and principal.

In 2008 Principal Chris Lehman was nominated for the Outstanding Young Educator Award and the MetLife Foundation Ambassadors in Education Award, both for his excellent role as edu-cator and senior administrator at SLA. Also in 2008 The Philadelphia Tribune highlighted Matthew N. VanKouwenberg, one of SLA’s teachers, who won the Lindback Award for Excellence in Teaching for his instruction and mentoring excellence in science and tech-nology. Through Mr. VanKouwenberg’s rigor and pedagogy, SLA students have successfully constructed a highly efficient biodiesel fuel generator and are currently working on small scale, energy effi-cient solar panels.

Excellence is not restricted to science at SLA, however, as Matthew Kay, the English and drama teacher, attained national exposure through two articles appearing in September editions of the electronic version of The New York Times. The New York Times

invitation-only blog emphasized the early success of the Science Leadership Academy and highlighted two distinct aspects of the school: first, the benefits of a small, informal education school setting, and second, the successful impact and resourcefulness of a partner-ship with a science center, specifically The Franklin Institute.

The Science Leadership Academy hosted its second educational conference, “EduCon2.1: The Future of Educational Technologies in Schools.” More than 400 educators from 35 states and seven countries, including leaders in the field, were engaged in panel discussions, plenary sessions and workshops around inquiry and project-based informal education environments and the role therein for educational technologies. The highlight of the conference was an all-star panel discussion moderated by Franklin Institute Vice President Frederic Bertley, Ph.D. in Franklin Theater featuring: Dr. Molefi Asante, professor, African American Studies, Temple University; former Award Laureate Stephen Squyres, principal investigator, NASA Mars Exploration Rover Mission and Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University; Joel Arquillos, executive director, 826LA; Kendall Crolius, founding partner, The Sulevia Group; Jeff Han, founder, Perceptive Pixel and inventor of the multi-touch screen; and Prakash Nair, co-founder of Fielding Nair International.

As the Center for Innovation continues to develop its signature programs, its newfound collaborations with public school districts, as well as private corporations such as PECO, redefine the boundar-ies and scope of impact for informal science learning environments.

Different Classrooms. Even teachers need teachers. Above, the Institute’s Dr. Wayne Ransom, a nationally-respected science educator, coaches teachers on effective methods for presenting science during a summer workshop. Opposite, students at the Science Leadership Academy — which enjoys a 97% retention rate — thrive in both conventional classrooms and well-equipped science labs.

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the frAnklin centerBUILDING AWARENESS

The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial. Newly renovated, the rotunda has become a canvas for a vibrant 3-1/2 minute multi-media experience celebrating Franklin’s curiosity and accomplishments. In 1972 the U.S. Congress designated the memorial as a national monument.

aS The aDMInISTraTIve uMbreLLa for The Franklin Institute’s awards Program, its historic collections,

the Library and The Journal of The Franklin Institute, the Franklin Center is identifying new ways to integrate some

of the Institute’s oldest programs with those of a contemporary, forward looking organization that is dedicated to

making science accessible and stimulating to people of all ages. Through a combination of fresh programming,

partnerships within and beyond the Institute and 21st century technologies, the Franklin Center is both increasing

the audience for its work and cementing its relevancy within the scientific and cultural institution landscape.

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Meet the Scientists. (Top) PACTS students hosted their annual Meet the Scientists panel discussion and reception with the Award Laureates for more than 200 invited high school students, providing unique opportunities for them to speak directly with some of the world’s leading scientists. Above, younger students visiting for the day meet Physics Laureate Deborah Jin.

The Awards ProgramThe origins of the Awards Program date back to 1824, when the newly chartered Franklin Institute organized the first exhibition of American manufactures and gave awards for excellence. The Awards Program is the oldest comprehensive science awards program in the country. Each spring it draws the scientific elite to Philadelphia for The Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony and Dinner, as well as a series of symposia at local universities, public lectures and one-on-one conversations with the visiting public. The 2008 Awards Ceremony and Dinner, again presented by Bank of America, was chaired by Sandra L. Nesbitt and Donald E. Morel, Jr. and attended by 688 guests. The Ceremony and Dinner has become the Institute’s most important fundraising event; the $519,000 netted helps under-write the Institute’s many education programs and free admission for 27,000 school students and another 13,000 youngsters from inner city recreation programs and challenged adults who could not oth-erwise afford to visit. New York Times Science Writer Gina Kolata, a repeat guest at the Institute, served as the host for the Awards pre-sentation, as well as a guest speaker for a special symposium.

The 2008 Awards Week programs ranged from scholarly forums for students and college faculty held at The Franklin Institute, University of Pennsylvania, University of Delaware and Drexel University to the Laureates’ Laboratory — where the scientists were paired with members of The Franklin Institute education staff for a visitor-friendly, show-and-tell of sorts. Visitors had the oppor-tunity to interact with world-class scientists and learn about their research. Awards Week also provided unique learning opportu-nities for students at The Franklin Institute’s magnet high school, Science Leadership Academy, who were treated to a presenta-tion by the energetic young recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics, Deborah Jin. In addition, students from a dozen Philadelphia area high schools attended the PACTS students’ annual Meet the Scientists program, a moderated panel discussion followed

by an informal reception where students engaged Laureates in con-versation. These sessions have become extremely popular with both Laureates and students and are considered one of the highlights of the comprehensive Awards Week Program.

In addressing the challenge of further integrating Franklin Center programs into the institutional mainstream, the Awards Program has expanded its goal of recognizing and encouraging excellence within the scientific community to include inspiring future scientists and increasing public awareness. Deborah Jin’s work with the behavior

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2008 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science, RoboticsTakeo Kanade, Ph.D.Carnegie Mellon UniversityFor visionary leadership and scientific accomplishments in the design of perceptual robotic algorithms and systems that function in the physical world.

2008 Bower Award for Business LeadershipFrederick W. SmithFedEx CorporationFor founding FedEx and establishing a modern network of information technology and transportation systems that satisfy global demand for timely and guaranteed package delivery. In addition, under Smith’s leadership, FedEx is widely recognized as an exemplary corporate citizen.

2008 Benjamin Franklin Medal in ChemistryAlbert Eschenmoser, Dr.sc.nat.The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich and The Scripps Research InstituteFor seminal investigations into the origin of nucleic acid structure, which through systematic chemical synthesis have begun to answer the fundamentally important question of why DNA and RNA have the structures they do.

2008 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive ScienceJudea Pearl, Ph.D.University of California, Los AngelesFor creating the first general algorithms for computing and reasoning with uncertain evidence, allowing computers to uncover

associations and causal connections hidden within millions of observations. His work has had a profound impact on artificial intelligence and statistics, and on the application of these fields to a wide range of problems in science and engineering.

2008 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Science Wallace S. Broecker, Ph.D.Columbia UniversityFor pioneering research leading to an understanding of the ocean’s influence on climate change. His work led to the successful development of a comprehensive picture of ocean circulation and its role in both past and future environmental change.

2008 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering Arun G. Phadke, Ph.D. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityJames S. Thorp, Ph.D.Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityFor pioneering contributions to the development and application of microprocessor controllers in electric power systems. These devices make synchronized measurements to monitor and protect components throughout the power grid, playing a key role in diminishing the frequency and impact of blackouts.

2008 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science Victor R. Ambros, Ph.D.University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolGary Ruvkun, Ph.D.Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General HospitalDavid Baulcombe, FRS.University of CambridgeFor the discovery of small RNAs that turn off genes. Their pioneering work initiated a paradigm shift in our perception of the ways genes are regulated, and this insight is making possible major new genetic tools for basic research, and for improving agriculture and human health.

2008 Benjamin Franklin Medal in PhysicsDeborah S. Jin, Ph.D.National Institute of Standards & Technology and University of ColoradoFor her pioneering studies of the properties of an ultracold gas of fermionic atoms, and her creation of the first quantum gas of fermionic atoms in which no two atoms can occupy the same quantum state.

2008 Award Laureates Far left to right: James S. Thorp, David Baulcombe, Gary Ruvkun, Frederick W. Smith, Takeo Kanade, Deborah S. Jin and Judea Pearl. Back row: Albert Eschenmoser, Victor R. Ambros, Arun G. Phadke and Wallace S. Broecker.

2008 FR AN KLI N I NSTITUTE AWARDS

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of particles opened a new area in quantum physics; Takeo Kanade took robotics to a new level with advances in visual recognition; Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun in the U.S. and David Baulcombe in England discovered that small strands of RNA, which assist in the production of proteins, can also “silence” genes, keeping them from doing their job. The latter discovery provides another tool for sci-entists trying to understand genetic diseases in humans and plants. Learning about such exciting successes and the possibilities in sci-ence may inspire students to pursue careers in science, parents to encourage them and life-long learners to explore the progress via science news.

Curating the CollectionsWith the opening of Amazing Machine in the Institute’s Mandell Center, more than two dozen fascinating artifacts from the Institute’s historic collections are on display as part of a stunning exhibit envi-ronment that engages the senses as it invites visitors to explore how machines work. On display is a six-foot model of the original Strasbourg clock commissioned by John Wanamaker, a miniature Singer sewing machine, dozens of clocks and clock movements, and the 1810 Maillardet Automaton, one of the most complex automa-tons ever built. The concept of showcasing the old with the new in Amazing Machine is part of an ongoing plan to integrate artifacts from the Institute’s archival collections into museum exhibitions, exposing visitors to the past and providing historical context for modern science and technology. Behind the scenes, staff continued a long-term project, creating a comprehensive electronic database for the Institute’s collections, materials that represent a virtual his-tory of science and technology from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The LibraryLike the Curatorial Department, the Library is transitioning to an automated electronic database. In preparation for introducing an automated system by the end of 2009, the Library began a two year process of converting its book collection to a unified classification scheme. The new system, made possible in part by joining Access Pennsylvania, will improve management of the Library’s collection, streamline cataloging, simplify circulation control and introduce a reporting function. When the migration to the new automated system is complete, the Library will be part of a consortium of school, public, academic and special libraries in the Commonwealth shar-ing a unified, web-based catalog of holdings. Institute staff will have desktop access to the holdings of libraries throughout the state.

The Journal of The Franklin Institute The Journal of The Franklin Institute, the second oldest scholarly journal in continuous publication in the United States, embraced online technology several years ago, with all 182 years of journals now available online in 3,964 institutions worldwide. Long regarded as a resource for respected peer reviewed papers in engineering

and interdisciplinary mathematics, the Journal’s current focus is on information and communication systems and networks, learning algorithms, signal processing, imaging, sensing, genomic signal pro-cessing and control theory. In an effort to stay relevant and increase readership, the 28-member editorial board looks increasingly to produce special issues in newly evolving topics for which there is a strong foundation. Of the eight issues published in 2008, a special July issue was devoted to “Advances in Indoor Radar Imaging.”

The advent of publishing electronically has increased both the volume of articles per issue, as well as the readership; in 2008 there were 85,505 articles downloaded, hardly something that would have been possible with a traditional hardcopy publication.

From the Collections.

The 19th century mantle clock (above) is one of many fascinating timepieces incorporated in the exhibit Amazing Machine.

Among the newest additions to the collections (top right) is this 5-cent stamp cover of Franklin. Along with a 10-cent stamp cover of Washington (not shown), it represents the first adhesive stamps issued by the United States Post Office in 1847 and 1848.

The waterwheel illustration by Frederick Graff (bottom right) is part of the Institute’s extensive Graff Collection of plans for the original Fairmount Water Works.

2222 23

2008 2007

Unrestricted Temporarily

Restricted Permanently

Restricted Total Total

Revenue, support, and investment income Program Revenue Admissions fees $ $10,330,006 $ — $ — $ $10,330,006 $ 12,011,084 Ancillary activities 4,289,147 — — 4,289,147 7,010,182 Museum projects 1,541,969 542,911 — 2,084,880 1,314,558 Educational programs and services 1,625,087 — — 1,625,087 1,956,283 Other 647,682 — — 647,682 408,715 Total program revenue 18,433,891 542,911 — 18,976,802 22,700,822

Support Annual giving 3,386,999 675,030 — 4,062,029 4,959,620 In-kind contributions 409,649 — — 409,649 198,921 Government appropriations and grants 395,756 722,558 — 1,118,314 2,394,906 Contributions - Capital campaigns — 6,387,977 — 6,387,977 18,345,815 Bequests and other contributions — — — — 2,156,056 Total support 4,192,404 7,785,565 — 11,977,969 28,055,318

Endowment income designated for current operations 1,647,172 — — 1,647,172 1,493,504 Net assets released from restrictions —

satisfaction of purpose restrictions 2,821,601 (2,821,601) — — —Total revenue, support, operating investment income,

and net assets released from restrictions 27,095,068 5,506,875 — 32,601,943 52,249,644

Expenses Program expenses Museum operations $19,290,491 — — $19,290,491 $17,479,509 Ancillary activities 2,191,537 — — 2,191,537 2,456,956 Museum projects 3,085,017 — — 3,085,017 3,169,938 Educational programs and services 1,346,518 — — 1,346,518 1,344,147 Total program expenses 25,913,563 — — 25,913,563 24,450,550

Interest 710,450 — — 710,450 687,702 Development — Capital campaigns 1,081,965 — — 1,081,965 886,316 General development 1,032,454 — — 1,032,454 1,263,401 Total expenses 28,738,432 — — 28,738,432 27,287,969

Operating income before depreciation (1,643,364) 5,506,875 — 3,863,511 24,961,675

Depreciation and amortization 5,846,474 — — 5,846,474 5,668,610

Operating income (loss) (7,489,838) 5,506,875 — (1,982,963) 19,293,065

Non-operating income, expenses, and releases Net assets released from restrictions —

satisfaction of purpose restrictions 6,525,546 (6,525,546) — — —Endowment return net of amounts designated for current operations (3,427,923) (8,728,284) — (12,156,207) 1,410,607 Net actuarial loss on defined benefit retirement plan (2,222,263) — — (2,222,263) —Unrealized loss on interest rate swap (2,246,988) — — (2,246,988) (520,975)Change in value of investments held by third-parties — — (4,303,548) (4,303,548) 654,931 Total non-operating income, expenses and releases (1,371,628) (15,253,830) (4,303,548) (20,929,006) 1,544,563

(Decrease) increase in net assets (8,861,466) (9,746,955) (4,303,548) (22,911,969) 20,837,628 Net assetsBeginning of year 72,362,413 47,856,331 15,858,268 136,077,012 115,239,384

End of year $ 63,500,947 $ 38,109,376 $ 11,554,720 $ 113,165,043 $ 136,077,012

Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Assets, Year ended December 31, 2008 with Summarized Information for 2007

finAnciAl report

2323

2008 2007

AssetsCash and cash equivalents $ 10,197,413 $ 14,201,940Accounts receivable, net 2,033,622 6,308,950Pledges receivable, net 12,853,940 13,260,181Inventory 331,755 467,029Prepaid and other current assets 622,852 698,401Pooled investments 27,441,041 39,403,247Beneficial interest in perpetual trusts 9,115,249 13,418,797Property, buildings and equipment, net 75,470,681 69,887,076Deferred loan costs, net 179,483 189,740Total assets $ 138,246,036 $ 157,835,361

Liabilities and Net AssetsAccounts payable and accrued expenses $ 7,843,508 $ 3,578,516Deferred revenue 69,841 391,854Long-term debt 17,167,644 17,787,979Total liabilities 25,080,993 21,758,349

Net assets Unrestricted 63,500,947 72,362,413 Temporarily restricted 38,109,376 47,856,331 Permanently restricted 11,554,720 15,858,268Total net assets 113,165,043 136,077,012 Total liabilities and net assets $ 138,246,036 $ 157,835,361

Statements of Financial PositionDecember 31, 2008 and 2007

32 33

The Franklin Institute expresses its sincere gratitude to its outstanding Board of Trustees, whose dedicated annual service allows the Institute to maintain its international standing and to strive for even greater achievement.

Marsha R. PerelmanChair, Board of TrusteesThe Franklin InstitutePresidentWoodforde Energy, Inc.

Charles H. AllenVice President and General Manager,

Rotorcraft SystemsThe Boeing Company

Frank Baldino, Jr., Ph.D.Chairman and CEOCephalon, Inc.

Scott A. BattersbyVice President and TreasurerUnisys Corporation

David J. BerkmanManaging PartnerLiberty Associated Partners LP

Wade H. Berrettini, M.D., Ph.D.Director, Center for Neurobiology

and BehaviorUniversity of Pennsylvania

School of Medicine

Raza Bokhari, M.D.President Parkway Clinical Laboratories

Renee B. Booth, Ph.D.PresidentLeadership Solutions, Inc.

Charles R. Bridges, M.D., Sc.D.Chief of Cardiothoracic SurgeryPennsylvania Hospital

Donald E. CallaghanPrincipalHirtle, Callaghan & Company

Michael F. CamardoRetired Executive Vice PresidentLockheed Martin

Susan Capps MorrisSenior Vice President

of the Americas OperationsMerck & Co., Inc.

Robert M. ChappelearSenior Vice PresidentWachovia Wealth ManagementWachovia Bank, N.A.

Carlos ChouChief Customer OfficerSAP America, SAP Asia Pacific Japan

I Michael CoslovChairman and CEOTube City IMS Corporation

Gerard P. CuddyPresident and Chief Executive OfficerBeneficial Savings Bank

Richard H. DilsheimerCEO Dilsheimer Communities, Inc.

Kevin F. DonohoePresident The Kevin F. Donohoe Company, Inc.

Michael FormanManaging General PartnerFB Capital Partners LP

William J. FrielExecutive Vice President PNC Bank

Elizabeth H. GemmillCommunity Volunteer

William L. GrahamPresident, Enterprise Integration GroupLockheed Martin

Richard A. GreenawaltPrincipalRMK Associates

S. Matthews V. Hamilton, Jr.President Travel Services Company

Paul C. Heintz, Esq.PartnerObermayer, Rebmann,

Maxwell & Hippel, LLP

Susan Y. KimCommunity Volunteer

Barbara KowalczykCommunity Volunteer

Charisse R. Lillie, Esq.Vice President of Human ResourcesComcast Corporation

Ira M. LubertPrincipalLubert-Adler Management, Inc.

Miriam G. MandellVice PresidentMGM Consulting Corporation

Sandra G. MarshallCommunity Volunteer

Robert S. McMenaminSenior Vice PresidentU.S. Trust, Bank of America

Private Wealth Management

Donald E. Morel, Jr., Ph.D.Chairman and CEOWest Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

John NugentCommunity Volunteer

Denis P. O’BrienPresidentPECO

Samuel J. PattersonChairman and CEOVeridyne Inc.

Hershel J. Richman, Esq.Retired Senior CounselDechert

Bruce D. RubinVice President and General ManagerSunoco, Inc.

William H. Shea, Jr.Private Investor

Kurt M. SoukupManaging PartnerConvex Asset Management

Ann R. SorgentiCommunity Volunteer

William J. StallkampCommunity Volunteer

Joan N. Stern, Esq.Chair, Public FinanceBlank Rome LLP

David R. WhiteSenior Vice President, Global Supply ChainCampbell Soup Company

Paul H. Woodruff, PEPresident Mistwood Enterprises

Harold L. Yoh IIIChairman and CEODay & Zimmermann

Ex-Officio MembersSandra K. BaldinoCo-Chair, Benefactor Society BoardCommunity Volunteer

The Honorable Darrell L. ClarkeMember, Philadelphia City Council

Grete GreenacreCo-Chair, Benefactor Society Board

Community Volunteer

Mitchell P. Marcus, Ph.D.Professor, Computer Information SystemsUniversity of Pennsylvania

The Honorable Michael Nutter Mayor, City of Philadelphia

The Honorable Edward G. RendellGovernor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The Honorable Anna C. Verna President, Philadelphia City Council

Dennis M. Wint, Ph.D.President and CEO, The Franklin Institute

Emeritus MembersWilliam J. AveryChairman Emeritus

Henry M. Chance II

Bowen C. Dees, Ph.D.*President Emeritus

James J. Eberl, Ph.D.

Richard T. Nalle, Jr. *

James A. UnruhChairman Emeritus

OfficersMarsha R. PerelmanChair, Board of Trustees

Dennis M. Wint, Ph.D.President and CEO

Larry DubinskiSecretary

Jeffery PerkinsTreasurer

Leadership CouncilDennis M. Wint, Ph.D.President and CEO

Frederic M. N. Bertley, Ph.D.Vice President Center for Innovation in

Science Learning

Larry Dubinski, Esq.Senior Vice President External Affairs and

General Counsel

Jeffery PerkinsSenior Vice President

Finance and Administration

Richard D. RabenaVice President Operations

Paul RicchiutiVice President Information Systems

Steve Snyder, Ph.D. Vice President Exhibits and Program

Development

Reid O. StylesVice President Human Resources

boArd of trustees 

*Deceased

(List as of December 1, 2008)

33

Design Allemann Almquist & Jones

Photography Cover: Keith Watanabe/Allemann, Almquist & Jones, NASA

Keith Watanabe/Allemann, Almquist & Jones: IFC, 1, 4, 5, 7, 9–12, 15–17, 24–25, 27, 28 (top)

Kelly & Massa: 19

James B. Abbott: 20

Lisa Godfrey: 28 (bottom)

Stuart A. Watson: 31

Peter Olson: IBC

Unknown: 13 (top and bottom), 18 (top and bottom), 21 (top and bottom)

222 North 20th StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19103-1194

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