EVERETT – The newly appointed chief executive of Seattle’s Museum of Flight said she looks forward to working with aerospace museums in Snohomish County to educate and inspire young people.
“This continuum of history and the future should be without interruption,” said Bonnie Dunbar, a former Space Shuttle astronaut. “We need to inspire the next generation toward science, math and engineering careers.”
Dunbar spoke at the annual meeting of the Snohomish County Economic Development Council. That group’s officials urged community and business leaders to join together to improve higher education and create new jobs for the future.
It used to be, county Executive Aaron Reardon said, that parents would tell young children to clean their plates because children in India and China were hungry for their food.
Now, “it should be do your homework, because children in India and China are hungry for your jobs,” he said.
The Museum of Flight has a big education role to play, Dunbar said. The museum runs a wide range of programs intended to teach children about flying, airplanes and space.
She became an astronaut because teachers helped guide her toward her dream of going into space, Dunbar said. She said one of her goals is to create a Museum of Flight program that pairs young people interested in aerospace with retired volunteers who work at the museum’s Paine Field restoration center.
The volunteers have a wealth of knowledge to be shared, Dunbar said.
Dunbar said she foresees future joint programs among the Museum of Flight, the Heritage Aviation Collection at Arlington Airport and the new Future of Flight Aviation Center.
“It’s a community of museums and opportunities to educate,” she said.
The economic development council is focused on creating jobs in science and engineering fields – specifically aerospace, biotechnology and electronics, said its president, Deborah Knutson.
But Snohomish County is far from the only community seeking those types of jobs.
“The competition is fierce and getting fiercer,” and it’s coming from overseas as well as around the nation, she said.
“Our companies are more global,” Knutson said. “How do we translate that into economic opportunity for Snohomish County?”
She said Snohomish County could logically become a manufacturing center where Seattle biotech research companies produce new drugs. The council is involved in a joint project with the University of Washington, Bothell to see how Puget Sound compares to other regions trying to lure biotech industries.
Knutson said the council also plans to work on legislation that would extend state tax breaks for airplane manufacturing to companies involved in aerospace engineering, tool making, and maintenance and repair.
Reporter Bryan Corliss: 425-339-3454 or corliss@heraldnet.com.
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