When the Imax theater first opened at Tampa’s Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa in 1995, the technology behind the larger-than-life films was still quite revolutionary.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Today, however, it’s hard to find a movie complex without an Imax screen, and nearly all of them are digital — leaps and bounds beyond MOSI’s now almost antiquated film-based system.
But that’s changing after a $2 million donation from Florida Hospital that will not only rename the dome theater after the hospital chain, it will bring science to the masses in ways that were never imagined 20 years ago. Called “Florida Hospital Presents Live SX,” surgeons at local hospitals will perform routine surgeries, which will be broadcast live to MOSI’s Coleman Science Works Theater for middle school, high school and college students.
“Live SX” will be a lot like the more traditional surgery amphitheaters, except without the need to travel to a hospital. Surgeons will answer questions from the audience, and provide a glimpse into surgery many may not have had otherwise.
“We believe that investing in MOSI is important for the community,” said Mike Schultz, president and chief executive of Florida Hospital West Florida Region, during a check presentation at the Fowler Avenue museum last week. We believe our investment will help support MOSI as it moves forward, to create long-term sustainability of the museum, and further (develop) future scientists and health care professionals while helping develop the work force in the greater Tampa Bay area.
“We want to make a difference.”
Access to medical professionals in this way is something many don’t get to experience otherwise, especially in suburban areas like northern Hillsborough and southern Pasco counties, said Molly Demeulenaere, MOSI’s vice president of growth.
“A lot of hospitals don’t open their operating rooms, and we’ll be working with families in Pasco County to help make that possible,” she said. “Younger kids especially are going to have access to this information before they start to figure out what they want to do for a living, and (it) allows them to spark that interest at a much earlier age.”
Where the surgeries will take place depends on Florida Hospital itself, Demeulenaere said. They could be hosted from Tampa, Wesley Chapel, even Zephyrhills.
The Imax dome image is 10 times larger than a conventional 35mm frame, and three times larger than a standard 70mm frame, museum officials said. The dome theater offers a six-channel, high-fidelity motion picture sound system manufactured by Sonics Associates Inc., as well as a projector, which when it was installed, was one of the most advanced, using technology to keep the picture steady and prevent film hiccups.
MOSI always has prided itself as a hands-on museum, bringing science directly to people who visit.
“When people think of a museum, they normally think of these big open spaces where you don’t touch anything,” Demeulenaere said. “But museums are a true lab of creativity and education, and play a vital role in the community as a whole.”
MOSI did not say when work would begin on the theater, and it may have to wait its turn in line as other science centers are undergoing similar transitions and there are few companies qualified to do the work. Most of the money donated by Florida Hospital will go into the “transformation,” as MOSI is calling it, although remaining funds can be used to help supplement other programs at the museum.
“Florida Hospital is demonstrating true community leadership, and I think we should really thank our lucky stars for Florida Hospital and all the work that they do in our communities throughout Florida,” MOSI board chair Robert Thomas said. “I just can’t begin to tell you how important this is, and how thrilled we are to have them as a partner in the future of this organization.”
Published July 30, 2014
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