Project Fibonacci Foundation announces plans for STEAM center in Rome

ROME, N.Y. — The Project Fibonacci Foundation recently announced plans to bring a fully operational STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) center to downtown Rome by early 2023.

The Multiversity of Science, Art, and Technology (MOSART) will be a collaborative center focused on programs designed to grow the local youth workforce in those fields. The plan is for MOSART to be part of an interactive exhibition center that features artificial intelligence inspired art, a local venue for community activities and guest speakers, and a metro-hub for local STEAM leadership education programs.

The Project Fibonacci Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, will operate MOSART and the foundation’s board is currently raising funds for the project. The foundation anticipates raising $1 million this year through public grant programs, tax-deductible private donations, and corporate gifts. Those funds will cover the purchase and renovation of a facility along with first-year operating expenses and the creation of some jobs.

“MOSART will be a popular destination for schools and visiting organizations,” Project Fibonacci Foundation Chairman Andrew Drozd said in a release announcing the proposed project. “Downtown Rome and its Downtown Revitalization Initiative renaissance is a logical choice for its physical presence with its proximity to a premier research laboratory and emerging art scene.”

As both a museum and a learning-activities center, MOSART will deliver on the goals of the Upstate Revitalization Initiative strategy the includes expanding STEM industries and cultivating the STEM workforce.

The planned center will host local industry and business exhibitions as well as the Project Fibonacci Foundation’s ESTEAMED Speakers series. It will also host the annual STEAM conference activities that bring more than 100 students to Rome for a week to tackle important socio-techno-economic issues. The 2023 conference theme is sustainability and climate-change adaptation.

ANDRO Computational Solutions, LLC, announced it will contribute up to $50,000 to kick-start a corporate-matching program to raise funds for the project.