Saban Center, Alabama Water Institute Partner For Innovative Exhibit

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Saban Center on Wednesday announced it is partnering with the Alabama Water Institute (AWI) to introduce an exhibit aimed at enhancing water literacy and education in Alabama.

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"Science On a Sphere" was developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and uses a large sphere to project visualizations of planetary data, such as hurricanes and ocean temperatures.

The Saban Center says the exhibit allows users to interact with environmental and earth system data through a robust projection system and touchscreen navigation.

The exhibit is made possible by a financial gift from UA alumni Mark and Ann Hickman.

The Hickmans are known for their support of community education programs in West Alabama, including the Children’s Hands-On Museum and Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre.

“Ann and I believe wholeheartedly that early childhood education and the stimulation and learning at younger ages are the building blocks for creating young adults who are intelligent and can contribute to the community, city, and the world,” Mark Hickman said.

The Alabama Water Institute said it will loan the Science On a Sphere technology to the Saban Center and assist in developing its curriculum.

“It is an honor to partner with AWI to bring this exciting technology to the Saban Center,” Saban Center Director Audrey Buck said. “The ability for students and teachers to interact with this data in such an innovative way perfectly aligns with our mission to provide an immersive, state-of-the-art STEM learning experience.”

NOAA also recently formed a strategic partnership with the Saban Center and said it will support efforts to enhance water literacy and promote STEM education throughout the state.

“Science On a Sphere allows for hundreds of environmental data sets to be brought to life and used to develop STEM courses,” NOAA National Water Center Director Edward Clark said. “There’s a much-needed ‘wow factor,’ with people seeing it on a globe and understanding the connectedness of earth and water issues in Alabama and around the world.”

As Patch previously reported, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox revealed that design work is expected to be complete on the state-of-the-art educational facility by January 2025, followed by a groundbreaking that April at the former site of the Tuscaloosa News office.

The Saban Center is on track to open in June 2027.

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