Ron Baillie and Ann Metzger have served as co-directors of the Carnegie Science Center since 2012. That partnership will come to an end at the close of 2018 when they both retire.
Baillie says people often ask him about his long career: “‘How could you stay 35 years?’ It’s because there’s always a new project. There’s always a new opportunity around every corner, and you can’t walk away from it.”
The pair joined The Confluence to talk about their respective careers and how a unique partnership helped change the way Pittsburgh’s home for public science education runs.
Elsewhere in the program, economist and author of How Economics Shapes Science, Paula Stephan, explains the business behind scientific research.
Financial incentives often play as big a role as a researcher’s curiosity, she says, and private donors want tangible results and product blueprints for their investments. This follows trends in Asia, where researchers are rewarded when they avoid projects that could produce ambiguous or unprofitable results.
And later, a celebration of 92-year-old Pittsburgh artist Thaddeus Mosley, whose work will be featured in the upcoming Carnegie International exhibit. Mosley has been a fixture at Pittsburgh arts events for years, reports 90.5 WESA's Bill O'Driscoll. The World War II veteran, former journalist and former U.S. Postal Service employee still embraces the physical nature of his craft, often lifting chunks of hardwood up to his carving table to mold by hand with tools like chisels and mallets. Mosley is one of an elite group of local artists featured in this year’s exhibit.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in weekdays at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators join veteran journalist Kevin Gavin, taking an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here.
