Masks Now Required in County Facilities — “Beginning Monday, Aug. 9, all employees and visitors — regardless of vaccination status — will be required to wear a mask while inside all Fairfax County facilities to help stop the spread of COVID-19…The rise in COVID-19 cases has resulted in the Fairfax Health District moving from moderate to substantial community transmission. This is due to the on-going spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.” [Fairfax County Health Department]

Former FCPS Student Gets Olympic Gold — The U.S. finished first in the men’s 4×400 meter relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Saturday (Aug. 7), besting the Netherlands and Botswana. Former South County High School student Trevor Stewart helped Team USA reach the finals by leading the qualifying round on Friday (Aug. 6). He was not in the final heat but will still bring home a gold medal. [Olympics]

General Assembly Reaches Deal on COVID-19 Relief Spending — Virginia’s Senate and House will vote today (Monday) on a deal that negotiators reached late Friday for how to spend $4.3 billion in American Rescue Plan funds. Changes from Gov. Ralph Northam’s original plan include the addition of one-time bonuses to sheriff’s deputies, a boost to Medicaid rates for workers who serve individuals with disabilities, and a requirement that the Department of Motor Vehicles reopen for walk-in services that had been halted during the pandemic. [The Washington Post]

NoVA Science Center Eyes 2022 Groundbreaking — The Fairfax-based Children’s Science Center hopes to break ground next year on its long-planned Northern Virginia Science Center in Loudoun County. The project has expanded from its original design, necessitating a relocation to a site that will accommodate an “expansion wing with a dome theater for large-format films and potentially even a planetarium contemplated for a future phase.” [Washington Business Journal]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

The Children’s Science Center, a nonprofit that has been operating as a museum without walls for several years, has announced it will open two permanent Northern Virginia locations.

The group plans a 5,400-square-foot site at Fair Oaks Mall, in Fairfax, to be followed by a 53,000-square-foot children’s science center in the Kincora development in Loudoun County.

Both will be hands-on, interactive STEM-based facilities (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), the first of their kind in Northern Virginia, says Children’s Science Center Executive Director Nene Spivy.

“We are putting a stake in the ground…actually two!” she said in a statement. “After many years of searching for a suitable home, we have achieved our long-time goal to be located within the Dulles region, where families and high-tech industry partners are plentiful, and where we can offer a regional resource serving multiple jurisdictions in Northern Virginia and beyond.”

With an abundance of STEM jobs and companies in the area, Northern Virginia needs a Children’s Science museum, she added. Virginia is home to seven children’s museums, but none are located in Northern Virginia.

In 2013, the Children’s Science Center’s Museum Without Walls served nearly 15,000 visitors at over 60 venues, including  schools, libraries and museums.

The Fair Oaks location, called The Lab, is slated to open in 2015. It will include Exploration Stations, an Experiment Bar, a Tinkering Studio, and Budding Scientist areas for toddler/preschool visitors.

The full-scale museum in Loudoun is slated to open in 2019. Developer Kincora is donating space for the $40 million museum to be located in a mixed-use development at the intersection of Routes 28 and 7 near Dulles.

Museum officials estimate it will serve more than 300,000 visitors each year, delivering STEM exhibits, content, and experiences.

In April, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors authorized a $250,000 grant for the Children’s Science Center to support the construction and first operating years of the full-scale museum. The museum hopes to partner with local tech companies and governments in the future.

Fairfax County Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova said she looks forward to the Fair Oaks location’s opening.

“It is a great, central location for the Northern Virginia community,” she said. “Fairfax County will remain a strong partner with the Children’s Science Center; our kids will be able to experience the scientific world in new and exciting ways and I welcome the Children’s Science Center to Northern Virginia.”

Graphics courtesy of Children’s Science Center