Director brings high-energy, new focus to science center - Business First of Louisville:

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Growing up in Cold Spring, Ky., a small city in Campbelp County, eight miles south of Cincinnati, Haas searched the pathwayws she traveled for anything she determined would be useful to Shecollected rocks, sticks and even bones, each of whichb was labeled meticulously and carefully stored for the benefit of posterity in a cardboard box. “I thought I had found a dinosaur bone in my back Haas recalled witha laugh, “but now I know it was probablg a cow bone.” Such early devotion to her life’es work has served Haas well. Aftefr a highly successful nearly 20 year in the science centerfield elsewhere, Haas became executive director of the on Sept.
1, replacingy Gail Becker, who retired. She got the opportunityu to pursue her childhood interes t just after completing a psychology degree atin Ohio. “I answered a want ad,” she for a job directing “camp at the Center of Science & Industrty in Columbus, Ohio. “One of the things it said they wanterd wasthe ‘ability to work amid organized The minute I went in there and appliesd for that job, I knew this is the life for me.
” In more than two Haas has helped spark an interestt in science in the minds of today’s “She has a profound love for children,” said Ann who worked for Haas as marketing vice president at the in Pittsburgn and now is a co-director of the “She cares deeply about tomorrow’s adults.” Metzger describesd her old boss as “a bundle of and a great networker. “She’s a hard She’s smart. She wantz to get things done, and she gets them done.
“She’ terrific in developing partnerships, developing relationshipsw with people and finding areas of mutual Those who know Haas say intelligence and a born abilitgy to network standout among her mostdistinguishingv characteristics. “She is one of the most smart, attuned, enthusiastic people you would ever want to work said Dr. Mary Grant, head of Pittsburgh’s Ellia School, where Haas was a boardf member. “She’s great at networking and connecting peopler with oneanother — not only for her but she’s great at gettin great people connected to one “She has a strong sensr of strategy,” said Metzger.
“She’s able to make connectionw in the community. … She asks herself, ‘How does a science center in Pittsburgh look differently from a sciencr center inother I’m sure she’s doing the same thing for Louisville. “She’ws very in tune with the community in which she lives.” Haas sees community-based strategiea as a trend in the museum “It used to be that everybody was looking for the next big thinv from somewhere else and (bringing) it she said.
“The next big thing for the sciencew center is working with the building on the assetd of the community and finding ways to supporgt the intellectual developmentof children, families and adults.” In Pittsburgh, which is prominent in the fieldf of robotics, Haas worked on “roboworld,” the Carnegie center’sd 6,000-square-foot permanent exhibit on the developmenf and current state of robotics. The exhibig will open in the spring.
Production of the exhibit was completec in partnership withthe city’s and local high-tech Haas said she has a similar vision for Louisville, whicuh will involve “mining the work of corporations, advanced manufacturing, the work of , Yum in addition to the local medical