UTC to donate $1M to expand exhibit at Mystic Aquarium

By Joe Wojtas

United Technologies Corp. is expected to announce today that it will donate $1 million toward the expansion and transformation of the Challenge of the Deep exhibit hall at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.

The exhibit features the work and discoveries of Titanic discoverer Robert Ballard who heads the Institute for Exploration. Today's joint announcement will be made at the United Technologies Research Center in East Hartford.

"United Technologies has a proud history of supporting science and technology education and the communities in which we live and work," said Dr. J. Michael McQuade, UTC senior vice president for science & technology. "This exploration center is closely aligned with UTC's own history of pioneering innovation and discovery. We believe our donation will launch a major new attraction at the Mystic Aquarium, become the catalyst for even more contributions from others, and inspire generations of future scientists and engineers."

When it is completed in 2012, the new exhibition hall will be renamed the United Technologies Ocean Exploration Center, and according to a news release from the two organizations, it will be the world's only exhibit dedicated to deep sea oceanographic archaeology, geology and exploration.

Plans call for 20,000 square feet of exhibit space, seven exhibit galleries, a permanent Titanic exhibit, a "4-D" motion theater with a unique deep dive show, and a new 10,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor plaza including a covered dining area. The project also will include a new entrance.

"Visitors to the United Technologies Ocean Exploration Center will learn the history of undersea exploration and the state-of-the-art techniques we employ today to uncover the secrets of the vast oceans that share our planet," said Ballard.

The center will also contain the Nautilus Live Theater, where aquarium visitors can watch live satellite broadcasts of his expeditions.

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