Science Museum of Minnesota Gets Largest Gift in its History

The Science Museum of Minnesota announced that they just got a very large gift of money.

The $6.5 million is the largest in the museum's 117-year history. It comes from the estate of Dr. William Wells who wished that the money be used to fund the William D. Wells Chair of Science position, which provides leadership for the museum's collection and research activities.

Science Museum of Minnesota President and CEO Alison Rempel Brown told CBS News, "At the Science Museum, our work is driven by our mission to create and deliver powerful, bold STEM experiences so more people can use science to improve lives. We are grateful that Dr. Wells recognized our value as a community resource to inspire people we serve to continue learning well beyond the classroom years."

The estate of Dr. William Wells also made another big science-related donation to Twin Cities Public Television in 2021, the $9 million gifted to them was also the largest in their 64-year history and will be used to create and fund STEM education programming.

Dr. William Wells earned his fortune as a professor at the University of Minnesota researching consumer psychology and as a very successful marketing professional.

The Science Museum of Minnesota says that the previous record for the largest gift was $1 million in 2019, so this latest gift is a very significant donation to one of the state's most important scientific institutions. Founded in 1907, the current museum is located on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Paul and impacts over 1 million people each year.