A visit to Liberty Science Center is worthwhile for students The article "Usefulness of class trips questioned" in the Feb. 28 Examiner reported that school board member Laura Dreifus questioned the value of field trips, saying that students coming to Liberty Science Center spent only 45 minutes in exhibition galleries and the majority of their time watching an IMAX film, eating lunch and visiting the gift shop. While Ms. Dreifus is right that three quarters of an hour spent engaged in our awardwinning exhibitions is not enough, drawing the conclusion that area children should not visit the science center at all means they will not receive the boost in science interest and learning enjoyed each year by 300,000 other New Jersey students. School districts know that Liberty Science Center is worth a visit because of the outstanding quality of the experience here. For example, our programs and exhibition content are age-appropriate and curriculum-linked and our offerings are educational and scientifically accurate with no commercial messages. Also, we want time with us to be well spent. If previous field trips were not fully satisfactory, groups should let us know. We will work with them to create an educationally valuable, affordable, easy-to-manage visit. Finally, we offer cuttingedge electronic field trips and traveling science options, neither of which require students to leave school but still convey the excitement and rich content of the science center. At a time when many career options are stagnant or declining, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers offer exciting, prosperous futures for today's students. It is up to all of us to encourage interest in these rewarding fields. Emlyn Koster President and CEO Liberty Science Center Jersey City