RATHDRUM - A nonprofit is selling space in the name of science.

A mural inside the future youth STAR Science Center's four-story tower will do more than illustrate space phenomena through images from the Hubble telescope.

It will also fund laboratories, exhibits and special programs at the 20,000-square-foot center.

"The tiles will be sold to sponsors to help fund the guts of the building and all of the extras, like exhibits and lab space," said Taryn Hecker, spokeswoman for Discover Technology, the nonprofit

organization planning the center north of Rathdrum.

The mural will be four stories and 11 feet wide at the base.

Discover Technology, formerly North Idaho Discovery Association and founded by Post Falls business owners Paul and Lorna Finman in 2007, is funding the infrastructure and building, but sales of sponsorship tiles and other private funding are needed for the finishing touches and technology.

Construction of the center may start this year.

Tiles are $300 and sponsors can get up to 30 characters of print.

At the lobby level and second floor, the tower is semi-circular to allow visitors to peer inside. The final two stories of the tower are completely tiled.

Other sponsorship opportunities are available, including business names or logos on banners and signage to logo displays on the STAR Discovery Bus, a mobile version of the science center that will visit schools and community events throughout the Northwest starting this year.

The center will feature interactive exhibits, science laboratories and provide students with opportunities to explore robotics, molecular biology, alternative energy and agricultural technology.

Discover Technology has provided grants and scholarships to elementary and high school students in the region to compete in robotics. The nonprofit also sponsors summer camps.

For information on sponsorships, visit www.DiscoverTechnology.org or call Ron Lahr at (855) 445-3942 or (509) 435-6349.