Museum of Science

Exhibits include over 900 standing exhibits, housed in 132,000 sq ft of gallery and related space, providing hands-on experiences in all areas of Science, technology, and their social impact. The Museum creates permanent and travelling exhibits both on its own and in collaboration with other institutions, and is one of leadership partners in the national informal stem education network (nisenet), a network of approximately 600 museums, colleges/universities, libraries, scientific professional organizations, and research institutions which creates and shares exhibits and programs relating to important current Science and technology topics. A museum-produced traveling exhibit called the Science behind pixar highlights the math and Science skills pixar filmmakers use in bringing their films to life. Two copies of this exhibit are currently touring other us and international museums. The Museum also hosts traveling exhibits produced by other institutions. Traveling exhibits hosted by the Museum this year included: resilient venice; ne climate stories; all aboard! Trains at Science park; emotions at play with pixar's inside out; gaia earth globe; electric playhouse travels.

Education programs include field trips programs for school groups, curriculum materials under our eie. The Museum is part of an award-winning division, eie, that develops foundational skills in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem) subjects for all students. The research-based, hands-on curricula are designed to best innovate for the reality of today's educational landscape and to engage all students. Recently mos partnered with kahoot to create exciting, engaging and fun learning experiences for learners grades 1-8. Since its inception, eie has reached an estimated 20 million students and 200,000 educators in all 50 states.

Public programs include exhibit interpretation, lecture series, live animal demonstrations (the Museum is accredited by the association of zoos and aquariums), physical Science demonstrations, lightning shows in the thomson theater of electricity, special events, demonstrations and podcasts relating to topics of current Science and technology, hands-on desgn challenges and a walk-through garden walk and insect zoo. In response to covid-19, many of these programs were offered on-line. (849,500 onsite visitors and 379 online visitors served).

Theaters include the charles hayden planetarium, offering presentations, events, and demonstrations of astronomy and space Science topics, current discoveries, and other science/technology-inspired programming. The mugar omni theater, the largest domed imax theater in new england, offers digital documentary and science-fiction inspired films and presentations, while a smaller 4-d theater offers short 3-d films on a range of Science and nature topics augmented by sensory effects such as wind, mist, and smell. Planetarium shows this year included: big bird's adventure: one world, one sky; destination mars: the new frontier; from dream to discovery: inside nasa; explore our changing earth; explore the universe; moons: worlds of mystery; undiscovered worlds: the search beyond our sun; the beyonce experience; the fleetwood mac experience; pink floyd: the wall; the prince experience; the radiohead experience. Imax films included: ancient caves; back from the brink: saved from extinction; rocky mountain express; superpower dogs. Omni sci-fi films: dune; matrix: resurrections 4d theater films included: sharks: a 4-d experience; ice worlds: 4d; penguins: 4d; polar express: 4d; splash & bubbles: 4d; thomas: 4d (505,400 theater visitors served).

Services provided primarily for the benefit of our members include our parking facility, membership office, and gift shop. (35,932 member households).