Carnegie Science Center facts for kids
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| Established | October 5, 1991 |
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| Location | One Allegheny Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Type | Science museum, Technology museum |
| Visitors | 476,000 |
| Nearest parking | On site (paid) and street |
The Carnegie Science Center is a super fun place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where you can explore science and technology! It's one of the four amazing Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. You can find it right by the Ohio River, close to Acrisure Stadium. On January 23, 2024, the Science Center announced it would be renamed The Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center to honor a very generous donation.
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What to See at the Science Center
The Carnegie Science Center is the most popular museum in Pittsburgh. It has four floors packed with over 400 hands-on exhibits. Nearly 500,000 people visit every year! It's a great place to learn and have fun.
Buhl Planetarium and Rangos Giant Theater
The Science Center has a fantastic planetarium called the Buhl Planetarium. It uses the newest digital technology to show you the stars and planets. There's also the Rangos Giant Theater, which is known as "the biggest screen in Pittsburgh." It's perfect for watching amazing science films!
Robot Hall of Fame
In the lobby of the Rangos Giant Theater, you can find some famous robots! These robots are part of the Robot Hall of Fame from Carnegie Mellon University. You might even see robots like C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars!
SportsWorks and More
Other cool attractions include Highmark SportsWorks, where you can learn about the science behind sports. There's also the Miniature Railroad & Village, which is a huge model train display. And don't forget the USS Requin, a real World War II submarine you can explore!
New Exhibits and Spaces
The Carnegie Science Center is always growing and adding new things. In June 2018, the museum opened a brand-new wing. This new space allows the museum to bring in even bigger and more exciting exhibits for everyone to enjoy.
History of the Science Center
The Carnegie Science Center has a cool history. It started as the Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. This planetarium opened way back on October 24, 1939. It was one of the first major planetariums in the United States.
Over time, the Buhl Planetarium needed a bigger, newer home. So, in 1987, it joined forces with the Carnegie Institute. Construction on the new building began on October 5, 1989. This new, modern building was designed by architect Tasso Katselas. It cost $40 million to build! The new Carnegie Science Center officially opened its doors in October 1991. The Henry Buhl Jr. Planetarium and Observatory was also updated and moved into this new facility.
Robots and Their New Homes
The Science Center used to have a special area called Roboworld. It was on the second floor and had over 30 interactive displays about robots. It was known as "the world's largest permanent robotics exhibition."
Famous Robots from Roboworld
In Roboworld, you could meet Andy Roid, a singing robot that greeted visitors. He taught you about how robots sense, process information, and act. The exhibit also featured famous robots like R2D2, C-3PO, and HAL 9000.
Roboworld closed on June 19, 2022. But don't worry, many of the famous robots found new homes! Some of the Robot Hall of Fame robots, like C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars, and HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey, moved to the Rangos Giant Cinema lobby. Andy Roid, the singing robot, now greets visitors in the Science Center’s main lobby. A big basketball-shooting robot moved to the SportsWorks area.
Highmark SportsWorks
Highmark SportsWorks is a huge, permanent exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center. It's one of the biggest science and sports exhibitions in the world! It has over 30 hands-on activities where you can learn about how science connects to sports.
Learning Through Sports
The main idea of SportsWorks is to make learning fun by showing how science works in sports. It has three main areas:
- Physics of Sports: Here, you learn about things like balance, how objects move (trajectory), and how things spin (momentum).
- LifeWorks: This area teaches you about staying healthy and living a good lifestyle.
- Sports Challenge: This section lets you try out different physical activities found in many sports.
Highmark became the sponsor of SportsWorks in 2008, and the updated exhibit reopened in the fall of 2009.
The E-motion Cone
Look up when you visit the Science Center, and you'll see the E-motion cone! It's a white, upside-down cone on top of the building. People also call it the Weather Cone. It was put there in 2000 and has a special lighting system.
Weather Forecasts in Lights
At night, the cone lights up with different colors to show the weather forecast for the next day. It's like a giant weather beacon!
| Red | Warmer |
| Green | No change |
| Blue | Cooler |
| <flashing> | Precipitation |
| Yellow | Severe weather |
Images for kids
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Roboworld was a popular exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center until 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Carnegie Science Center para niños
- Miniature Railroad & Village
- Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
- List of museums in Pennsylvania
- List of science centers
