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 cool place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where you can explore science and technology! It's one of four amazing Carnegie Museums in the city. Soon, it will even have a new name: The Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center. You can find it in the Chateau neighborhood, right across from Acrisure Stadium.
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Discover the Science Center!
The Carnegie Science Center is the most popular museum in Pittsburgh. It sits right by the Ohio River on the North Shore. Inside, you'll find four floors packed with over 400 hands-on exhibits! Almost 500,000 people visit each year to have fun and learn.
Some of the exciting things you can see and do include:
- The Buhl Planetarium: This is where you can explore space with amazing digital projections.
- The Rangos Giant Theater: It's known as "the biggest screen in Pittsburgh" and shows incredible films.
- The Robot Hall of Fame: See famous robots from movies and stories!
- Highmark SportsWorks: Learn about the science behind sports.
- The Miniature Railroad & Village: A detailed model world that changes with the seasons.
- The USS Requin (SS-481): You can even explore a real World War II submarine!
What's New at the Science Center?
The Carnegie Science Center is always growing and adding new things. It's been a favorite spot for families for many years.
In June 2018, the museum opened a brand new wing. This extra space allows them to bring in even bigger and more exciting exhibits for everyone to enjoy.
In October 2021, the center received a special award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They got $10,000 for helping people in Pittsburgh learn about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.
Changes to Roboworld
The popular "Roboworld" exhibit closed in June 2022. But don't worry, some of your favorite robots are still around!
- Famous robots like C-3PO and R2-D2 from "Star Wars" and Maria from "Metropolis" moved to the Rangos Giant Cinema lobby.
- The big basketball-shooting robot moved to the SportsWorks area.
- Andy Roid, the singing robot who greets visitors, is now in the Science Center’s main lobby.
History of the Science Center
The Carnegie Science Center started from an older place called the Buhl Planetarium. This planetarium opened way back on October 24, 1939. It was one of the first major planetariums in the United States and was very popular for many years.
By the 1980s, the old planetarium was getting a bit old. Instead of just adding to it, they decided to build a whole new, bigger science center. The Carnegie Institute helped make this happen.
Construction on the new $40 million building began on October 5, 1989. It was designed by a local architect named Tasso Katselas. The new center, now called the Carnegie Science Center, officially opened in October 1991. The old Buhl Planetarium was reinvented inside this new, modern facility.
On January 23, 2024, the Science Center announced a huge donation of $65 million from Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin. Because of their amazing gift, the center will be renamed The Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center.
Highmark SportsWorks
Highmark SportsWorks is one of the main exhibits at the Carnegie Science Center. It's one of the biggest science and sports exhibitions in the world! You can try over 30 different hands-on activities here.
The main goal of SportsWorks is to help you learn about science through sports. It shows how the laws of science affect everything in sports.
SportsWorks has three main areas:
- Physics of Sports: Explore how things like balance, how objects fly (trajectory), and momentum work in sports.
- LifeWorks: Learn about keeping a healthy lifestyle.
- Sports Challenge: 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
Have you ever noticed the white, upside-down cone on top of the Science Center? That's the E-motion cone, also called the Weather Cone! It was added in 2000 and has a special computer-controlled lighting system.
At night, the cone lights up with different colors to show the weather forecast for the next day from WTAE-TV. 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
- Miniature Railroad & Village
- Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
- List of museums in Pennsylvania
- List of science centers
