Museum of Science & Industry (Tampa) Facts for Kids

Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI)
The Museum of Science & Industry's former IMAX theater
Established	1962
Location	4801 East Fowler Ave Tampa, Florida
Type	Science museum

The Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) is a fun science museum located in Tampa, Florida. It's a non-profit place, which means it's not run for profit.

MOSI gets its money from people and companies who donate. It also gets support from Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa. This helps them create cool exhibits and programs for everyone.

History of MOSI
Awards and Recognition
Learning and Camps
Community Connections
- Hispanic Scientist of the Year Award
- Caring for Nature
Current Exhibits
Former Exhibits
Images for kids

History of MOSI

MOSI started way back in 1962. At first, it was called the Museum of Science and Natural History. It was a place for kids and adults to learn about nature.

The museum's name changed a few times. In 1976, plans began for a brand new building. This new building, which is now MOSI, opened its doors on January 23, 1982.

In 1995, MOSI grew even bigger! They added a huge science center with Florida's only IMAX Dome Theatre. This made MOSI one of the largest science centers in the southeastern U.S.

In 2017, MOSI made some changes to save money. They closed parts of the building and moved many exhibits. But they still have lots of exciting things to see and do!

Recently, there were talks about building a new MOSI downtown. However, those plans changed. Now, MOSI is focusing on making its current location even better with new exhibits and programs.

Awards and Recognition

MOSI is a highly respected museum. In 2008, it was re-accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). This means it meets high standards for museums.

In 2009, MOSI received the National Medal for Museums. This is the highest award a museum can get in the United States!

Learning and Camps

MOSI offers awesome S.T.E.A.M. programs. S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. These programs are for kids from preschool all the way through high school.

When school is out, MOSI has special educational camps. You can learn about all sorts of scientific topics. Imagine snorkeling in a natural spring or even designing your own video game! After finishing a camp, you get a S.T.E.A.M. Certificate of Achievement.

Community Connections

MOSI works to connect with the diverse community in Tampa Bay.

Hispanic Scientist of the Year Award

Since 2001, MOSI has given an award to amazing Hispanic scientists each year. These scientists visit MOSI and talk to kids about their careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). It's a great way to inspire future scientists!

Caring for Nature

MOSI used to have exhibits that taught about protecting the environment. These included exhibits on saving water and Florida-friendly gardens.

Current Exhibits

MOSI has many cool exhibits for you to explore!

Mission: Moonbase

Step into the year 2070 and explore a simulated lunar base! This exhibit shows what a permanent base on the Moon might look like. It's built near the Moon's south pole, where scientists think there might be frozen water. Mission: Moonbase is all about how we might live and work on the Moon in the future. It's partly funded by NASA!

Slippery Science

This exhibit is all about how things move and slide! Slippery Science has interactive displays that teach you about friction and physics. You can even learn about the science behind how fast you react to things.

Wooden Wonders of the World

Imagine famous buildings made entirely out of toothpicks! This exhibit features amazing model sculptures of well-known landmarks. It's a temporary art show, so check MOSI's website to see if it's still there.

Toothpick sculpture made by Stan Munro on display in MOSI

Dinovations Lab

Are you a fan of dinosaurs? Then you'll love Dinovations Lab! This exhibit is all about paleontology, which is the study of ancient life. You can do investigations like a paleontologist, crawl through challenges, and watch dino-themed animations. You can even touch actual dino poop!

Saunders Planetarium

Look up at the stars in the Saunders Planetarium! It opened in 1992 and is the only planetarium in Tampa. It's a fantastic place to learn about space and the planets. The planetarium has moved locations a few times, but it continues to show amazing programs about the universe.

The planetarium's current projector

Former Exhibits

MOSI has had many exciting exhibits over the years. Here are a few that are no longer there:

Gulf Coast Hurricane

This exhibit let you experience the power of a hurricane! You could stand in a room and feel winds from a gentle rainstorm all the way up to a Category One hurricane. It taught people how strong storms can be and how to prepare for them.

Inside the wind generator

Bio-Works Butterfly Garden

This beautiful garden was home to over 30 types of butterflies, many native to Florida. You could see thousands of butterflies, including the zebra longwing, which is Florida's state butterfly! The garden also had a special system that showed how wastewater can be cleaned using natural methods.

The outside of the exhibit

The zebra longwing butterfly

The pond in the garden had tilapia fish. What's cool about these fish is that they were descendants of the first fish born in space! This fish, named Amigo, was born during astronaut John Glenn's last space mission.

The Amazing You!

This exhibit was all about health and wellness throughout your life. It showed how your body changes as you grow. You could learn about staying healthy at different ages and how to recover from illnesses.

WeatherQuest Sponsored by Bay News 9

In this exhibit, you could pretend to be a meteorologist! It had a Bay News 9 news desk and a green screen, just like on TV. WeatherQuest taught you about natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning. It also showed how to stay safe and protect your home during these events.