Science and Technology Education Innovation Center facts for kids
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The Science and Technology Education Innovation Center is an exciting place in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. It used to be called the Science Center of Pinellas County. This educational center covers about 7 acres of land. You can find it on 22nd Avenue North, close to the Tyrone Mall. It's a great spot to learn about science and technology!
Contents
A Look Back: History of the Center
This special science center started in St. Petersburg way back in 1959. Two people, William Guild and Nell Rodgers Croley, helped create it. It was actually the very first science center of its kind anywhere in the world! The center runs on donations and grants from people who want to support science learning. Its main goal is to get everyone interested in science and help them understand how it works.
The main building you see today was finished in 1966. In the 1960s and early 70s, the center offered fun classes after school and on weekends. Kids from kindergarten through middle school could learn about things like biology, chemistry, electronics, and even space travel! Today, about 22,000 children visit the center each school year on field trips. The Science Center often works with schools in Pinellas County. All their summer camps and science classes follow important learning guidelines.
Cool Things to See and Do
Explore the Ocean: Marine Exhibit
In 2000, the Margaret Ewell Dickins Marine Room opened. This exhibit has many aquariums filled with amazing sea creatures. You can see fish like a snowflake moray eel and a black sea bass. The most popular part is a big 600-gallon touch tank! Here, you can gently touch real starfish, horseshoe crabs, guitarfish, slipper lobsters, hermit crabs, and sea urchins. The Science Center also holds marine biology classes for kids in this room. These classes happen during science summer camps and school breaks.
Stargazing: The Observatory
The Carol Samuels Observatory opened in 1997. This observatory lets visitors look at amazing things in space. You can see planets, comets, and other cosmic events through a powerful 16-inch Meade telescope. This special telescope is the only one like it available to the public in Pinellas County, outside of a university. The St. Petersburg Astronomy Club hosts events here throughout the year. They help people use the Meade Telescope to view comets, eclipses, or planets up close.
Walk Through History: White Gardens
The idea for the White Gardens came from Starley M. White. He was the chairman of a bank's board. Around the White Gardens, there's a "Walk of States." This is a special walkway made of mosaic tiles. It has more than 50 sections, one for each state in the United States. There's even a part of the walk dedicated to the Seminole tribe and Andrew Jackson. Each of the 50 states is shown in the order they joined the country. The walkway shows an image of the state, including its state bird and flower. Next to each state's tile, you can see that state's rock. A local artist from St. Petersburg named Attillio Puglisi created the Walk of States. It was moved to the Science Center in 1971.
Journey to Space: The Planetarium
The Discovery Center building was built in 1971. This building is home to the Columbia Planetarium. In 2003, the Spirit of Columbia Theater and Planetarium opened. The Planetarium offers a show every day, and it's included in the admission fee. The Science Center's digital planetarium is the only one like it open to the public in Pinellas County. It can show you what the sky looked like on any specific date in history! If the center is rented for birthday parties or anniversaries, they can even set the sky to show how it looked on the night of that special event.
Build Your Own Telescope: Optical Lab
The Science Center has a unique optical lab. It's the only place in the southeastern United States where the public can learn to grind telescope mirrors. The St. Petersburg Astronomy Club runs this lab. The club welcomes everyone to visit the optical lab on Saturdays between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. You can even learn how to build your very own homemade telescope from scratch!
Science Fun: Gift Shop
There's a small gift shop at the center. It has fun science and space-themed toys. You can buy these at good prices to remember your visit or continue your science adventures at home.
Looking Ahead: The Future
In 2019, the City of St. Petersburg took over the facility. There were plans to tear down the building. But then, City Councilmember Robert G. Blackmon worked with others. He brought together State Representative Linda Chaney, State Senator Darryl Rouson, and Congressperson Charlie Crist. Together, they helped raise $5.5 million to restore the center. This means the Science and Technology Education Innovation Center will continue to inspire young minds for years to come!
See also
- List of science centers
