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 center is all about learning and exploring science and technology. It sits on about 7 acres of land in West St. Petersburg, close to the Tyrone Mall.
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History of the Science Center
The Science Center started in St. Petersburg in 1959. It was founded by William Guild and Nell Rodgers Croley. This center was actually the first of its kind in the world! It runs on donations and special grants. Its main goal is to make science interesting and help everyone understand it better.
The main building you see today was finished in 1966. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the center offered classes after school and on weekends. These classes were for kids from kindergarten through middle school. They learned about subjects like biology, chemistry, electronics, and even space travel! Today, about 22,000 children visit the center each school year. They come on field trips to explore and learn. The Science Center often works with schools in Pinellas County. All their summer camps and science classes follow important learning guidelines.
Cool Features to Explore
Discover Marine Life
The Margaret Ewell Dickins Marine Room opened in 2000. This exhibit has many aquariums filled with ocean creatures. You can see cool fish like a snowflake moray and a black sea bass. The most popular part is a 600-gallon touch tank. Here, visitors can gently touch amazing sea animals. You might feel starfish, horseshoe crabs, guitarfish, slipper lobsters, hermit crabs, and sea urchins. The Science Center also holds marine biology classes in this room. These classes are for kids during summer camps and school breaks.
Look at the Stars: The Observatory
The Carol Samuels Observatory opened in 1997. This special place lets visitors see amazing things in space. You can look through a large 16-inch Meade telescope. This powerful telescope is the only one like it available to the public in Pinellas County. It's not at a university, so anyone can use it! The St. Petersburg Astronomy Club holds events here throughout the year. They help people use the Meade Telescope to view comets, eclipses, or distant planets.
Walk Through the White Gardens
The idea for the White Gardens came from Starley M. White. He was a leader at a bank. Around the White Gardens, there is a "Walk of States." This is a beautiful mosaic tile walkway. It has more than 50 sections, one for each state in the United States. A part of the walk also honors the Seminole tribe and Andrew Jackson. Each of the 50 states is shown in the order they joined the country. The walkway displays an image of the state, including its state bird and flower. Next to each state's tile, you can see the state's rock. A local artist from St. Petersburg, Attillio Puglisi, created the Walk of States. It was moved to the Science Center in 1971.
Journey Through 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 has a show every day. This show is included in the admission fee. The Science Center's digital planetarium is the only one open to the public in Pinellas County. It can show you what the sky looked like on any date in history! If the center is rented for birthday parties, the planetarium can even show the night sky from the special date being celebrated.
Build Your Own Telescope: The Optical Lab
The Science Center has a unique optical lab. It's the only place in the southeastern United States where the public can grind telescope mirrors. The St. Petersburg Astronomy Club runs this lab. The club welcomes everyone to visit the optical lab on Saturdays. You can come between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to learn how to build a homemade telescope from scratch!
Science Gift Shop
There is a small gift shop at the center. It has fun science and space-themed toys. You can buy these items at good prices.
The Center's Future
In 2019, the City of St. Petersburg took over the facility. There were plans to take down the building. However, City Councilmember Robert G. Blackmon worked with others to save it. He brought together State Representative Linda Chaney, State Senator Darryl Rouson, and Congressperson Charlie Crist. They helped raise $5.5 million to restore the center. Thanks to their efforts, the Science and Technology Education Innovation Center continues to inspire young minds today.
See also
- List of science centers
