Sciencenter Gets New Look and New Exhibits

Ithaca, New York – Over the past few months, the Sciencenter has undergone some exciting changes. There’s so much to explore, from design changes in the museum to brand new exhibits and the revitalization of older exhibits.

When you walk into the Sciencenter, you’re greeted with fun pops of color from the new bright blue and green walls. The new look of the museum engages guests from the moment they walk in the door. In addition to bright new colors, there are two new indoor murals at the Sciencenter, painted by local artist Molly Reagan. The first mural is an abstract piece in the museum entry area and is the backdrop of the Sciencenter’s new Airways Maze exhibit. The second mural is located in the back of the Sciencenter’s Watergates Gallery and is a fun depiction of a rover on Mars! This mural is the backdrop for the new Mars Rover exhibit.
The museum is also in the process of adding new wayfinding signage throughout the Sciencenter. This bright new signage will make it easier for guests to find their way around the museum. The Sciencenter collaborated with the Finger Lakes Independence Center to ensure that the signage would help to create a more accessible space for all visitors.
In addition to cosmetic changes, The Sciencenter’s Exhibits Team has created new experiences for museum guests. Out on the Science Playground, guests will find a new bubble exhibit. In this exhibit, guests can experience bubbles in a fun new way by using tubes of air and mist to build bubbles!

Inside the museum, the Sciencenter Exhibits Team took a favorite exhibit, Watergates, and revitalized it. The changes to this exhibit allow for a more engaging, accessible, and educational interaction, where guests can use a duck elevator to send a rubber duck down a flume, then place gates in the flume to observe water flow phenomena. A new magnet wall is also featured in this gallery space. This is an interactive wall where guests can use blowers, magnetic tubes, and ramps to engineer a pathway or loop for a ping pong ball.

There’s also a new Build Space at the museum! The space, specifically designated for engineering projects, allows guests to use their imaginations to build creations from various materials. This area gives children a place to get creative, problem solve, and conceptualize their ideas. Guests can build big with PVC pipes, build strong structures and test them on the Shake Table, or grab a friend and build together with wooden planks.

Another new exhibit recently came to life in the Sciencenter’s entryway. Airways Maze allows guests to watch what happens when they send scarves through a fifteen-foot air tube maze. This impressive exhibit will engage guests as they learn about gravity and air!

When asked about all of the changes at the museum, the Sciencenter’s Director of Exhibits and Facilities, Adrienne Testa, said, “we spent a long time observing visitors, consulting with partners, and building prototypes for these exhibits. It’s gratifying to see people notice the changes in the museum and engage in new ways!”

All of these changes were made possible in part by grants and sponsorship from Tompkins County Tourism Program (Little Sprouts Farmers’ Market, Bubble Domes, and wayfinding changes), from BorgWarner (Build Space and Watergates), Institute of Museum and Library Services (Watergates and Airways Maze), and Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County, J.M. McDonald Foundation, and Tompkins Community Bank (Airways Maze).

There’s so much happening at the Sciencenter! It’s a great place to bring the family to explore, connect, and create through science.

About the Sciencenter:
The Sciencenter offers interactive exhibits and programs that cultivate a broad community of curious, confident, critical thinkers. The museum offers guests of all ages exhibits, educational programs, a gift shop, two seasonal outdoor science parks, and seasonal mini-golf (now open). General admission is $8 (ages 2 – 64), $7 for seniors (65+), and free to members and toddlers under 2. For current hours, membership information and information regarding current programs and activities, please visit sciencenter.org. The Sciencenter is a proud member of the Discovery Trail in Ithaca.