STEM Design Studios

Permanent Exhibit

These labs give visitors the opportunity to explore hands-on, inquiry-based activities that allow for the exploration of many different STEM activities.

Get hands-on with different STEM topics. These engaging activities will allow parents and kids to explore STEM topics together, learning as a team. Enjoy activities and design challenges with Ozobots™ , Spheros™, 3Doodler™ 3D printing pens, tangrams, K’NEX® and much more!

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What are the labs used for?

STEM Design Studios are the hub of our educational programming. Girl Scout workshops, Girls in STEAM, Summer Camps, and Guided STEM lessons are offered here. In addition to scheduled programming, guests can experience hands-on, inquiry- based challenges. Guests can test, design, and experiment. These activities may include K’Nex design challenges, iPad activities, LEGO, 3D printing, and introductory coding and robotics.

STEM Design Studio Lab B with activities on the table

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More Science Exhibits & Events

Oct 18, 2025 – May 16, 2026

Lab Explorers

Curiosity meets creativity in this immersive STEAM experience! These two-hour workshops invite students in grades 3–8 to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math through hands-on challenges rooted in the real world. Whether they’re constructing prototypes, analyzing data, or solving problems, students will leave inspired, empowered, and ready to take on the next challenge.

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Sep 9, 2025 – May 26, 2026

Tiny Tots

Tiny Tots is a weekly program for toddlers (ages 2 and under) to encourage children’s early science exploration. Tots and grown-ups will use song, movement, art and sensory explorations of different topics in a developmentally appropriate environment.

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Permanent Exhibit

Backstage Studio

Funded by The Alexander Grass Foundation, Backstage Studio features fascinating exhibits that reveal the science and technology behind movies, TV, music, and theatre. Create your own stop-action film, put yourself into the movies in the Foley Studio, and explore the creation of different sound effects in this interactive gallery.

EXPLORE

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More To Do

Science Center

Oct 11, 2025 – May 9, 2026

Sensory Saturdays

During Sensory Saturdays, exhibit lights and sound effects are adjusted, and additional hands-on activities are included to foster a safe, welcoming, and most importantly — FUN — environment for all visitors.

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Theater

Richard Thompson

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson is set to bring his extraordinary talent to the Whitaker Center on February 23! Widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Thompson’s career spans over five decades, blending folk, rock, and traditional British influences into a uniquely captivating sound. Richard Thompson’s musical influence cannot be overstated. Having co-founded the groundbreaking group Fairport Convention as a teenager in the ‘60s, he and his bandmates invented the distinctive strain of British Folk Rock. The Los Angeles Times called him “the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix” and Rolling Stone has named him one of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time.

Cinema

Showing Through: Dec 31, 2025

National Parks Adventure 3D

Narrated by Academy Award® winner Robert Redford, National Parks Adventure takes audiences on the ultimate off-trail adventure into the nation’s awe-inspiring great outdoors and untamed wilderness.

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Science Center

Permanent Exhibit

Carnival of Health

Step right up and experience the one and only Carnival of Health at Whitaker Center. More than 2,200 square feet of fun-filled themed entertainment opens your eyes to the wonders of healthy living and the human body.

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Cinema

Showing Through: Dec 31, 2025

Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West

The film chronicles a group of explorers - the Corps of Discovery - led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark into uncharted territory to find a water passageway to the Pacific Ocean and describe for science the wonders of the West.

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