STEM Experiences



Thank Goodness It’s Friday

Learn about the future of First Friday virtual events and how we will continue to connect with the community.

Since 2011, the first Friday of the month has allowed members and guests to immerse themselves in after-hours exploration of a specific theme around science-fiction, fantasy and more. Past events have spanned Star Trek and Harry Potter to broader topics like filmmaking and are designed for a more grown-up audience to experience science in a fun and unexpected way.

As one of the Science Center’s free events, everyone also has the chance to connect with a wide variety of community partners and vendors such as St. Louis Space Frontier, The St. Louis Game Developer Co-Op or Archreactor. Many of these partners and vendors are passionate about science and technology and love to engage with guests.

While there, you can interact with the kind of informal science education that makes learning approachable and fun. From members and guests to the Science Center team, no one’s shy about showing their support and enthusiasm. The passion and dedication that are put into First Friday are key to continuing to bring our mission to the community, members and donors.

View our First Friday event information.


2019 was our biggest year yet!


Most Popular First Friday

30

Number of
workshops
for guests

111


Number of vendors
and partners

STEM content meets SciFest

As one of our longest running events, the SciFest series offers multiple opportunities to connect the community to scientists, engineers, and other local STEM experts.

If you’ve ever been to a SciFest before, it’s impossible not to notice the energy buzzing around the Science Center. There’s a captivating level of excitement guests bring and leave with, and as a free, day-long event,
it makes powerful connections between the museum and the community.

Unique themes for each SciFest allow guests to explore fun science experiences across a variety of science areas, and with a diverse
roster of outside partners and vendors. Last year, eight different SciFests covered areas like engineering (February’s Engineering Expo), animals (Animal Kingdom Expo in April), the outdoors (The Great Outdoors Expo in October) and health (November’s Health Expo).

“[Noticing repeat families between SciFests] gets me excited about participating in more of these events. It shows that we’re generating interest in STEM, and people want to spend their weekends learning about it. I’m optimistic that the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers are walking in those doors because of the positive impact that the Science Center has had on their lives” said Christopher Pacia, PhD student, Department of Biomedical Engineering at Washington Univeristy in St. Louis and a repeat partner at SciFest.

Organizing and guiding each event is Ruth Watt, manager of STEM events for the Science Center.

“As both a scientist and educator, I love how SciFests are designed to connect the community directly with STEM professionals and experts. SciFest presents a unique opportunity to visit and learn alongside a range of experts gathered for the day. From black holes to animal care, meteorology to palentontology, agriculture to aerospace, there’s something for everyone to explore throughout the Science Center’s SciFest event series.”

Science and education is at the forefront of each crafted SciFest. We look forward to future events as we continue to bring our community to our partners and our partners to our community.

View our SciFest event information.

Hear why our partners love the Science Center.