Adventure Science Center connects learners of all ages to the science that surrounds them every day, fostering enthusiasm for discovery and exploration.
This year Adventure Science Center marks 80 years of serving the Nashville community, all 95 counties of Tennessee, together with visitors from around the nation and the globe. Through dynamic programming and exhibitions, the center endeavors to open every mind to the wonders of science and technology so they may better understand the world in which we live.
From Historic Past to Meeting Needs of Today
The science center began as a children’s museum, focusing only on our youngest learners through hands-on exhibitions and exposure to science discovery. Visits to the institution in its former iterations are a beloved memory for many Nashvillians. Over several decades, and 3 names, Adventure Science Center emerged in its current form: a science center focused on inspiring science learners of all ages, a space to learn the science stories of Tennessee, from pollinators to fossils, and a location to explore STEM careers of today and pathways of tomorrow.
Learning in Science Museums
Research tells us that science museums are an invaluable compliment to science instruction in schools, and the only exposure to science learning for many finished with formal schooling. Research also tells us what types of museum learning strategies are most impactful. These include featuring topics with personal relevancy, creating opportunities for active engagement, and designs that allow for group learning, interesting to all ages. We also know a science museum experience can build visitor confidence, spark curiosity in new topics, and even reverse science misconceptions. Most importantly however, science museums are fun. After all, as Frank Oppenheimer asserted, “Nobody flunks museums”.
Varied Experiences for Broad Impact
Science museums of the past relied on didactic methods of instruction. Information was presented and visitors were expected to quietly read and absorb as they moved from exhibition to exhibition. While many science museums, including Adventure Science Center, still use direct instruction within some exhibitions, that’s not the only engagement strategy. Today’s science centers strive to create experiences that have broad appeal, presenting information in a variety of ways, engaging multiple modalities of learning.
At Adventure Science Center, an articulated dinosaur skeleton is accompanied by a trained educator with fossilized dinosaur dung to hold and explore. A diorama of the Mars Curiosity Rover is accompanied by a Mars meteorite visitors can touch. An exhibition on color and shadows is large enough to accompany the whole family. An exhibition of music science includes the opportunity to create an original ‘reel’ and play it back for friends. Toddlers are testing hypotheses around scarves and a wind tunnel. All visitors are engaging across senses to connect with topics relevant to their everyday life as well as a life not yet lived.
Preparing Today’s Learners for a Scientific Future
We live in a technologically complex world, where STEM industries (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grow larger each year. In fact, STEM careers are expected to expand at a rate higher than non-STEM careers over the next 10 years. Beyond the workplace, comfort with science and technology topics is critical for navigating our everyday lives. Rather it’s preparing questions for a doctor visit or selecting landscaping that is pollinator friendly, science is and will continue to be a part of our day to day life.
Adventure Science Center is rising to the challenge of preparing a scientifically literate workforce and society. Today’s exhibitions tie to topics of personal relevancy, an educational technique that increases interest and comprehension. Globally relevant science topics are presented with a Tennessee twist so visitors can see applicability to their home state. Career awareness exhibitions and programs expose children as young as pre-school to STEM careers of the future, and how their natural interests align. With research that children in elementary school begin defining their career goals, it is never too early to begin this messaging.
A Collaborative Future
Today’s science museums have a heavy lift inspiring science literacy across large and incredibly diverse audiences; it’s a job too big to do alone. Adventure Science Center accepts this challenge with an eye to collaborative partners as the pathway to meet connection goals. Partners support exhibitions through connections to professionals in STEM fields and aiding in content accuracy. They support new programming and exhibits through philanthropic support and in-kind donations. Aligning with non-profit service organizations brings new audiences to the science center through group visitation and subsidized access. Our partners help us identify the most important stories and help us in telling those stories.
As the science center brings its first 80 years to a close and looks to the future, our goal is simple: inspire curiosity. We will continue to set the stage for all ages to explore, wonder and discover.
