CSC, now the Kamin Science Center, announces new exhibits and experiences

In early 2024, we wrote about the Carnegie Science Center getting a new name and a $65 million gift from Dan and Carole Kamin. Now that the transformation into the Kamin Science Center is fully underway, local families will see not just a change of name but a wide range of new resources for fun and learning. 

“This gift from the Kamin family created not only incredible momentum, but it validated something about our belief. And that belief was that we should dream big,” said the museum’s director, Jason Brown at an event held on Sept. 11 to celebrate the museum’s relaunch.

“Normally, a museum like ours does one new exhibition every two and a half to three years,” Brown told the audience. But because of the Kamin family’s gift, he said, they plan to launch nine new exhibitions and experiences over the next two-plus years.

These include: 

• Sports 360, opening in December. At 10,000 square feet, it’s going to be the museum’s largest exhibition, filled with new sports-related content and interactives. It’s the first major update to any gallery at the museum since the opening of “Mars, the Next Giant Leap” three years ago. 
• The Science of Speed, opening next summer. Located in the museum’s former SportsWorks building, this 3,500-square-foot immersive exhibition will teach kids about aerodynamics, material science, engine technology, teamwork, safety and the characteristics it takes to be a successful race car driver. It will include a gallery of race cars and race gear, and a 750-foot, multi-story electric go-kart race track, so that along with learning about the science behind racing, visitors can experience the thrill, as well. The building will include a restaurant and lounge, operating as an entertainment destination for Pittsburghers of all ages. So it will be open later in the evening than the main section of the Science Center. 
• Building Futures, opening late next year. This exhibition full of STEM learning inspiration will highlight careers in the trades and pathways to lucrative jobs that don’t necessarily require a four-year degree. 
• Responsive Science, opening sometime next year. This exhibit will focus on local impacts of climate change and on how we build a resilient city here in Pittsburgh.
• The Universe in 75 Feet. This installation will use more than 2,000 pieces of anodized aluminum to represent the incredible distance (14 billion light years!) between Earth and the edge of the observable universe. The installation will scatter light from the Science Center’s massive windows onto the walls and floors, and visitors can look through six portals to experience interpretations of specific locations in the universe.
• Outdoor Engagement Park. An acre of land in the museum’s north parking lot will be transformed with new landscaping into an outdoor science engagement park. 
• An expanded, renovated fourth-floor space for early learners. This new space for early learners will feature new displays and interactive components that embody the museum’s mission to ignite the curiosity of the next generation of young visitors.

“My hope is that the entire city, when they see what’s happening and they see how fast it’s happening, will also realize that this place is the path to innovation, the path to the future,” Brown said, “and that they, too, will be inspired to follow their curiosity wherever it takes them.”  

Also announced: The Science Center team plans to fully restore and conserve the USS Requin submarine and redesign their entire riverfront area. And the museum’s new website has launched and was designed to be easier to navigate. 

Dan Kamin has spoken often about how his own experiences discovering STEM learning and building a telescope at the Buhl Planetarium as a young teenager inspired this gift. Kidsburgh’s Meg St-Esprit asked Kamin what he hopes kids find in the newly invigorated museum that he and his wife helped to create. Here’s what he shared: 

“I hope they find an interest — be it astronomy, or plants, or physics, or anything,” Kamin said. “They will find something that interests them, and the team here will be responsive and develop long-term relationships with them and encourage their curiosity, as I’ve seen them do for years.”

Photo at top of story courtesy of the Kamin Science Center.