• Visit
    • Calendar
    • After Dark Thursdays
    • Buy Tickets
    • Exhibits
    • Museum Galleries
    • Artworks on View
    • Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Visitor FAQ
    • Event Rentals
    • Field Trips
  • Education
    • Professional Development Programs
    • Free Educator Workshops
    • Tools for Teaching and Learning
    • Learning About Learning
    • Community Programs
    • Educator Newsletter
  • Explore
    • Browse by Subject
    • Activities
    • Video
    • Exhibits
    • Apps
    • Blogs
    • Websites
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Partnerships
    • Global Collaborations
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Arts at the Exploratorium
    • Contact Us
  • Join + Support
    • Donate Today!
    • Membership
    • Join Our Donor Community
    • Engage Your Business
    • Attend a Fundraiser
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
    • Donor & Corporate Member FAQ
    • Host Your Event
    • Volunteer
  • Store
  • Visit
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Calendar
      • Today
      • This Week
      • Online
      • After Dark Thursday Nights
      • Arts
      • Conferences
      • Cinema Arts
      • Free + Community Events
      • Fundraising Events
      • Kids + Families
      • Members
      • Special Hours
      • Private Event Closures
    • Prices
    • Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Museum Map
    • Free Admission and Reduced Admission
    • Accessibility
    • Tips for Visiting with Kids
    • How to Exploratorium
    • Exhibits
    • Tactile Dome
    • Artworks on View
    • Cinema Arts
    • Kanbar Forum
    • Black Box
    • Museum Galleries
      • Bernard and Barbro Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomena
        • Tactile Dome
          • 1971 Press Release
        • Black Box
        • Curator Statement
      • Gallery 2: Tinkering
        • Curator Statement
      • Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections
        • Curator Statement
      • Gordon and Betty Moore Gallery 4: Living Systems
        • Curator Statement
      • Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits
        • Curator Statement
      • Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
        • Wired Pier Environmental Field Station
        • Curator Statement
    • Restaurant & Café
    • School Field Trips
      • Getting Here
        • Bus Routes for Field Trips and Other Groups
      • Admission and Tickets
      • Planning Guide
      • Reservations
        • Field Trip Request Form
      • Resources
    • Event Rentals
      • Full Facility & Gallery Bundles
      • Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery & Terrace
      • Moore East Gallery
      • Bechtel Central Gallery & Outdoor Gallery
      • Osher West Gallery
      • Kanbar Forum

      • Weddings
      • Proms and School Events
      • Daytime Meetings, Events, & Filmings
      • Happy Hour on the Water

      • Rentals FAQ
      • Event Planning Resources
      • Rental Request Form
      • Download Brochure (pdf)
    • Groups / Tour Operators
      • Group Visit Request Form
    • Exploratorium Store
    • Contact Us
  • Education
    • Black Teachers and Students Matter
    • Professional Development Programs
      • Free Educator Workshops
      • Professional Learning Partnerships
      • Teacher Institute
        • About the Teacher Institute
        • Summer Institute for Teachers
        • Teacher Induction Program
        • Leadership Program
        • Teacher Institute Research
        • CA NGSS STEM Conferences
          • NGSS STEM Conference 2020
        • Science Snacks
          • Browse by Subject
          • Special Collections
          • Science Snacks A-Z
          • NGSS Planning Tools
          • Frequently Asked Questions
        • Digital Teaching Boxes
        • Meet the Teacher Institute Staff
        • Resources for Supporting Science Teachers
      • Institute for Inquiry
        • What Is Inquiry?
        • Watch and Do Science
        • Inquiry-based Science and English Language Development
          • Educators Guide
            • Conceptual Overview
              • Science Talk
              • Science Writing
            • Classroom Video Gallery
              • Magnet Investigation
              • Snail Investigation
            • Teacher Professional Development
            • Project Studies
            • Acknowledgments
          • Conference: Exploring Science and English Language Development
            • Interviews with Participants
            • Plenary Sessions
            • Synthesis, Documentation, and Resources
        • Workshops
          • Participant Portal
          • Fundamentals of Inquiry
            • Summary Schedule
          • BaySci Science Champions Academy
          • Facilitators Guides
          • Commissioned Workshops
        • Resource Library
        • Meet the IFI Staff
      • Resources for California Educators
      • K-12 Science Leader Network
      • Resources for Supporting Science Teachers
      • Field Trip Explainer Program
      • Cambio
    • Tools for Teaching and Learning
      • Learning Toolbox
      • Science Snacks
      • Digital Teaching Boxes
      • Science Activities
      • Tinkering Projects
      • Recursos gratuitos para aprender ciencias
      • Videos
      • Exhibits
      • Publications
      • Apps
      • Educator Newsletter
      • Exploratorium Websites
    • Educator Newsletter
    • Advancing Ideas about Learning
      • Visitor Research and Evaluation
        • What we do
        • Reports & Publications
        • Projects
        • Who we are
      • Center for Informal Learning in Schools
    • Community Programs
      • High School Explainer Program
      • Xtech
      • Community Educational Engagement
      • California Tinkering Afterschool Network
        • About
        • Partners
        • Resources
        • News & Updates
        • Further Reading
  • Explore
    • Browse by Subject
      • Arts
      • Astronomy & Space Sciences
        • Planetary Science
        • Space Exploration
      • Biology
        • Anatomy & Physiology
        • Ecology
        • Evolution
        • Genetics
        • Molecular & Cellular Biology
        • Neuroscience
      • Chemistry
        • Combining Matter
        • Food & Cooking
        • Materials & Matter
        • States of Matter
      • Data
        • Data Collection & Analysis
        • Modeling & Simulations
        • Visualization
      • Earth Science
        • Atmosphere
        • Geology
        • Oceans & Water
      • Engineering & Technology
        • Design & Tinkering
        • Real-World Problems & Solutions
      • Environmental Science
        • Global Systems & Cycles
        • Human Impacts
      • History
      • Mathematics
      • Nature of Science
        • Measurement
        • Science as a Process
        • Size & Scale
        • Time
      • Perception
        • Light, Color & Seeing
        • Listening & Hearing
        • Optical Illusions
        • Scent, Smell & Taste
        • Tactile & Touch
      • Physics
        • Electricity & Magnetism
        • Energy
        • Heat & Temperature
        • Light
        • Mechanics
        • Quantum
        • Sound
        • Waves
      • Social Science
        • Culture
        • Language
        • Psychology
        • Sociology
    • Browse by Content Type
      • Activities
      • Blogs
        • Spectrum
          • Arts
          • Behind the Scenes
          • News
          • Education
          • Community & Collaborations
          • Science
        • Eclipse
        • Studio for Public Spaces
        • Tangents
        • Resonance See & Hear Blog
        • Fabricated Realities
        • Tinkering Studio: Sketchpad
        • Exploratorium on Tumblr
      • Exhibits
      • Video
      • Websites
      • Apps
        • Total Solar Eclipse
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Land Acknowledgment
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Impact Report
    • Awards
    • Our History
      • 50 Years 1969–2019

    • Leadership Cabinet
    • Board of Trustees
    • Board of Trustees Alumni
    • Staff Scientists
    • Staff Artists

    • Arts at the Exploratorium
      • Artworks on View
      • Artist-in-Residence Program
      • Cinema Arts
        • History and Collection
        • Cinema Artists-in-Residence
        • Resources and Collaborating Organizations
        • Kanbar Forum
      • Center for Art & Inquiry
        • Begin Here
          • Lessons
            • Bob Miller/Light Walk
            • Ruth Asawa/Milk Carton Sculpture
          • Workshops
      • Resonance
        • About the Series
        • See & Hear
        • Past Seasons
      • Over the Water
      • Black Box
      • Upcoming Events
      • Temporary Exhibitions
      • Arts Program Staff
    • Teacher Institute
    • Institute for Inquiry
    • Explainer Programs
    • Studio for Public Spaces
    • Exhibit Making
    • Partnerships
      • Building Global Connections
        • Global Collaborations
          • Projects
          • Approach
          • People
          • Impact
      • Partnering with Science Agencies
        • NASA
        • NOAA
      • Partnering with Educational Institutions
      • Osher Fellows

    • Job Opportunities
    • Become a Volunteer

    • Contact Info
    • Newsletter
    • Educator Newsletter
    • Blogs
    • Follow & Share
    • Press Office

    • FY21 Audit Report
    • 990 FY20 Tax Return
    • Use Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Intellectual Property Policy
  • Join + Support
    • Donate Today!
    • Membership
      • Membership FAQ
      • Member Benefits
      • After Dark Membership
      • Member Events
      • May Is for Members
    • Join Our Donor Community
    • Engage Your Business
      • Corporate Membership
      • Luminary Partnerships
    • Attend a Fundraiser
      • Wonder Funday
      • Science of Cocktails
      • Party at the Piers
        • Event Leadership and Host Committee
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
    • Donor & Corporate Member FAQ
    • Volunteer
      • How to Apply
      • Application for Internships
      • Our Contract
      • Application for Individuals
  • Press Office
    • Press Releases
    • News Coverage
    • Events Calendar
    • Photographs
    • Press Video
    • Press Kits
    • Press Visits
    • Exploratorium Logos
    • Recent Awards
    • Praise for the Exploratorium
    • Join Our Press List
  • Store

Masks and vaccinations are recommended. Plan your visit  

Visitor FAQ Buy Tickets Donate Today
Exploratorium
Exploratorium
  • Visit
    • Calendar
    • After Dark Thursdays
    • Buy Tickets
    • Exhibits
    • Museum Galleries
    • Artworks on View
    • Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Visitor FAQ
    • Event Rentals
    • Field Trips
  • Education
    • Professional Development Programs
    • Free Educator Workshops
    • Tools for Teaching and Learning
    • Learning About Learning
    • Community Programs
    • Educator Newsletter
  • Explore
    • Browse by Subject
    • Activities
    • Video
    • Exhibits
    • Apps
    • Blogs
    • Websites
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Partnerships
    • Global Collaborations
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Arts at the Exploratorium
    • Contact Us
  • Join + Support
    • Donate Today!
    • Membership
    • Join Our Donor Community
    • Engage Your Business
    • Attend a Fundraiser
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
    • Donor & Corporate Member FAQ
    • Host Your Event
    • Volunteer
  • Store

Recent Institutional Awards

  • The Exploratorium is currently rated the #1 museum in San Francisco by TripAdvisor users.
  • The Exploratorium's 2019 summer exhibition, Self, Made, received the American Alliance of Museums Excellence in Exhibitions and Exhibition Label Writing Award.
  • Middle Ground, a project developed by the Exploratorium in collaboration with the San Francisco Public Library, received the 2020 SF Design Week's Civic and Government Award.
  • Middle Ground also received an honorable mention in Fast Complany's 2020 Innovations by Design Awards.
  • The Art of Curiosity (2019) received 2nd prize in AAM's Books Award and was distinguished for its Innovations in Print.
  • Exploratorium named among American Mensa’s Top Ten Favorite Science Museums 2013
  • The American Institute of Architects, San Francisco Chapter, presented the Exploratorium with its Special Achievement Award for the new location in 2013
  • National Science Board 2011 Public Service Science Award for Exploratorium's contributions to public understanding of science and engineering (May 2011), one of the most prestigious national honors in science given to an organization, short of a Presidential Medal. The NSB is the 25-member policymaking body for the National Science Foundation and advisory body to the president and Congress on science and engineering issues.
  • The Exploratorium is one of seven museums to receive distinct Google Awards (April 2011). This award supports the Exploratorium’s future home on the waterfront at Pier 15 and 17 in San Francisco, radically improving educational access for all when it opens in 2013. For Google, museums do more than entertain and inspire. Many Googlers cite their own experiences in science museums as a positive influence on their decision to become engineers.
  • Awarded the prestigious 2010 Thea Classic Award by the Themed Entertainment Association for having "pioneered the 'interactive exhibit movement'” and "set a new direction for science education."
  • One of America's 12 best nonprofits — the only museum and only west-coast organization — as described in the book, Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits, 2007
  • Best of the Best Bronze Medal in the Destinations category, Bay Area Parent, 2012
  • Museums and the Web 2013 Conference awarded the Exploratorium’s Sound Uncovered app a Best of the Web Award in the mobile category. In 2011, it gave the Exploraorium website its Best of the Web “Long-Lived” Award.
  • Named in the Top 20 Twitter Profiles for Non Profits, 2011 by Social Media Delivered
  • Named in the 50 Essential Twitter Feeds for STEM educators, 2011 by BestCollegesOnline.com
  • CBS Bay Area named the Exploratorium one of its 10 Must-See Museums for kids, 2011
  • Core77 awarded the Exploratorium the 2011 Design Award for its Tinkering Studio, notable for its design education initiatives, stating “The Tinkering Studio provided a rich experience in practice to a cross section of the population who would not have that opportunity otherwise.”
  • In October 2011, the Exploratorium's "Color Uncovered” iPad app placed #1 in free Educational iPad apps, and within the top 10 ranking for free downloads overall on iTunes. Color Uncovered has been downloaded over one million times since its launch and was ranked in 120 app stores around the world.
  • At the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) named the Exploratorium website one of the 2011 Top 25 Websites for Teaching and Learning. The list is considered the “best of the best” by AASL.
  • 'Best Biotech' Website by Genetic Engineering and Biology News, 2011 http://www.genengnews.com/issue/best-of-the-web/161/
  • The Exploratorium's Total Solar Eclipse: Live from China website won the gold award in the "Community" category, and the Ice Stories: Dispatches from Polar Scientists won the silver award in the "Online Presence" category, at the 2009 American Association of Museums' (AAM) Media and Technology Committee MUSE awards.
  • Homeschool.com named the Exploratorium's website one of the "Top 100 Educational Websites for 2009."
  • In 2008, Parents magazine named the Exploratorium a Top 10 Museum for Kids (rated #2). And the Exploratorium is not even a kids' museum!
  • U.S. News & World Report rated the Exploratorium #3 in their list of things to do in San Francisco in 2008.
  • The 2008 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge awarded Linda Nye and the Exploratorium Visualization Laboratory first place in the Illustration category for "Zoom Into the Human Bloodstream." (Sponsored by Science magazine and the National Science Foundation.
  • In 2008, www.dailycognition.com listed the Exploratorium as one of the world’s most famous museums, alongside the Louvre and the Smithsonian.
  • Exploratopia, the Exploratorium's hands-on book of experiments, won the 2008 AAAS/Subaru SB&smp;F Prize for Excellence in Science Books, in the Hands-On category.
  • The Exploratorium Science of Gardening Web site was awarded the Muse Gold Award for Interpretation and Education and Science in 2006 at the American Association of Museums conference.
  • The Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) awarded the Exploratorium the Mosaic Award in 2006 for diversity of staff and audience.
  • In 2005, results of a poll were announced at the 4th Science Center World Congress in Rio, where science center staff from five continents met. Science center directors ranked the Exploratorium the number one science center in the world.
  • The Exploratorium Web site was selected by distinguished author James Lerman as one of the best Web sites for teachers on the Internet today for his book 101 Best Web Sites for Secondary Teachers, published by the International Society for Technology in Education (2005).
  • The Exploratorium has received five Webby Awards, four for Best Science Website (1997, 1998, 1999, and 2004) and one for Best Education Website (2002). In 2007, the Total Solar Eclipse: Live From Turkey broadcast won the People’s Voice Webby Award for Events & Live Broadcasts.
  • The Exploratorium's Global Climate Change site received a Pirelli INTERNETional Award in 2003 for environmental publishing.

Staff Honors

  • In June 2010, Exploratorium Director Dr. Dennis Bartels was one of two educators named to the Oceans Research and Resources Advisory Panel (ORRAP). In accordance with the Administration’s Ocean Action Plan, ORRAP provides independent advice and guidance to the over 20 federal agencies of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program.
  • In 2009, Exploratorium Director Dr. Dennis Bartels was appointed to the Education Working Group for the President’s Council of Advisory on Science and Technology.
  • In 2008, Exploratorium staff member and multimedia artist Walter Kitundu received a MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the "genius" award.
  • On October 10th, 2007, Dr. Robert Semper, the Exploratorium's Executive Associate Director, representing the Association of Science-Technology Centers, testified at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology hearing: Assessment of the National Science Board's Action Plan for STEM Education.
  • In March 2006, Dr. Dennis Bartels, Executive Director of the Exploratorium was invited by the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to serve on the National Science Foundation Education and Resources Directorate Advisory Committee.
  • The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded the distinction of Fellow (Education section) to Rob Semper, Exploratorium Executive Associate Director. AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science.
  • Charles Carlson, Exploratorium Director of Life Sciences, was named to the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine Long Range Planning Panel.
  • In 2003, Paul Doherty, Exploratorium Senior Scientist, was awarded NSTA’s Faraday Award for excellence as a science communicator. In 2002, he was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Award by the American Association of Physics Teachers, Northern California Section.
Praise for the new Exploratorium
Praise for the Exploratorium

What are people saying?


Awards and Other Recognition

Kudos we have received.

Press Office

  • Press Releases
  • News Coverage
  • Events Calendar
  • Photographs
  • Press Video
  • Press Kits
  • Press Visits
  • Exploratorium Logos
  • Recent Awards
  • Praise for the Exploratorium
  • Join Our Press List

Contact Us

For media questions contact us at media@exploratorium.edu.

Donation Request


Stay connected!

Sign up for our monthly newsletters.
Sign up for our press list.


 

 

Exploratorium
Visit
Join
Give

Pier 15
(Embarcadero at Green Street)
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.528.4444

Contact Us

  • Plan Your Visit
  • Calendar
  • Buy Tickets
  • Getting Here
  • Store
  • Event Rentals
  • About Us
  • Become a Member
  • Donate
  • Jobs
  • Volunteer
  • Press Office
  • Land Acknowledgment

Get at-home activities and learning tools delivered straight to your inbox

The Exploratorium is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our tax ID #: 94-1696494
© 2023 Exploratorium | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Your California Privacy Rights |