Join our museum’s Gallery Guides for a “drop-in” tour that explores the vital impacts made by engaged communities on scientific discovery, environmental justice, and public health.

Our Science & Activism Tour invites visitors to consider these questions: Who is a scientist? Who is an activist? How does each bring about change?

Stories include the influential book Silent Spring by conservationist Rachel Carson and the rise of the environmental movement; ACT UP, the AIDS crisis, and the development of the patients’ bill of rights; the Black Panthers’ lead role in community testing for sickle cell anemia; and the community-led research conducted by neighborhood coalition groups fighting to make government and industry accountable for environmental injustice.

This tour offers a broad picture of the ways activists have reshaped our understanding of science and how visitors can become engaged today through community science.


Drop-in tours are free and no reservations are necessary.

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woman in apron dyeing cloth in a basin
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For Families

Stories of Science: Color and Light

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

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Drop-In Tours

Stuff from Your House Highlights Tour

Join our museum educators at 11:30am or 2pm as we explore the scientific principles and history behind everyday household objects.

August Kekule, Catalyst of the Chemical Revolution. Jerry Allison, oil on canvas, ca. 1981.
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Science on Tap

Science on Tap, Untapped: Scientific Revolutions

At this semiquincentennial special edition of our science café, we explore revolutions in science. Come eat, drink, and learn about revolutionary moments in scientific advancements, from the study of diatoms to our understanding of dinosaurs.

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