The Science Museum of Virginia inspires all Virginians to enrich their lives through science

Compelling science inspires, and we are the marketing agency for science. 

Experience. We are focused on creating a fun, relevant, interactive experience for our guests and we use a variety of tools to accomplish this including art, current events, popular culture, theater, technology, nature, and artifacts.

Informal Learning. We embrace informal learning through real-world applications of STEM principles. We emphasize the scientific process and involve mentors to facilitate problem solving and showcase STEM careers.

Personal Engagement. We emphasize personal interaction with our guests and seek to connect them to the world of STEM.

Science Within Reach. We strive to connect to audiences that we are not currently reaching, especially those that are underrepresented in STEM fields.

Community Gathering. We strive to leverage our facilities to be a catalyst for our community to gather and engage.

Sustainability. We support the concept that “our planet’s health and our individual wellness are one.”

Partners. We are opportunistic and leverage strategic partnerships to broaden our reach and impact

Since 1977, the Science Museum of Virginia has served as a community gathering place, a leader in informal learning practices, and a resource for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education for the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

Through experiential exhibits, unique artifacts, interactive technologies, innovative workshops, dynamic films, impressive live animals, hands-on makerspaces, interesting lab demos, and quirky original content, we inspire hundreds of thousands of guests each year, broadening their perspective with compelling, relatable, and fun connections to the world of STEM.

While the Science Museum is headquartered in Richmond, it operates a recently reimagined satellite in Danville and is developing a new satellite in Northern Virginia that is scheduled to open in 2025. These three distinct geographical locations represent three very different audiences in Virginia. But the Science Museum is more than the physical elements housed within our walls or the content we create.

Our institutional philosophy is action oriented. It is a verb, an approach, a feeling. It acknowledges that the Science Museum team is an integral part of the experience and needs continued development to ensure collective understanding of our values, mission, and vision. It drives our relentless search for new ways to connect with our guests to take them on a journey, one that begins with curiosity in the world around us and continues when a discovery is made about something—big or small—formerly unknown. That discovery then leads to transformation that can literally change the world. So the journey can begin again.

Authority: Title 23.1, Chapter 32, Article 5, Code of Virginia.

The Science Museum of Virginia has reinvented itself as a more relevant and contemporary museum. The Science Museum is a community organization. As such, plans for its future have been and will be driven by the community’s needs. Community participation—from staff and Board members to partner organizations and industry leaders—played a vital role in the evolution of the Museum.

From virtual presentations featuring STEM experts to fun videos on social media, and from in-person experiential exhibitions to in-depth lab demos, the Science Museum of Virginia looks for all opportunities to encourage Virginians to enrich their lives through science. The Science Museum is a catalyst for inspiration, a place that sparks curiosity, encourages discovery and generates ideas in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Whether you’re a thinker, tinkerer, creative or full-on science geek, the Science Museum has something for people of all ages. Helping curious minds discover the connections between – and their connection to – STEM guides Science Museum staff in all they do. Science is all around us and discoveries are limitless. We’re simply a gateway to that universe!

Science isn’t contained within the building’s walls! The Science Museum’s 22-acre campus is packed with native plants, natural storm water retention and purification systems, a pollinator garden, multiple train cars, a 29-ton granite globe, an 80-ton aluminum submarine and more. In addition, science lovers anywhere in the world can enjoy the compelling and informative content that the Science Museum creates to help viewers connect to science in their daily lives.

COVID-19 shut the Museum's doors for six months, but it made our mission - to inspire Virginians to enrich their lives through science - even more critical. We went digital to continue to reach families, members, teachers and other audiences with quality STEM content. From blog posts, online lectures and hands-on science activities you can do at home, the Museum made full use of its social media and digital platforms to keep the inspiration going. 

While the Museum has been a beloved institution for over four decades, we view the post-COVID reopening as an exciting time to reinvent ourselves. Over the coming months - and likely years - we will be stretching ourselves to find ways to stay true to who we were in the past, while embracing a future that affords new opportunities to engage with our community.

Information Technology is integral to JYF’s ability to achieve its operational mission, marketing, and information sharing.  The increased number of networked exhibits has created an immediate need for a faster and easily managed network infrastructure.  The Museum continues to explore and analyze technology options to improve effiency and reduce manual business processes.

As the Science Museum of Virginia’s technology usage grows, so does the risk of data and systems security. The Museum will need to increase its data retention capacity and overall technology security. The solution will include offsite data storage\recovery, updated data retention policy, new data management system, digital signatures, enterprise anti-virus and increased Cybersecurity training. The estimated cost is over $200,000.

The COVID pandemic has demonstrated the need to make IT infrastructure improvements to maximize digital content.  Digital Demos are live, virtual lessons that are highly interactive and designed to involve students in STEM through inquiry, hands-on activities, and demonstrations. These workshops are designed for school audiences - in classroom or homeschool - and are aligned with the Virginia SOLs but are easily adjustable to fit the learning level of any group.

Science Museum employees are a bunch of lively, fun, creative, and innovative life-long learners with a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences who all play a special part in bringing science to life for guests every day.

The Museum's dynamic team of staff, volunteers, and interns has the unique opportunity to spark curiosity, encourage discovery, and generate ideas in science, technology, engineering, and math. We are highly collaborative and are not afraid to try new things.  The Museum values exceptional customer service and recognizes a good idea can come from anyone in the organization. 

The Science Museum consistently strives to attract the highest levels of talent to the organization. A strong emphasis on cross- training and the development of multiple skill sets has been implemented. With budget limitations, the Museum has had to increase its reliance on wage employment to properly staff the museum during its hours of operation, which is 362 days/year.

During this biennium, the Science Museum will dedicate resources to enhance the organizational culture and improve its recruiting and retention strategies.  The Science Museum will develop an annual DEAI work plan that affirms that DEAI is a fundamental part of all Science Museum decisions and actions.  The Science Museum will analyze its compensation structure and increase pay for critical positions in a sustainable manner and in accordance with state guidelines.  The Museum will also increase employee engagement and professional growth.  Finally, The Museum will dedicate a portion of restricted Foundation funds to recruit and retain education staff.  A dedicated budget will be established for the Magic Makers, a cross-departmental employee group, to utilize for Science Museum workplace enhancements. 

The new Northern Virginia Science Center is scheduled to open in calenday year 2024.  Five exhibit galleries—Flow, Helios, Habitat, Human, and Wonder—will give guests a chance to create art and music using real-time internet data; construct an outpost on the moon; investigate Earth’s habitats by land, air, and sea; harness the power of the human brain; and more. 

The Science Museum will need to hire and train employees to staff the new Science Center.  The Museum would like to hire essential start-up staff six to eight months before the opening to support initial facility operations, marketing, and core business administration.  Remaining classified and hourly staff would come on board six weeks before the Science Center opens to the public.



Early on-boarding of these staff will allow the core operations and marketing staff to generate community awareness of the Science Center, become familiar with the building, galleries and exhibits and their associated care and maintenance, finalize program development, receive training on the point-of-sale ticketing system, and prepare K-12 classrooms for field trips and general visitation. They will also work closely with the construction contractor to ensure that the structure is finished as planned and to become familiar with and to be trained on all building mechanical, electrical, and HVAC systems The initial staff will also recruit and interview prospective staff members, volunteers, and interns and ensure that all direct service staff are fully trained when the Science Center opens to the public.

The Museum consists of two campuses - Broad Street Station and the Danvile Science Center.  A third campus in Northern Virginia is scheduled to open in calendar year 2025.

Broad Street Station

The Broad Street Station campus is approximately 37 acres and includes the Bon Secours Training Center and the former Worker’s Compensation Building.

The Museum's Broad Street Station was constructed in 1919. In its 45 years as the steward of the iconic Broad Street Station, the Science Museum has taken thoughtful and innovative approaches to caring for and showcasing the historic building. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register, Broad Street Station is one of the Commonwealth’s most recognizable historic structures and one of the community’s most beloved architectural gems.

Since its acquisition by the Science Museum, the facility has undergone numerous improvement projects to assist in meeting the Museum's mission and to bring the facility up to modern programming, life safety, and environmental standards.

Through the years, strategic investments to stabilize and preserve this historic building, a unique example of Beaux-Arts architecture, have been critical to ensure its survival for future generations. Designed by famous American architect, John Russell Pope, Broad Street Station was one of the last great terminals to be built in our country during the Golden Age of Railroads. A superb example of sustainability, the adaptive reuse of this historic structure to become the Science Museum of Virginia allowed this architectural masterpiece to retain its historic integrity while meeting the needs of modern occupants. 

The Science Museum will complete several critical infrastructure improvements, prioritizing interior spaces that enhance the guest experience over administrative needs wherever possible, while preserving the architectural integrity of Broad Street Station. These building improvements will also maintain and enhance building safety and efficiency. 

In 2018, the former Workers Compensation Building was transferred to the Museum.  Since the acquisition,  the  only repairs that have been completed were to the air conditioning system using less than $100,000 in  Maintenance Reserve funds.  The current Museum site plan has no plans for re-use of this building.

The Science Museum has completed the design on Phase I of a project, The Green, that will reclaim two acres of asphalt surface parking and reestablish the front acreage of historic Broad Street Station as a new 6-acre public green space.  Native and other beneficial trees and plants will play a central role in achieving The Green’s design concept and its desired environmental and health benefits. A key feature, a block-long, tree-lined allée paralleling Broad Street, will improve the pedestrian experience while buffering traffic noise.

The Science Museum is also committed to preserving the 15-acre parcel behind Broad Street Station, which is currently leased to the Richmond EDA, to be used as public open space for organized programming and recreation. 

Danville Science Center

The reimagined Danville Science Center opened to the community in November 2020. The opening marked the culmination of the master plan adopted in 2017, which included a $9.0 million interior refurbishment that provided three new permanent exhibit galleries—Crescent Crossing, Water and Go —and a permanent makerspace, the J.T. - Minnie Maude Charitable Trust Creativity Lab.

With the physical improvements to the public spaces complete at the Science Center, the focus over the next few years will be on enhancing programmatic offerings, partnership expansion, and content development to complement the new exhibit galleries and provide guests with a safe, reimagined experience, both inside the Science Center and beyond. 

Looking towards the immediate and near-term future, campus and facility upgrades geared towards providing a higher level of enhanced security and safety for guests and staff of the Danville Science Center have risen to the top of strategic priorities.  Lack of any substantial updates relating to the safety and security of the facility and guests in 20+ years, coupled with recent current events, the fact that one of our buildings serves as an active Amtrak station each day as well upcoming economic development initiatives (casino slated to open in 2023) estimated to bring an additional two million guests to our region each year.  All of these are all driving factors in the desire to create a more safe and secure environment for informal STEM learning to take place.  

Northern Virginia

The 2019 General Assembly provided $2.3 million to the Science Museum to plan a regional science center in Northern Virginia. The 2020 session of the General Assembly included the project in the pool for construction funding.  Surging inflationary increases in construction materials, production, and labor costs have caused the overall project cost to rise.

The Northern Virginia Science Center is being developed through a public-private partnership including the Children’s Science Center, a Northern Virginia based non-profit, the Science Museum of Virginia, and Loudoun County. With substantial public and private support from partners across the region, this project fulfills the long-held vision for a world-class, interactive science center in this region. 



The facility will be constructed on donated land in the Kincora development located on Route 28 in the Dulles area of Loudoun County, near the border of Fairfax County. It is accessible via major transportation routes from several additional counties including Prince William, Arlington, and Fauquier. There are two million people living within a 20-mile radius of the site. The Science Center is expected to serve more than 300,000 annual guests of all ages.

The Science Center will have five main galleries —Flow, Helios, Habitat, Human, and Wonder.

In the science museum field, there remains concern about the business models that drive us. Many do not feel that they are sustainable from an operating or a capital standpoint. The Science Museum is largely insulated from these concerns because of our significant level of support from the state of Virginia.

Museum attendance and revenues still have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The Science Museum of VIrginia was required to close to the public on March 13th, 2020, and was not permitted to reopen to the public until September 2nd, 2020. After reopening, the Museum was required to limit capacity to 30 percent of capacity or 250 persons, whichever was lower. The Museum did not reopen at full capacity until January of 2022.  Any significant economic downturn or continues inflationary pressures potentially could further reduce earned revenue, philanthropic gifts and Commonwealth support.

The 2022-2034 Strategic Plan involves strategic and operational risks. For example, being a top museum that both attracts tourists to the central Virginia region and shares resources with schools and museums around the state requires the museum to hire highly educated, professionally trained staff. The museum is finding it challenging to hire appropriately trained staff within salary ranges equivalent to those for the existing staff.  

Another major risk is the physical plant.  A 100+ year old historic structure of national significance requires constant care to ensure its survival for the next generation. Restoration and renovations of the exterior and campus are required to ensure that the building and site remain vibrant and active community resources to serve the needs of a diverse, growing citizenry.   These are deferred projects that through the years have only worsened with time and will continue to deteriorate if not completed.  The funding of the Musuem's capital project to Critical Facility and Infrastructure Upgrades and Safety Modifications and increased maintenance reserve funding this biennium will address many of the concerns.

The Museum will monitor these risks and adjust strategy as needed.

Several key themes drive the focus for the Science Museum moving forward. 

• Relevancy and a strong connection to your community are keys to success.


• The pandemic has changed all organizations. It has allowed us a fresh start to focus on what is truly impactful to our mission.


• The pandemic opened up the potential to utilize technology and telecommuting in a more extensive fashion. However, there are concerns about too much reliance on this having a negative affect on organizational cultures.


• The pandemic has spurred many organizations to undertake efforts to help youth overcome disparities that were further exacerbated by the pandemic.


• A focus on DEAI (diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion) is here to stay and is especially important to younger members of the workforce. Major employers are awarding charitable gifts to nonprofits who are prioritizing DEAI values and practices.


• A strong workplace culture is more important than ever and needs to be a constant, overt focus for leadership.


• We need to examine our guest interaction and determine the ideal amount of digital content we offer guests.


• Many organizations are working to help bridge the STEM gap for underrepresented youth, but there is a disconnect when these youth don’t see themselves in STEM to even seek out STEM programs. The Science Museum could help fill that gap. 

State general fund dollars comprise a little over half of the Museum's operating budget.  The remaining funds come from Museum admissions and memberships, private donations and gifts,  education program fees, special event rentals,  fees, concessions, retail sales, and support from the various museum foundations.

Salaries, wages, and benefits make up about 63 percent of the Museum's operating costs.

As a result of the Museum's closure and restrictions on occupancy, it is estimated that the Museum lost in excess of four million dollars in special fund revenues.  Museum revenues have recovered but still remain below pre-COVID levels.

In addition to receiving state general fund dollars, the Museum generates revenues from admission sales, memberships, educational program fees, retail sales, and renting space for special events such as weddings, anniversaires, and birthdays.  The Science Museum of Virginia Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was established to support the education mission of the Science Museum of Virginia through gift grants and donations.

In February 2020, the Science Museum of Virginia was on track to reach record attendance, projecting 600,000 guests. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and this that continues to impact museum operations including revenue collections.   The Museum was closed for six months and generated little revenue during this period.

The federal Shuttered Venue Operating Grant in FY 2022 helped offset some of the revenue losses.

Revenues are rebounding but remain below pre-COVID collections.

The Science Museum of Virginia's base attendance and members ships remain below pre-COVID levels.

The following table summarizes key Museum statistics for FY 2021.

Attendance and partnerships were adversely impacted by the COVID pandemic.  The Museum was closed for six months.

The Science Museum will continue to foster and grow its community science program as the nexus of support for community-centered, participatory scientific research throughout Virginia. We will identify funding opportunities to support current community science work (RVAir and heat island research), as well as opportunities to develop new projects that align with community- or Science Museum-identified gaps in data that could lead to better collective understanding. Further, the Science Museum will ensure data collected is shared in our programming and through community-led partnerships as a method of continuous inspiration. The Science Museum will leverage its community science work as a method for supporting a more scientifically engaged citizenry. 

The Science Museum has embarked on a project to create a new six-acre public green space in front of Broad Street Station. In addition to key benefits of contributing more public green space to the area, this project represents a bold step in transforming the Science Museum’s campus into a living, informal learning opportunity. The Green will offer a natural space for organized STEM programming and will create a demonstration site for sequestering carbon, managing stormwater, and addressing the effects of climate change with natural solutions in an urban setting. Additionally, it will provide opportunities for the Science Museum to leverage community participation.

With an anticipated groundbreaking in late 2022 and an anticipated opening in 2025, the Northern Virginia Science Center will provide interactive, educational programs in science, technology, engineering, and math targeting children and guests of all ages and backgrounds residing in Loudoun County and adjacent jurisdictions. The Science Center is expected to serve more than 300,000 annual guests of all ages.

Partners

Connections to professionals, educational institutions, community groups, and national initiatives are vital to the Science Museum’s understanding, growth, and progress.

The Science Museum will develop and cultivate a broad array of stakeholders to provide insight and feedback on all aspects of our educational programming and content. This will include continued development of the Science Museum’s Scientific Advisory Board, our relationship with the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education, and work with the many Science Within Reach community partners. We will also investigate new state and national partnerships that will help the Science Museum grow sustainable, impactful changes in STEM literacy for all Virginians.

The Science Museum of Virginia is a catalyst for inspiration, a place that sparks curiosity and generates ideas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by presenting dynamic science programming to hundreds of thousands of guests each year.

From virtual presentations featuring STEM experts to fun videos on social media, and from in-person experiential exhibitions to in-depth lab demos, the Science Museum of Virginia looks for all opportunities to encourage Virginians to enrich their lives through science. The Science Museum is a catalyst for inspiration, a place that sparks curiosity, encourages discovery and generates ideas in science, technology, engineering and math.

The Broad Steet Campus features hands-on exhibitions about wellness, innovation and physical sciences – to name a few – that let you see if you’re faster than a rat, can beat a robot playing air hockey or have great balance. Four lab spaces – eco, animal, science and art – let guests interact with science in unexpected ways. Two makerspaces harness the power of the maker movement, celebrate innovation, and let guests roll up their sleeves. to create. The Science Museum also hosts thought-provoking touring exhibitions from around the world.

At 76 feet, the Dome is the largest screen in Richmond. Whether you’re traveling deep into the Amazon rainforest, plunging into the ocean with great white sharks, hunting for dark matter at a particle physics laboratory or traveling to the cosmos in search of the new ninth planet, The Dome provides the ultimate "you are there" experience.

Our satellite location, the Danville Science Center, has been the Dan River Region’s educational and cultural anchor since 1995. Inspiring more than 50,000 guests each year, the Science Center offers guests the chance to explore STEM concepts and skills with interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, live demos, touring exhibitions, breathtaking Dome presentations and special events. The Science Center has recently completed a major refreshment of its core exhibitions. These new world-class, custom exhibitions are designed to give guests of all ages new chances to discover the STEM all around them.

Just as a scientist’s quest for knowledge is never ending, our desire to expose all Virginians to the wonders of science is also an ongoing effort. With a projected ground breaking in 2022, the Northern Virginia Science Center will be the second satellite location of the Science Museum of Virginia. This partnership with the Children’s Science Center will create a place of thought leadership, engagement, enrichment, learning, creativity and fun. The Science Center will help spark, develop and grow an understanding and appreciation that science is everything and everything is science. This innovative and ambitious new model will build connections within the community, advance the relevancy of STEM and play a critical role in encouraging people to pursue STEM-related careers. Guests won’t simply see exhibits and galleries; they will see meaningful illustrations of why science matters.

Through experiential exhibits, unique artifacts, interactive technologies, innovative workshops, dynamic films, impressive live animals, hands-on makerspaces, interesting lab demos, and quirky original content, we inspire hundreds of thousands of guests each year, broadening their perspective with compelling, relatable, and fun connections to the world of STEM.

Over the past several years, the need for science literacy has been demonstrated time and again as we all work together to find our new normal. As Virginia’s home for informal STEM learning, the Science Museum of Virginia remained committed to fulfilling our mission to inspire all Virginians to enrich their lives through science.

Science is a constantly changing journey of experimentation and discovery.  The COVID pandemic inspired the Museum to experiment with new ways to reach our audiences, welcome guests back to our physical spaces and charge forward on some exciting expansion plans. 

With the completion of the Science Museum’s new parking deck, we are now one step closer to having a six-acre, public green space in the middle of our rapidly developing urban neighborhood.  The project, called The Green, will improve the livability and environmental resiliency of our city for generations to come. 

There were many performance highlights after being shut down for six months in 2020.  These include:

• Our first back in-person summer camp since the onset of the pandemic in 2021.  The Museum hosted 40 students each week for six weeks. 


• Big year for astronomy and the Museum astronomer.  The Museum hosted a live commentary on our Facebook page during the successful landing of the Perseverance Rover on Mars In February 2021


• We expanded our digital STEM lessons to students nationwide in partnership with STREAMABLE learning.com


• We had a full summer  in 2021 featuring paleontology and dinosaurs as we hosted Tyrannosaurs: Meet the family. From adult lectures featuring paleontologists from around the world (Lunch Break Science) to hands-on activities for guests, it was a super-sized summer.  In the summer of 2022 the Museum offered Planet Shark.


• In conjunction with the Mental Health, Mind Matters exhibition, the Museum partnered with mental health providers from across Central Virginia to provide resources and programs for our guests around an important but often difficult to discuss topic. 


• We hosted a number of amazing students interns during the summer, including a Girl Ambassador from Girls for Change, four students from the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Richmond, two students from Partnership for the Future and one student from the Department of the Blind and Vision Impaired.


• Fully reopened the Forge to the public including Maker Challenges, Maker Workshops, Member's only Making time, and afterschool programs for teens. 

Some of the individual highpoints at the Science Museum in 2021 included:

• Second graders took a live, virtual field trip and learned about the snakes, turtles, and insects in our Animal Lab and the environments they need in order to survive. •


• A cosplay-loving teen created a Star Wars Mandalorian costume using equipment in The Forge.


• Students served by the Autism Society of Central Virginia completed a maker challenge to build marble runs using only a limited number of items.


• 79 middle school girls learned about careers in the mental health field during Girls in Medicine.


• Teens from Title 1 high schools designed solar-powered chargers for cell phones using 3D printers and TinkerCad software.

Energize the Science Museum’s indoor and outdoor physical spaces.

The Science Museum has formalized commitments which will guide decisions made regarding investment in and changes to its campus in the future.

• Preserve the historic architectural integrity of Broad Street Station and ensure it remains on the National Register of Historic Places.

• Prioritize interior space for the overall guest experience over staff/ administrative needs, where possible.

• Ugrade The Dome projection system.

• Develop a new exhibition to replace Boost (completed between 2024- 2027), and initiation of a plan to develop a new exhibition to replace Speed (completed between 2027 - 2030).

• Enhance programmatic offerings, partnership expansion, and content development at the Danville Science Center,

The Science Museum will develop a comprehensive strategy (interpretive, partner, environmental, operational, programmatic) to maximize the opportunity for The Green to enhance the mission.

• Identify resources within the operating budget and the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation to fully maintain The Green.


• Implement a minimum of three interpretive techniques within 60 days of The Green being opened to the public.

• Activate at least three community partnerships focused on The Green.

• Preserve as much public open space as possible, including the 15-acre parcel currently leased to the City of Richmond Economic Development Authority (EDA) for the Washington Football Team training camp.

Connect citizens with science in meaningful ways, empowering them with information, skills, and resources that spur both individual and collective action that leads to positive change.

Invest resources to protect and build community gathering places, and cultivate partnerships that will inform Science Museum content to ensure its programming reflects, and respects,communities needs.

• Ensure Museum programming reflects, respects, and addresses the needs of the communities it serves.

• Connect Museum offerings and opportunities to respective corporate values and social responsibility goals.

• Refine corporate partner offerings to include environmental, sustainability and DEI focused benefits.

• Broaden the Museum's corporate base by adding three new corporate sponsors.

• Host at least six corporate partner events throughout the year.

• Continue the development of the Science Museum’s Scientific Advisory Board.

• Strengthen the Museum's relationship with the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education and work with the many Science Within Reach community.
partners.

•  Investigate new state and national STEM partnerships.

Connect citizens with science in meaningful ways, empowering them with information,skills, and resources that spur both individual and collective action that leads to positive change.

The Science Museum will define its long-term strategy for community science, focusing on enriching partnerships and elevating content creation.

• Focus on enriching partnerships and elevating content creation.

• Develop a long-term plan for the Museum’s community science program, setting priorities for themes and participants.

• Develop a means for assessing the effectiveness of the Museum’s community science program.

• Test at least two new community science programs.

•  Identify funding opportunities to support current community science work.

• Collaborate with local university researchers and community scientists to conduct onsite experiments and observations at The Green.

Now, more than ever, it is vital that people actively engage with STEM in ways that are not only exciting, but also meaningful and relevant. The Science Museum will explore new (and revisit old) methods of successfully engaging audiences in STEM, highlighting real world applications shared over a variety of media and educational platforms. The Science Museum will play an integral part in helping unify efforts and increase collaboration across the commonwealth to meet the aspirational goals for growing STEM initiatives in Virginia.

The Science Museum will play an integral part in helping unify efforts and increase collaboration across the commonwealth to meet the aspirational goals for growing STEM initiatives in Virginia.

• Collaborate across the ommonwealth to meet the aspirational goals for growing STEM initiatives in Virginia.

• Develop content that provides breadth and depth on STEM-related topics.

• Promotes diversity of representation in STEM.

• Host and support the Virginia STEM Coordinator.

• Assist in the development of a unified STEM education model designed to help teach practitioners about STEM.

• Provide professional development for classroom and informal educators across the commonwealth.

The Science Museum will continue to focus on DEAI in its continuous improvement efforts. From removing barriers to Science Museum programming to reinvigorating staff culture driven by our values, the organization will build on the foundational work of Science Within Reach and the Center for IDEAs (the internal staff committee focused on DEAI efforts) to further engage both external audiences and the staff.

From removing barriers to Science Museum programming to reinvigorating staff culture driven by our values, the organization will build on foundational work to further engage both external audiences and the staff.

• Increase employee engagement and professional growth.

• Develop an annual DEAI work plan.

• Focus on recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.

• Center onboarding process and ongoing training around affirmation and acceptance of the Museum’s mission-driven focus of delivering an inspiring guest experience.

• Audit social media activity to refine the Museum's social media strategy to maximize reach and mission.

• Building on the success of programs developed under Science Within Reach to rebuild/refresh existing offerings and explore new audiences to serve.

• Dedicate resources to enhance the organizational culture.

In this service area, the Science Museum accomplishes two very different tasks:

• Proper care and stewardship artifacts


• Creation and acquisition of science-themed exhibits, chiefly hands-on interactive exhibits for topical galleries.

Through experiential exhibits, unique artifacts, interactive technologies, dynamic films, impressive live animals, hands-on makerspaces, and lab demos, the Museum inspires hundreds of thousands of guests each year, broadening their perspective with compelling, relatable, and fun connections to the world of STEM.



Providing science activity galleries and laboratories for multiple science disciplines is central to the Museum's education mission. Consequently, exhibit construction and maintenance, using curated artifacts as appropriate, is a basic activity of this service area.

This service area lies at the heart of the museum's mission to "To inspire all Virginians to enrich their lives through science."

The Science Museum uses artifacts and collections to inspire and educate its audiences and to create meaningful experiences. This service area provides for the acquisition and care of collections and artifacts that are a part of the Science Museum’s responsibility as an accredited museum.

Authority: § 23.1-3210-3215

The Museum is guided by the following core standards for collections stewardship of the American Alliance of Museums.  

• The museum owns, exhibits, or uses collections that are appropriate to its mission.


• The museum legally, ethically, and effectively manages, documents, cares for, and uses the collections.


• The museum’s collections-related research is conducted according to appropriate scholarly standards.


• The museum strategically plans for the use and development of its collections.


• Guided by its mission, the museum provides public access to its collections while ensuring their preservation.

This service area identifies potential artifact loans, implements loan agreements, and creates accurate, engaging special exhibit themes and research-based content for the indoor and outdoor permanent and changing exhibits. 

Through experiential exhibits, artifacts, interactive technologies, innovative workshops, dynamic films, impressive live animals, hands-on makerspaces, lab demos and quirky original content, the Science Museum of Virginia inspires guests by changing their perspective with compelling, relatable, and fun science connections. 

Funding for Collections and Curatorial Services comes from general fund dollars provided by the state and from nongeneral funds  - largely admissions revenue, memberships, and gifts, grants, and donations made to the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation.  

Key financial tenants of this service area include:

• Allocating its space and using its facilities to meet the needs of the collections, audience and staff.


• Incorporating appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of people, its collections and objects and the facilities it owns or uses.


• Maintaining an effective program for the care and long-term maintenance of its facilities.


• Ensuring that the museum is clean, well maintained, and provides for visitors’ needs.


• Taking appropriate measures to protect itself against potential risk and loss.

The Science Museum of Virginia provides engaging learning experiences and programs for students, families, and all of our Museum guests. The Museum uses hands-on, interactive exhibits, live science demonstrations, theatrical performances, artifacts, live animals, speakers, media, technology, special events and other activities to fulfill our mission. Educational staff and volunteers are present throughout our facilities to guide personalized science learning and answer questions for our guests.

Outreach education (extension services) is provided throughout Virginia through the development of SOL based curricula, teacher training, and van programs that visit schools, fairs and festivals. Intensive programming is also provided for at risk students, for overnight campers and for science teachers. All programs are rooted in the Virginia Standards of Learning, however, the Science Museum is an informal science education organization and takes full advantage of being fun, relevant, and accessible.

The Museum's educational programs are guided by the American Alliance of Museums' core standards for education and interpretation.

• The Museum clearly states its overall educational goals, philosophy and messages, and demonstrates that its activities are in alignment with them.


• The Museum understands the characteristics and needs of its existing and potential audiences and uses this understanding to inform its interpretation.


• The Museum’s interpretive content is based on appropriate research.


• Museums conducting primary research do so according to scholarly standards.


• The Museum uses techniques, technologies and methods appropriate to its educational goals, content, audiences and resources.


• The Museum presents accurate and appropriate content for each of its audiences.


• The museum demonstrates consistent high quality in its interpretive activities.


• The Museum assesses the effectiveness of its interpretive activities and uses those results to plan and improve its activities.

This service area directly aligns with the central mission of the Museum "to inspire all Virginians to enrich their lives through science."  The Museum does this every day by sparking curiosity, encouraging discovery, and generating ideas in science, technology, engineering, and math. 

This service area provides the front-line programming and customer service for the Museum.

Authority: § 23.1-3210-3215

Since the Museum opened in 1977, it has served as a community gathering place, a leader in informal learning practices, and a resource for STEM education.  The 223,000-square-foot building features hands-on exhibits about wellness, innovation, and the physical sciences—to name a few—that let guests see if they are faster than a rat, can beat a robot playing air hockey, or can get their heart rate pumping with dance moves. 

Science is not contained within the building’s walls. The 33-acre Broad Street campus is packed with native plants, natural storm water purification systems, pollinator gardens, antique train cars, a 29-ton granite globe, an 80-ton aluminum submarine and more. After completing parking deck construction in 2021, the Museum began the extensive process of adding more urban green space to its campus, allowing it to serve as a community gathering spot and environmental classroom both inside and out.

Lab and demo spaces situated around the Museum’s 101-year-old historic building showcase dozens of fascinating reptiles and insects, the connection between art and science, mesmerizing data visualization presentations, and much more.

Deepening the Museum’s opportunities for applied, purposeful learning, The Forge and MiX provide both structured and open-ended experiences that foster interest in STEM skills. The confidence-building makerspace activities open guests' eyes to everything from new hobbies to innovative careers to entrepreneurial opportunities, empowering guests to become more active participants in their community and local economy that are both dependent on, and enriched by, innovative thinkers.

The Museum hosts 50+ STEM-filled presentations each year and showcases thought-provoking touring exhibitions from around the world. Touring exhibitions allow the Museum to dive deep into a STEM topic from mental health to dinosaurs. In addition to its two main touring exhibition galleries, the Museum regularly programs other exhibit spaces to expand upon the experiences in touring exhibitions. 

At about a quarter of an acre, The Dome theater features the largest screen in Virginia. Whether the viewer is traveling deep into the Amazon rainforest, plunging into the ocean with great white sharks, hunting for dark matter at a particle physics laboratory, or traveling to the cosmos in search of the new ninth planet, seeing an astronomy presentation or giant screen film in The Dome provides the ultimate “you are there” experience."

Our satellite location, the Danville Science Center, has been the Dan River Region’s educational and cultural anchor since 1995. The Science Center offers guests the chance to explore STEM concepts and skills with interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, live demos, touring exhibitions, breathtaking Dome presentations, and special events. Since the Science Center completed a major refreshment of its core exhibits in late 2020, adventurers, investigators, and explorers of all ages have even more to stimulate their interests, get them inspired, and help them relate to STEM.

The Museum's educational programs are not only closely aligned with its core mission, but are also revenue generators for the Museum through ticket sales and memberships.  The generated revenue supplements state general fund dollars appropriated for this service area.

This service area provides overall direction and management to the Museum while adhering to applicable state laws and procedures; manages the financial and human resources; operates, protects, maintains, and improves state facilities; and overseess capital outlay. It provides information to the public on museum programs and services; engages new audiences in museum programs; supports museum revenue-generating programs; and cares for or protects the permanent collections, facilities, visitors, and staff.

It is the Museum's primary point of contact with the Governor's Office and Secretary of Education, the General Assembly, and central agencies.  It receives direction from and reports to the Board of Trustees.

Support services are provided to the Broad Street Station and the Danville Science Ceter.  The new Northern Virginia Science Center will come on line in 2025.

Key tasks provided by this service area include information technology, fiscal services, payroll, human resources and recruititng, safety and security, marketing and public relations, retail operations, procurement, employee training, capital outlay management, and agency administration. 

This service area advances the Museum's mission by providing leadership, direction, and administrative and technical support to the other two service areas and by shepherding the Museum's goal of enhancing the Museum experience.

The major products of this service area are:

• ARMICS


• Information technology support for business services and exhibits


• Security systems


• Exhibit development


• Performance management


• Brand strategy plan


• Budgeting development and execution


• Financial reporting and other accounting functions


• Human resource and benefits management & payroll


• Procurement


• Risk management


• Capital outlay management


• Care and upkeep of the Museum's facilities.


• Comprehensive communications and marketing plan for the expanded museum. 


• Leadership and management of the Museum.

The Science Museum of Virginia consistently strives to be efficient with its resources and look for creative and innovative ways to provide improved service levels at lower costs.   Transparency and accountability are important values to this service area.