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 2026. 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.

Over the last decade, the Science Museum has reinvented itself as a more relevant and contemporary museum to provide even greater value to its community.

In FY 2024,  the Science Museum saw 536,270 in visitation, its highest year on record, 8.6% higher than last year and 2.4% higher than FY19 (the previous record visitation year). The increase in visitation was felt in Danville as well. The Science Center surpassed last year’s record-breaking attendance by 5.8%.

In earned revenue, the Science Museum saw $2.96M in admission revenue, an almost 10% increase over FY 2023, thanks not only to increased general admission, but also to the growth of educational program fees from summer camp expansion and a continued increase in group visitation.

Finally, the Science Museum completed several major project milestones. In the fall, we opened new laser Dome theaters in Richmond and Danville, outfitted with the most advanced Digistar systems available. In the spring, we opened Phase II of The Green, a project that has already transformed the way the community uses the campus. And just before summer, we put the construction of the Northern Virginia Science Center out to bid, a major step in the project’s advancement.

In the coming year, we expect to break ground on the Northern Virginia Science Center, which will allow us to narrow in on an opening date .

We are beginning to plan for a potential restaurant on the campus, new exhibition space and an additional five acres of green space in Phase III of The Green project. We will also identify and complete important maintenance projects to keep the 105-year-old Broad Street Station in working order.

Finally, we’ll begin planning the Science Museum’s golden jubilee. The 50th anniversary of the Science Museum will be a springboard for us to dream big about what the next 50 years of impact will look like.

Information Technology is integral to the Science Museum’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 Science Museum continues to explore and analyze technology options to improve efficiency and reduce manual business processes.

The Science Museum is currently in an improvement year with regard to IT compliance and corrective action, thus that is the main goal for the agency in the upcoming biennium.

The nature of our business forces us to have the flexibility to rapidly change the systems we use to better serve our guests and the experience they receive. Because of this, the technology team at the Science Museum must be readily accessible, always monitoring the technology that drives the bulk of our exhibitions. More recently, we have identified the challenge that some of the systems that help our exhibits operate are no longer supported and will require adjustments to update operating systems to ensure continued operation.

The Science 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. The Science Museum values exceptional customer service and recognizes a good idea can come from anyone in the organization. 

The Science Museum 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 and hours of operation that often fall outside of the standard workday, the Science Museum has had to increase its reliance on wage employment.

The reliance on wage employment can create recruitment and retention challenges as the Science Museum often loses talented employees to full-time positions. This creates a strain on the human resources team to continue to recruit for positions as well as on the Operations and Education teams as they are the most heavily reliant on wage positions. 

During this biennium, the Science Museum will continue to invest in the organizational culture to improve recruitment and retention and will continue to utilize a portion of restricted funds from the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation to support programming and educational activities.

The Science Museum will analyze its current staffing and aim to develop a more effective model for hiring, retaining and employing talented individuals to allow for continued growth. The Science Museum will work to identify an ideal staffing model for its unique operational needs. Once identified, incremental steps towards achieving the optimal staffing model will be implemented. The Science Museum will also evaluate the current internship program for mission effectiveness. 

Finally, the Northern Virginia Science Center is scheduled to break ground in FY 2025. The staffing model for the Northern Virginia Science Center is similar to that of the Danville Science Center, where only key operational and education team members will be onsite. The majority of support functions - marketing, human resources, finance, technical solutions - will be carried out in Richmond. This approach provides for a leaner workforce, which results in significant budgetary savings. In order to plan for the eventual opening of the Science Center, the early staffing model will be revisited and updated, giving the Science Museum a better idea of needed increase in operational funding to support the new satellite location. The date the funding will be needed, will be determined by the anticipated construction schedule. Essential start-up staff should ideally be hired 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 Science Museum consists of two campuses: Broad Street Station and the Danville Science Center. A third campus in Northern Virginia is scheduled to break ground in FY 2025.  

Broad Street Station

The Broad Street Station campus is approximately 37 acres and includes the Bon Secours Training Center and the former Workers’ Compensation building site. The Workers’ Compensation building was demolished in 2024.

The Museum's Broad Street Station was constructed in 1919. In its almost 50 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 some improvement projects to assist in meeting the Science Museum's mission and to bring the facility up to modern programming, life safety, and environmental standards.

Through the years, strategic investments have been made to stabilize and preserve this historic building. These limited repairs and improvements have been critical to ensure its survival for future generations. With construction completed in 1919, the care and maintenance of this 105-year-old structure has become a growing financial challenge. Using funding provided by the 2021 session of the General Assembly, 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. Increased maintenance reserve funding for the 2024-2026 biennium will help address critical deferred maintenance needs.

The Science Museum has also been making improvements to the exterior campus, completing Phase I and II of The Green to provide six additional acres of public green space. Funding will be requested to expand the scope of Phase III of The Green at the 2025 session of the General Assembly, which allows the Science Museum to connect two separate, previously approved projects, both working toward the same goal of increasing public access to green space. The expanded project would deliver an additional five acres of green space and would run along DMV Drive from Broad Street to the shared parking lot at the corner of Leigh Street and DMV Drive. It includes two current surface parking lots and the former site of the Workers’ Compensation building. The Science Museum desires this space to complement The Green project recently completed in front of the Science Museum along Broad Street.

The Science Museum is also committed to preserving the 15-acre parcel behind Broad Street Station, which is currently leased to the City of Richmond, 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 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. Driving factors include a lack of substantial updates relating to the safety and security of the facility and guests in 20+ years, the fact that one of the Science Center’s buildings serves as an active Amtrak station, and upcoming economic development initiatives (casino slated to open in 2025) that are estimated to bring an additional 2 million guests to our region each year.

Northern Virginia

Item C-67, Chapter 1289, 2020 Acts of Assembly authorized funds for the construction of a Regional Science Center in Northern Virginia (the Northern Virginia Science Center). 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.  With five main galleries —Flow, Helios, Habitat, Human, and Wonder, the Science Center is expected to serve more than 300,000 annual guests of all ages.

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. Accessible via major transportation routes from several additional counties including Prince William, Arlington, and Fauquier, there are 2 million people living within a 20-mile radius of the site.

Construction is expected to start in FY 2025 and take approximately two years to complete. The Science Museum estimates a late 2026 opening.

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 Commonwealth.

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 Science Museum to hire highly educated, professionally trained staff. The Science Museum is finding it challenging to maintain competition with the market to be able to attract, hire and retain the best possible staff to ensure fulfillment of our mission.

Another key risk factor is the physical plant.  A 105-year-old historic structure requires constant care to ensure its integrity and to stay fresh for guests. 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. The funding of the Science Museum’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, but others critical needs remain unfunded.

The Science Museum depends on earned revenue. Local competition/other museums are getting similar touring exhibitions creating greater competition for our space in the community.  The Science Museum’s earned revenue and program offerings could also be severely impacted by an economic downturn.

Finally, many of the Science Museum’s larger capital projects include earned revenue from private or corporate donors. Our ability to raise additional funds and/or retain funds previously earned could be jeopardized if project timelines are lengthened, impacting our ability to show progress.

The Science Museum will monitor these risks and adjust strategies as needed.

State general fund dollars comprise nearly 55 percent of the Science Museum's operating budget. The remaining funds come from Science Museum admissions and memberships, education program fees, special event rentals, fees, concessions, retail sales, grants, and private donations and gifts. Salaries, wages, and benefits make up over 60 percent of the Science Museum's operating costs.

In addition to receiving state general fund dollars, the Science Museum generates revenues from admission sales; memberships; educational program fees; retail sales; and renting space for special events such as weddings, anniversaries, 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.

Revenues have rebounded from the pandemic downturn. In FY 2024, the Science Museum saw $2.96 million in admission revenue, an almost 10 percent increase over FY 2023, thanks not only to increased general admission, but also to the growth of educational program fees from summer camp expansion and a continued increase in group visitation.

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.

The Science Museum will continue to foster and grow its Science Within Reach program, which is focused on eliminating obstacles – financial and other – to ensure that the broadest cross section of the community has access to the Science Museum’s resources. In FY 2024, the Science Museum restarted its senior programming efforts that were placed on hold during the pandemic. It has also continued to expand accessibility resources for guests with autism, recently receiving an Autism Friendly Communities designation from the Autism Society of Central Virginia.

The Science Museum has also expanded its adult programming. In FY 2024, it introduced Sunrise Science, a free lecture series designed to highlight the unexpected science in our world. Further, the Science Museum brought back its popular adult event series, Science on Tap. Finally, the Science Museum has installed a laser projection system that will allow it to offer music-based lasers shows that are intended to appeal to the adult audience.

Completion of Phase I and II of The Green has already transformed the way the community uses the Science Museum’s campus. The expanded public green space is changing who visits the campus and is driving an increase in pedestrian traffic to the area, which may influence the type and volume of guests inside the Science Museum.

Once open, the Northern Virginia Science Center will provide a new customer base for the Science Museum. Guests of all ages and backgrounds residing in Loudoun County and adjacent jurisdictions will be able to enjoy the interactive exhibitions at the Science Center, which is expected to serve more than 300,000 guests annually. 

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 Broad Street Campus features hands-on exhibitions about wellness, innovation and physical sciences that let you see if you’re faster than a rat, can beat a robot playing air hockey or have great balance. Three lab spaces – eco, animal, 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. From electronics, coding, computer science, 3D design/printing, woodworking and music editing, The MiX has all sorts of digital and physical tools and materials teenagers may use for projects. The Science Museum also hosts thought-provoking touring exhibitions from around the world. At over a quarter acre, The Dome is the largest screen in Richmond that provides the ultimate "you are there" experience. 

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. 

With a projected groundbreaking in FY 2025, the Northern Virginia Science Center will be the second satellite location of the Science Museum. This partnership with the Children’s Science Center will create a place of thought leadership, engagement, enrichment, learning, creativity and fun. 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.

As Virginia’s home for informal STEM learning, the Science Museum is committed to fulfilling our mission to inspire all Virginians to enrich their lives through science. The Science Museum just completed what could be argued was our best year ever. There are those immeasurable moments like the sound of a Rotunda packed full of school children cheering on the Foucault pendulum, a nervous prospective groom proposing to his true love, the grown up’s excitement when they returned for Science on Tap or a curious community eating ice cream together at 9 a.m.

There are also quantifiable measures. In attendance, the Science Museum saw 536,270 in visitation, its highest year on record, 8.6 percent higher than last year and 2.4 percent  higher than FY 2019 (the previous record visitation year). The increase in visitation was felt in Danville as well. The Science Center surpassed last year’s record-breaking attendance by 5.8 percent.

In revenue, the Science Museum saw $2.9 in admission revenue, an almost 10 percent increase over FY 2023, thanks not only to increased general admission, but also to the growth of educational program fees from summer camp expansion and a continued increase in group visitation.

Below are some additional performance highlights for FY 2024.

√      Welcomed more than 33,000 guests under the Museums for All reduced admission program.

√      Reached students in 11 states and two Canadian Provinces through digital demos.

√      Started a new adult STEM speaker series, Sunrise Science, that reached over 600 guests during five programs.

√      Hosted over 25,000 guests in a Maker Challenge in The Forge.

√      Supported 534 teen members in The MiX, a free, teens only membership program that offered both school year and 11 weeks of summer programming.

√      Introduced a free program for seniors, Senior Mornings, with topics centered around the Science Museum’s Green, including native pollinator gardens and birding. 

√      Brought back Science on Tap, a 21+ evening event, that reached almost 2,000 guests during two events.

√      Welcomed 990 guests with disabilities at Minds of All Kinds and Sensory-Friendly Nights.

√      Hosted over 450 unique summer campers, 200 more than last year.

√      Reached over 66,000 students during STEM-themed field trips.

√      Amassed over 11,800 hours of volunteer support.

√      Hosted six college summer interns and four Cristo Rey high school interns and continued and built relationships with key community groups that provide work-based learning opportunities for underserved youth in Richmond including the City of Richmond's Youth Engagement Services Program, Girls for a Change, and Partnership for the Future. 

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

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

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

• Promote diversity of representation in STEM.

• Develop an annual DEAI work plan.

• Focus on recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.

• Formulate a plan to address staff capacity, knowledge transfer, and continuity of leadership to ensure that people remain a core strength of the organization.

• Create a cross-training plan to include appropriate personnel in all Science Museum divisions.

• Dedicate resources to enhance the organizational culture.

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

• 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.

• Identify opportunities for exhibition gallery upgrades, both in the short and long term.

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

• Identify appropriate food service options for all of our audiences.

• Develop an expanded plan for Phase III of The Green that will encompass the expanded site and involve key stakeholder groups.

• Continue to advance the Northern Virginia Science Center project toward completion.

• Acquire the expertise to fully develop the narrative history of Broad Street Station and begin to incorporate it into the guest experience.

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, community’s needs.

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

• Develop a comprehensive strategy (interpretive, partner, environmental, operational, programmatic) to maximize the opportunity for The Green to enhance the mission.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

• 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 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.

• Review all content to ensure offerings are not only relevant and on brand, but also embrace the “Museum as a verb” philosophy by delivering content that surprises, delights, and engages our audiences.

• Develop content that provides breadth and depth on STEM related topics and promotes diversity of representation in STEM across platforms.

• Explore how technological advances could enhance production and distribution of content with a goal of stretching the boundaries of the Science Museum.

• Survey the Science Museum’s audience to ascertain their interest level in a number of cutting-edge STEM topics and use the information to help inform the creation of an interpretive plan to prioritize and guide communication about those topics.

• Create a “Math Pathway” to highlight the mathematical spine in our exhibit galleries.

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.

In this service area, the Science Museum ensures proper acquisition, care and stewardship of artifacts used in its topical exhibition galleries.

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

This service area identifies potential artifact loans, implements loan agreements, and contributes to exhibition content and themes for the indoor and outdoor permanent and changing exhibits. 

Funding for Collections and Curatorial Services comes from general fund dollars. Key financial tenants of this service area include using facilities to meet the needs of the collections, audience and staff; incorporating appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of collections and objects; and taking appropriate measures to protect against potential risk and loss.

The Science Museum of Virginia provides engaging learning experiences and programs for students, families, and all of our Science Museum guests. The Science 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 and Guest Services staff are present throughout our facilities to provide customer service, guide personalized science learning and answer questions for our guests.

This service area directly aligns with the central mission of the Museum "to inspire all Virginians to enrich their lives through science." The Science 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 Science Museum.

Authority: § 23.1-3210-3215

Before guests can experience the interactive STEM learning the Science Museum has to offer, most must purchase admission or a membership. This is done through our Guest Services team who serve, many times, as the first point of contact for individual and group attendance. Further, once inside the Science Museum, the Guest Services team is present to provide superior customer service and ensure all guest questions are answered to support a positive guest experience.

The Education team helps bring the Science Museum to life for guests every day. The team works with teens in The MiX, helps guide creative problem solving in The Forge, facilitates senior painting classes on The Green, delivers STEM skits for earlier learners, transports guests to the cosmos and back in The Dome, and engages guests daily through live demonstrations. The team is present at every event to help deliver a fun and engaging experience for guests through themed-base activities, and they help interpret touring exhibitions while they are hosted at the Science Museum, providing individualized relevance to broad themes.

Through SOL-based curricula, the Science Museum hosts over 1,500 group visits a year, the majority of which include a demonstration or workshop with a member of the Education team. And the more than 300 unique volunteers who support the Science Museum with their time work hand-in-hand with the Education team to help interpret exhibits, facilitate hands-on activities and ensure good customer service.

This service area also serves as a critical link to the community through our Science Within Reach programs. Whether through outreach events, training or events designed with a key audience in mind, the programming under the Science Within Reach program service to expand the Science Museum’s audience and make it a more welcoming place for the entire community.

The Science Museum's educational programs are not only closely aligned with its core mission but are also revenue generators for the Science Museum. Revenues attributable to this service area include Science Museum admissions, memberships, education program fees, and grant or corporate donations. The generated revenue supplements state general fund dollars appropriated for this service area.

This service area provides overall direction and management of the Science Museum’s operations. Key tasks provided by this service area include information technology, fiscal services, payroll, human resources and recruiting, safety and security, marketing and public relations, retail operations, procurement, employee training, capital outlay management, and agency administration. 

This service area is the Science Museum's primary point of contact with the Governor's Office and Secretary of Education, the General Assembly, and central agencies.

Many of the centralized services that support the Science Museum, the Danville Science Center, and ultimately the Northern Virginia Science Center are housed in this service area.

This service area advances the Science Museum's mission by providing leadership, direction, and administrative and technical support to the other two service areas and by ensuring the Science Museum is compliant with state agency policies and procedures.  

The major products of this service area are information technology support for business services and exhibits, security systems, exhibit development, performance management, strategic planning, 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 Science Museum's facilities, comprehensive communications and marketing, leadership and management.

The majority of functions supported by this service area are funded through general fund dollars. The Science Museum strives to be efficient with its resources and look for innovative ways to provide improved service levels at lower costs. Transparency, accountability and adherence to state and federal policies and procedures is key to this service area.