Museum Of Science, Boston
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The Museum of Science (MoS) is a nature and science museum and indoor zoological establishment located in Science Park, a plot of land in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
and
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, spanning the Charles River. Along with over 700 interactive exhibits, the museum features a number of live and interactive presentations throughout the building each day, along with scheduled film showings at the Charles Hayden Planetarium and the Mugar Omni Theater (
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
’s only domed
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theater). The Museum is a member of the
Association of Science and Technology Centers The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is a non-profit, global organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States, that provides professional support for science centers, museums, and related institutions. ASTC's g ...
(ASTC) (and President Tim Ritchie serves as Chair of the ASTC Board of Directors) and the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Additionally, the Museum of Science is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), being home to over 100 animals.


History


Origin and early years

The museum began as the Boston Society of Natural History in 1830, founded by a collection of men who wished to share scientific interests. Their first meeting was held on February 9, 1830 with seven original members in attendance: Walter Channing, Benjamin D. Greene, George Hayward, John Ware, Edward Brooks, Amos Binney, and George B. Emerson. It was more commonly called the Boston Museum of Natural History in the 19th century, and this name occurs frequently in the literature. In 1862, after the society had gone through several temporary facilities, a building was constructed in the
Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on Land reclamation, reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the ...
area of the city and dubbed the New England Museum of Natural History. The museum was located next to the original Rogers Building of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
(MIT), and both neoclassical structures were designed by William G. Preston. The original MIT building was demolished in 1939, but the Natural History Museum building survives today, repurposed as a home furnishings showcase. A great deal of scientific work was done by the society, especially around geology, and the results of this work can be found in the ''Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History'' which are now freely available online. A library and children's rooms were added to the museum around 1900. It was renamed the Museum of Science in 1939, under the directorship of Henry Bradford Washburn, Jr., a renowned American mountaineer. The Boston Museum of Natural History of 1830/1864–1945 should not be confused with the private Warren Museum of Natural History (1858–1906, formerly on Chestnut Street in Boston). The contents of the latter collection, including the first intact
mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
, were relocated to the American Museum of Natural History of New York City in 1906. ''Museum Then and Now'', an exhibit of artifacts from the early years of the society, is located near the second floor Blue Wing entrance to the ''Theater of Electricity'' in today's museum. (This exhibit was closed in 2025 during a museum renovation).


Post WWII

After World War II, the old Museum of Science building was sold, and the museum was relocated, again under the name Boston Museum of Science. Under the leadership of Bradford Washburn, the society negotiated with the Metropolitan District Commission for a 99-year lease of the land on the Charles River Dam Bridge, now known as Science Park. The museum pays $1 a year to the state for use of the land. Construction and development began in 1948, and the museum opened in 1951, arguably the first all-encompassing science museum in the country. In these first few years, the museum developed a traveling planetarium, a version of which is still brought to many elementary schools in the
Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...
area every year. They also obtained during these early years "Spooky", a great horned owl who became a symbol or mascot of the museum; he lived to age 38, the longest any great horned owl is known to have lived. Today, a number of other taxidermed specimens remain on display, teaching children about the animals of
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
and of the world. The Science Park/West End MBTA
infill station An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train ser ...
was opened in August 1955, allowing easier access to the museum by public transportation. The Charles Hayden Planetarium was opened in 1958. Many more expansions continued into the 1970s and 1980s. In 1999, The Computer Museum in Boston closed and became part of the Museum of Science, integrating some of its educational displays, although most of the historical artifacts were moved to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View,
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.


21st century

A major renovation and expansion took place during 2005 and 2006. In 2010, the Charles Hayden Planetarium was closed for renovation, and has since reopened. The main entrance to the museum straddles the border between the cities of Boston and Cambridge, and the boundary is indicated by a marker embedded in the floor inside the museum. In 2013, the Museum of Science was the venue for the first joint session of the Boston and Cambridge city councils, to discuss policy measures to improve retention of talented recent university graduates in the area. Starting in 2013, the Museum of Science undertook a major renovation to upgrade its physical structure, and to develop new educational content. A $250 million campaign upgraded nearly half of the exhibit halls from 2012, and opened three new major exhibits: the ''Hall of Human Life'', the ''Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River'', and ''What Is Technology?'' The ''Hall of Human Life'' opened in November 2013 in the newly expanded Level 2 of the Green Wing, and has a focus on human biology. The audio kinetic sculpture ''
Archimedean Excogitation ''Archimedean Excogitation'' is a 1987 audiokinetic rolling ball sculpture by George Rhoads. It is located in the atrium of the Museum of Science (Boston), Museum of Science in Boston. Description ''Archimedean wikt:excogitation, Excogitation'' ...
'' was moved to the atrium to make way for a new exhibit in the lower lobby called the ''Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River''. This exhibit opened in 2016, creating a new entry to the museum with better views of the Charles River and Boston-Cambridge skyline.


Future

On October 18, 2016 former
mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...
Michael Bloomberg revealed that his foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, would donate $50 million to the museum, the largest gift in the institution's 186-year history. He grew up in nearby Medford, and his donation is focused on expanding the educational programs of the museum. In 2024, the museum started construction of a Public Science Common, to be located where the Cahners Auditorium previously existed. This is a new, flexible meeting space enclosed in glass, and replaces an earlier windowless physical volume which had turned a blank wall to the Charles River. The new space will serve as a central hub for three Centers for Public Science Learning -- the Center for Life Sciences, the Center for the Environment, and the Center for Space Sciences. Lead funding is by Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the project is planned for completion in 2026. In front of the museum, a memorial to Leonard Nimoy, the television and movie actor who grew up nearby in the West End of Boston, is planned for installation. The monumental sculpture will be a larger-than-life representation of a hand displaying Nimoy's iconic " live long and prosper" gesture. Co-sponsored by Nimoy's family, the project is at least 75% funded .


Exhibit halls

Blue Wing * ''Theater of Electricity'': features the world's largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator, designed by Professor Robert J. Van de Graaff and donated by MIT in 1956. The show includes demonstrations of Tesla coils and other electrical apparatus. * ''Seeing is Deceiving'': a collection of optical illusions, including many motorized illusions * ''Arctic Adventure: Exploring with Technology'' * ''Exploring with AI: Making the Invisible Visible'' * ''Giant Sequoia Tree'' * ''Making Models'': exhibit on the use of physical and abstract models to understand the real world (closed) * '' Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond'': a roomful of classic kinetic and static mathematical exhibits by designers Charles and Ray Eames * ''Natural Mysteries'': an investigative exhibit on
classification Classification is the activity of assigning objects to some pre-existing classes or categories. This is distinct from the task of establishing the classes themselves (for example through cluster analysis). Examples include diagnostic tests, identif ...
of mysterious objects and natural history specimens * ''Math Moves!: Experiencing Ratio and Proportion:'' an immersive exploration of math and proportion * '' Clark Collection of Mechanical Movements'': over 100 working models of mechanical motions and linkages , the Clark Collection is split between an area inside the ''Theater of Electricity'', and the ''Engineering Design Workshop'' exhibit. * ''Faces of Science: Ambassadors for Equity'': How professionals highlighted use their life experiences in their fields. * ''Natural Beauty: The Harold Grinspoon Collection'' * ''Science in the Park:'' A playground built on Level 2 of the Blue Wing using familiar objects to investigate every day science * ''Investigate!'': a house-sized collection of rooms to explore using scientific thinking(Closed) and replaced by a video immersion room) * ''Nanotechnology'' * ''Take a Closer Look'' * ''Dinosaurs: Modeling the Mesozoic:'' a collection of fossils and life-size models of dinosaurs and extinct animals, including a full-size Tyrannosaurus rex model *''Colossal Fossil: Triceratops Cliff:'' a 65-million-year-old fossil, discovered in the Dakota Badlands in 2004 * ''Machines & Transportation'' * ''To the Moon'' * ''Engineering Design Workshop:'' an area to design, build, and test solutions to problems. As of 2024, this is located on Level 1 of the Blue Wing. * ''Behind the Scenes''(Closed in 2025 * Additional temporary exhibits: As of early 2024, the temporary exhibits include ''Innovation: Earth'' and a ''Sustainable Farm.'' Green Wing * ''New England Habitats'': life-sized dioramas showcasing some typical New England habitats and animals * ''A Bird's World'' * ''Colby Room'': a classic explorer's trophy room filled with stuffed animal heads from big-game hunting, preserved as a historical exhibit and also used for meetings * ''Hall of Human Life'': an exhibit of interactive activities focusing on human biology * Rotating temporary exhibits: November through January, this typically includes an exhibit on trains titled ''All Aboard! Trains at Science Park.'' Red Wing * ''Mugar Omni Theater'': largest Omnimax movie theater in New England * ''Charles Hayden Planetarium'' * ''Cosmic Light'': small space exhibit located within the planetarium waiting area, featuring real images of space and small bronze models of the Solar System's Sun and planets similar to the ones formerly displayed outside scattered throughout Greater Boston * '' Foucault pendulum'': shows the effect of the rotation of the Earth * ''Polage'': a wall-sized polarized light collage of shapes by artist Austine Wood Comarow * ''Soundstair'': a stairway fitted by artist
Christopher Janney Christopher Janney (born 1950) is an American composer, artist, and architect known for his work on the interrelation of architecture and music. Sometimes he attempts to make architecture more like music as in his sound sculptures titled "Urban ...
, using photoelectric cells to trigger musical sounds * ''Archimedean Excogitation'': a large rolling ball sculpture by
George Rhoads George Rhoads (January 27, 1926 – July 9, 2021) was a contemporary American painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor and origami master. He was best known for his whimsical Rolling ball sculpture, audiokinetic sculptures in airports, science muse ...
* Museum Store Miscellaneous * ''Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River'': an open area at the rear of the entrance hall, filled with information about the Charles River and river science in general * ''The Rock Garden'': an outdoors area in front of the museum, showcasing boulder-sized mineral specimens with accompanying plaques explaining their provenance and significance *The five exterior decorative aluminum panels formerly on the facade facing the Charles River Basin were created by Belmont sculptor Theodore Barbarossa. They have been removed for the construction of a new glass-enclosed Public Science Common, and plans for the displaced artworks are unknown.


Live presentations and programs

The museum offers many free live presentations to visitors, including hands-on demonstrations and live animal show-and-tell sessions. The museum houses over 100 live animals, and is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Live animals shown have included tarantulas, hissing cockroaches, and
axolotl The axolotl (; from ) (''Ambystoma mexicanum'') is a neoteny, paedomorphic salamander, one that Sexual maturity, matures without undergoing metamorphosis into the terrestrial adult form; adults remain Aquatic animal, fully aquatic with obvio ...
s, as well as better-known birds and furry mammals, many of which the museum gained after they were surrendered, confiscated, rescued, or rehabilitated. The MoS has extensive educational programs from pre-school up through adult programming, including lecture series, concerts, films, workshops, and public policy discussions. Special "overnight" programs invite students in grades 1–7, as well as
Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
groups, to spend a night at the museum.(Currently not operating)


Engineering Design Workshop

Engineering Design Workshop is an exhibit on the first level in the Blue Wing that sees about 200–800 visitors a day. It includes various different design challenges and other more one-on-one "cart activities" for visitors. The design center includes about a dozen activities for visitors to attempt while learning about the engineering process run twice a day from 10am-12pm and from 2pm–4pm during the school year, and also 4:30pm–6:30pm during the summer. The cart activities include robotics and circuitry and are more meant for teaching visitors about new technology. All activities also include a magnet for visitors who attempted the activities.


Notable past exhibits

* In the 1950s, a small Wilson cloud chamber was featured in the main entrance hall. Visitors could come within inches of radioactive material to watch the vapor trails of the particles they emitted. * The first Fresnel lens using electricity in the US (removed from the Navesink lighthouse), was on display from the early 1950s until 1979. * From 1969 to 1985, the museum borrowed a steam locomotive— Boston and Maine 3713—from Steamtown, U.S.A., and it was exhibited outside the museum’s building. The museum ended their lease on the locomotive to allow room for expansion. * In 1988, the museum was host to an exhibit focusing on the life and times of Ramses II. The exhibit displayed more than 70 artifacts, on loan from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Arguably, the centerpiece of the exhibit was a 40-foot-tall model of an Egyptian temple which housed a 3,000-year-old, 57-ton granite statue of Ramses. The exhibit ran from May 7, 1988 through August 30, 1988. * From August to October 2004, the museum was host to the US premiere of ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
the Motion Picture Trilogy the Exhibition'', developed by the Te Papa museum in
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, and containing many of the costumes and props from the films. * The Museum of Science built and designed its own film-based exhibit, entitled '' Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination''. It was on display there from October 2005 to April 2006, and traveled to other venues. * ''Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds 2: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies'' was at the Museum of Science from July 29, 2006 to January 7, 2007. * '' Harry Potter: The Exhibition'' was at the museum from October 25, 2009 to February 21, 2010. *
The Science Behind Pixar
' is a exhibition which toured around the US. Created by the Museum of Science in collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios, this exhibit featured activities, videos, and images that illustrated the math, computer science, and physical science that go into making computer-animated films. * ''Discovery Center'': offered the opportunity for young visitors to talk with scientists and participate in experiments


Computing exhibits

Although the history artifacts of The Computer Museum (TCM) were moved from Boston to
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to become the core of the current Computer History Museum, some former TCM educational exhibits and objects were transferred to the Boston Museum of Science where two new computing and technology exhibits were created. ''The Computing Revolution,'' an exhibit no longer on display at the Museum of Science, related the history of computing through a variety of hands-on interactive exhibits. ''Cahners ComputerPlace, ''previously located in the Blue Wing, Level 1, housed displays ranging from educational
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
s to an interactive AIBO ERS-7
robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...
. The first integrated quantum computing system, developed by MOS Director of Strategic Projects Carol Lynn Albert in collaboration with IBM, is on display as part of MOS's computing exhibits.


Other attractions

* In 1997, the museum developed a permanent to-scale community Solar System model that physically spanned as far as the Riverside MBTA station (in
Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...
). This model was featured in the first episode of the PBS Kids show '' FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman'', where several children participate in a scavenger hunt to find all of the bronze model planets (including the former ninth planet Pluto, as the show premiered before Pluto was downgraded), scattered all throughout Greater Boston. The bronze models of the Sun, Mercury, and
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
were located on the museum grounds. However, in 2015 several of the scale models were removed from their original locations, and their current status is unknown . , only the model of Mars still remained, inside Cambridgeside Galleria Mall. The nearest known surviving scale model is a walkable installation on the third floor of the Infinite Corridor at MIT. * Construction began on a rooftop Wind Turbine Lab in 2009. The lab tests nine wind turbines from five different manufacturers on the roof of the museum. An exhibit in the Blue Wing, ''Catching the Wind'', includes a live data stream on how much electricity each turbine is producing.(Closed)


See also

* Boston Society of Natural History, predecessor to the museum * Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, global after-school technology program headquartered at the museum


References


External links

*
Current Exhibits & Reviews


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080225000320/http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/131lighthouse/131visual3.htm Navesink lighthouse information from the National Park Service
"Human Connections"
Video on the making of this large interactive polarized light mural, located in the atrium of the Mugar Imax Wing of the MOS (Artist: Austine Wood Comarow) * MOS is a member of NISE Net, and participates i
NanoDays
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