Brownie Mix: STEM with Toddlers

My daughter is freshly two. Like many parents, I’m trying to keep her open to a life in the sciences. To be honest, I’m also trying to keep her open to a life in the arts, literature, languages, historical perspective, emotional intelligence, and everything else… and of course, she mostly loves to play basketball. But …

Science Sunday: Generating Sparks

Today, we are making sparks without using any fire. How exactly are we going to do this? Through the use of metal and movement. When we smash the chrome spheres together very fast, they generate enough heat to burn a small hole through the paper placed in between them. Another way we can generate some …

Science Sunday: Using Eggs to Learn About Inertia

Today we are going to have some eggcellent fun with inertia. How can we tell if an egg is hard-boiled or raw without cracking it? By using the laws of inertia, of course! This is something you can try for yourself at home. We will spin both eggs and try to stop them by lightly …

Science Sunday: Density

We are trying to solve a mystery on this weekend’s edition of Science Sunday. Look at the picture of this bottle with liquid and beads inside. The beads are suspended right in the middle of the bottle. How is this possible? Well, it all comes back to density. The liquid inside looks like it’s just …

Science Sunday: Hydrogen Fuel Cells

This edition of Science Sunday is all about a really awesome alternative energy source- hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells can be used to power cars, as another alternative to clean energy and electric cars. What you may not know is that there are hydrogen fuel cell refueling stations located across the state of Connecticut …

Science Sunday: How Telegraphs Work

Today, almost everyone you see owns a smartphone, but the smartphone did not magically appear overnight. It has taken time to get to where we are today in the field of long-distance communication. Do you know where it all started? Well, on this edition of Science Sunday, we are going to explore the device that …

Science Sunday: Playing an Instrument without Touching It

On this edition of Science Sunday, we are making music without even touching the instrument we are playing. No, this is not magic. It is a theremin. How does this work? The theremin has an electromagnetic field around it, with two antennas located in different spots on the instrument. Each antenna serves a different purpose, …

Science Sunday: Experimenting with Candy

Halloween is right around the corner. It is only fitting that we do a couple of experiments using candy. Here is what you will see when you watch this episode of Science Sunday: Skittles and M&M Experiment: For this experiment, line up Skittles or M&Ms on a plate in any pattern you would like. Then …

Science Sunday: Mazes & Brain Games

This past weekend, we opened our brand-new traveling exhibit, Mazes & Brain Games, at the Connecticut Science Center. To mark the occasion, we decided to share with you some fun activities to show how your brain can be tricked with your own vision.  Our first test uses an old whirligig fidget toy with a different …

Women in Science Spotlight: Kristen Govoni, PhD

As part of the Connecticut Science Center’s Women in Science Initiative, each month we will highlight local Connecticut women in a variety of science fields. This month’s Women in Science Spotlight features Dr. Kristen Govoni, our 2019 Petit Family Foundation Women in Science Leadership Award Honoree. This award is presented to a woman working in …

Inspiring Tomorrow’s STEM Workforce

Launching a major new initiative aimed at inspiring Connecticut’s young people to embrace expanding career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the Connecticut Science Center has kicked-off STEM Career Connections.   Describing the Science Center as uniquely equipped to motivate young students and set them on a path to pursue in-demand careers in the …

Women in Science Initiative: Spotlight on Amy Sailor

The Connecticut Science Center’s Women in Science initiative encourages girls and young women to pursue studies and career paths in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and celebrates the achievements of women in the sciences.  The Celebrating Women in Science initiative was launched in 2013 with the help of founding sponsor the Petit Family Foundation, …