Live Programs & Demonstrations
Get your hands on science - literally! - with help from SCI's Programs Team
See science come to life with SCI's live programs and demonstrations! Our Programs Team is educated in science and trained in public engagement to deliver visitors a memorable and brilliant SCI experience.
Live Programs
Attend SCI-original performances for LIVE science excitement! Each program is approximately 20 minutes and a variety of programs are offered daily, such as:
- Deep Freeze – get chills and thrills from dry ice and liquid nitrogen
- Cold-blooded Critters – Meet and greet SCI's resident reptiles and amphibians
- Crazy Chemistry – Check out colorful, ooey-gooey, and other fun experiments
- Meet Stuffee – Explore the human body with help from a large, soft sculpture doll
Cart Demonstrations
Be on the lookout for SCI's Programs Team stationed throughout the building, ready with hands-on activities such as:
- Chair of Nails – See why many nails don't hurt, but just one would
- Van de Graaff Generator – Make your hair stand on end with electricity
- Tornado Tubes – Create a vortex of water to learn about forces of nature
- Paper Helicopters – Watch yours fly six stories through the air
Star Theater Shows
Planetarium shows in the Star Theater are included with general SCI admission! Take a seat for daily, scheduled 20-30 minute programs, both digital and live, such as:
- Iowa Skies Tonight – Find constellations you can see in the sky tonight
- Martian Rock – Travel the solar system in a play based on Carol Diggory Shields' children's book
- One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure – Sesame Street® friends explore skies around the world
- Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity – Dive into these mysteries of the universe
* All daily programs and films are subject to change.
Funding for Why the Sky? and the Star Theater has been generously provided by NASA
