Arizona Science Center - Phoenix

About:

- The Arizona Science Center was established in 1984 by the Junior League of Phoenix ^[5], and was originally known as The Arizona Museum of Science and Technology. The center can be split into five major areas of interest: Permanent Exhibits, Dorrance Planetarium, Irene P. Flinn Theater, Create Makerspace, and past exhibits.

Permanent Attractions:

- The Arizona Science Center is an interactive museum that prides itself on providing the public an opportunity to have a hands-on experience with the exhibits. As such there are a plethora of interactive rooms. These permanent exhibits explore various foundational aspects of science such as biology, physics, and electricity. These exhibits are: All About Me, Flight Zone, Making Sense of Your Dollars and Cents, The Wonder Center, Skycycle, Get Charged Up, Forces of Nature, My Digital World, and Solarville. These attractions are the staple of the center for the hundreds of thousands of yearly visitors.

Create Makerspace:

- The Create Makerspace at Arizona Science Center is a center where visitors of all ages can come together to design and engage with one another to create and solve puzzles. From traditional woodworking and mechanical tools, to computer design and 3D printing, the center provides tailored experiences for each age group. For ages 8-12 there is Create Jr. where visitors can experience tasks such as 3D printing and laser cutting under the supervision of a staff member. The equipment workshops for 13+ provide training on the various pieces of equipment and prepare them for using the equipment on their own. When visitors pass these workshops, they can get a pass for the resource centers for the piece of equipment they trained on, allowing them to create using their own designs as they see fit. The science center also provides a Create on Wheels program that takes the curriculum of the training classes to schools, to provide introductory hands on courses. Through all of these classes, this feature of the science center truly sums up the purpose of the science center itself, to promote hands on engagement and collaboration with the exhibits.

Featured Venue: Arizona Science Center - Casey Green Weddings

Dorrance Planetarium:

- Created in 1997, the Dorrance Planetarium is one of the main attractions of the Arizona Science Center and has welcomed over two million visitors since its creation. Aside from the recurring shows and persistent exhibits in the lobby and surrounding areas of the planetarium, it is also host to many special events. One of these events is the Laser and Liquor show, which is a laser show accompanied by music, aimed at a mature audience. The show incorporates music ranging from bands like Led Zeppelin and Metallica, to shows like Stranger Things.

Irene P. Flinn Theater:

- The Irene P Flinn theater showcases many documentaries and special films on a regular basis at the science center. The theater has a five-story screen that is capable of presenting 2D and 3D films.

Events:

- The Arizona Science Center is home to many events and special activities that provide new ways for visitors to engage with the center’s material. One such event is the ability to stay the night at the center, and event that runs from 6pm to 9am and costs 47$ for participants. Another event is the Camp Innovation summer camp, where students of K-12 spend several days at the center, partaking in a variety of educational and career building events, such as: sky shows, microscopy learning camps, art workshops, and camps that teach the basics of electricity. Another large event that is hosted by the Arizona Science Center is the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair. This fair is the main science fair for the state of Arizona and brings the winners of various school science fair together to compete for best in State. The over one thousand participants compete for a variety of prizes including scholarships funded by major companies in the tech field like Intel. In terms of more general events, the center caters to things like: birthday parties, private parties, private tours, and so on.

Night at the Science Center

Junior League of Phoenix:

- The Junior League of Phoenix was started in the 1930’s by Kathleen Bloomhart as a volunteer group aimed at strengthening community involvement and women’s presence in Arizona. The JLP has been funding events and community projects in Phoenix since the 1930’s, including such projects as: The Heard Museum, school relief funds, Phoenix Zoo Education Center, Phoenix Parks Foundation, breast cancer research, and many more.