Connecticut Science Center

Public audiences served:the Connecticut Science Center maintained its progressive recovery from the pandemic in 2023, restoring capacity while increasing service revenues on pace with a multi-year recovery plan. The Science Center exceeded most of its measured objectives for visitor experience and education value as rated by customers and continued to enhance its first internally developed exhibition, forest of illusions first shown in 2022 and reintroduced in the fall with enthusiastic response. The Science Center implemented the first year of a 10-year strategic vision to be a world class Science Center with integrated in-person and online experiences exploring the stem topics, issues, and challenges of our time. The Science Center continued to raise private funds to support the strategic vision.with the help of a state sponsored free summer initiative, the Science Center served 283,000 visitors on site, 23% more than in 2022 and 6% fewer than the last pre-pandemic year, 2019. With the continued rebound of school field trips, 42,500 students visited the Science Center in 2023 and 5,000 of those students participated in an on-site lab experience. The Science Center also delivered 930 outreach programs at schools and after school programs across Connecticut and Massachusetts and 10 virtual programs reaching more than 26,000 individuals. Additionally, the Science Center presented 5 stem career showcases introducing more than 1,100 middle and high school students to representatives from 18 companies.

Professional development for teachers:more than 1,000 teachers participated in the Science Center's professional coaching and learning sessions that are aligned with both the ct state Science framework standards and the next generation Science standards (ngss). Whether teachers are providing in-person, distance learning or a hybrid, the Science Center's programs are flexible and supportive to meet educators' need.he Science Center's programs are flexible and supportive to meet educators' needs.