About
Visitors
Touched by SMM's traveling exhibits
Students engaged
Every year across 87 Minnesota counties, and the Midwest through field trips and offsite outreach programs
Educators
Turning to the Science Museum of Minnesota each year for professional support, materials, and other tools to help them fulfill their vital roles in STEM education
Museums and venues
worldwide have featured 26 unique SMM traveling exhibits
Cities
Reached in 4 countries with SMM's traveling exhibits
Unique objects
Collected, preserved, and shared in scientific collections, which tell the story of millions of years
A history of propelling science forward.
Since its founding in 1907, the Science Museum of Minnesota has been one of America’s most admired—and imitated—science museums. Following its move to Kellogg Boulevard in 1999, the Museum has welcomed more than 16 million visitors—from around the world and every county in Minnesota.
The Science Museum celebrates the critical scientific breakthroughs of the past and present, as well as the future ones to come. The Museum leads scientific research anchored in four departments—anthropology, biology, paleontology, and climate change—to look at the world, analyze what’s happening in it, and make new discoveries contributing to the body of scientific knowledge. Science Museum scientists conduct research at our St. Paul location, the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, and at field sites throughout Minnesota and around the world.
The Science Museum ensures the future of science leadership through a deep, institutional commitment to inspire the next generation of STEM professionals. Through professional development for educators, after-school and summer enrichment opportunities for youth, mentorship programs, and internships, the museum provides in-depth science opportunities for learners
of all ages.
The Science Museum is the largest in-museum exhibit developer in the country. Leveraging its galleries as a real-time innovation lab, it creates meaningful, accessible science content for visitors of all ages. Our traveling exhibits and permanent installations have reached more than 45 million visitors around the globe. When the Smithsonian needs extraordinary exhibits created, they call us.
The Science Museum is at the forefront of STEM equity initiatives, embodied by our award-winning exhibition Race: Are We So Different? For more than 20 years, it has worked to make science more inclusive and accessible, especially for women and people of color who have often been excluded from STEM fields. This commitment is exemplified by the Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center, which helps diverse youth ages 12–24 explore and pursue STEM careers.