Exhibits

Music means many things to many people, but at its core, all music is built on the same scientific and mathematic principles. In our latest exhibition, nurture your inner musician as you discover the math of music and the science of sound. The exhibition features a variety of instruments and other music-making tools that will help visitors uncover the science behind musical melodies, harmonies, beats, and more.

Hands-on Biotech focuses on discovering the microscopic worlds inside all living things and sparking curiosity about how life’s processes can help us answer questions and solve problems.

Discover what it’s like to see your favorite bugs up close and personal with augmented reality! Scan QR codes to create 3D models of astonishing animals that you can explore with your family to investigate what makes them unique. Then, you can work together to figure out what your new friends eat and feed them to help care for the critters!

Explore the dynamics of flight by designing, building, and testing your own paper airplanes. Use one of our easy-to-follow “flight plans” or experiment with your own custom airplane designs, then test your aircraft using our mechanical launchers.

What does an ideal community look like to you? How do people get to work, or enjoy their days off? Contribute your ideas to a growing city using LEGO® bricks. Whether you construct a park, a school, a tower, or a vehicle, with your imagination we will Build a Better World—Together.

Come learn about animals with the help of one of our very special animal ambassadors that live in the Animal Discovery Zone! You’ll get the chance to make observations and ask questions about one of our live animals and learn about their diet, behavior, adaptations, and more! For the health and safety of our staff, our visitors, and our animals, capacity is limited.

From the native vegetation to a range of guided and self-driven experiences, the Robert and Elizabeth Karplus Outdoor Nature Lab provides a unique space where all visitors will make close observations of, and deepen their connection with, the natural environment.

Dive into the science behind the COVID19 pandemic using hands-on activity stations. Test different mask materials, inspect them under a microscope, build model antibodies, discuss with your group what kinds of risks certain activities pose, and more!

Climb on a life-sized replica of a teenage fin whale—the second largest whale in the world!

Design, build, and test your own optical illusion while learning about the human eye as part of our newest Ingenuity challenge. Observe and compare how optical illusions work as you create fun and unique designs.

Use ramps, lifts, tubes, and jumps to design, build, and test your own creative marble machine. Get your marble from Point A to Point B, all while following some surprising paths in between.

This series on mental health was created through a partnership of the Greater Good Science Center, Bay Area Community Resources, and The Lawrence, with an aim of connecting youth with professionals and providing a resource for their community.

Experience science on the big screen in our dynamic 3D Theater. Watch as stunning visuals from popular science films pop out and make a BIG impact.

Ramps are one of the basic mechanical devices that allow humans to do work more easily. We use ramps as tools to do ordinary things like loading a truck, or pushing a wheelchair up to an entrance while avoiding the stairs. We also employ ramps for really fun engineering, like designing roller coasters!

See your own stories and ideas come to life using stop-motion. Stop-motion is an animation technique that has been used by filmmakers for over 100 years to create movement, using still objects and even drawings. Now’s your chance to get creative with our new stop-motion stations.

Join in the exploration as you and your child experiment with our colorful gear wall, see what flies the highest in our wind tube, and investigate motion on our gravity wall. Start discovering science, get creative, and develop new skills in this area designed specially for your little explorers.

From African Elephants to Whooping Cranes, the diversity of animals that call our planet home is breathtaking. This permanent installation features stunning photography from the National Geographic Photo Ark by renowned photographer Joel Sartore. His intimate photos aim to forge connections to these animals and inspire action to save them. Join us in Celebrating Nature’s Diversity!

Experience the shape of a double helix firsthand by climbing inside our massive DNA sculpture. DNA in your trillions of cells carries the genetic messages that make you you. Climb through the “horizontal ladder” of the supersize DNA sculpture on the Hall’s plaza. Experience the twists and turns of DNA’s double helix shape, and get inspired to learn more about the biology of life.

Peer through and climb on to explore this 18-foot high granite, outdoor astronomical sculpture. Sunstones II links science with art, and even offers special viewing of astronomical events.

Explore the universe and survey the night sky, all from your seat. Our planetarium programs are live and interactive, so bring your questions and curiosity.

Any visitor of any age can be an architect, a builder, an engineer, or a designer with KEVA planks. See how high, how intricate, and how stable you can make your structure as you work with form and balance.

Flex Your Design Muscles. It’s fun to use your ingenuity to solve problems and meet challenges! By approaching things in creative ways, and by applying your own talents and skills, you can discover solutions that are uniquely you.

Creativity combined with engineering helps us prepare for the future by developing inventions that enable us to both survive and thrive in environments like space, the deep ocean, and our ever-changing Earth.

Engineers use their knowledge of air to do things like land safely with a parachute, fly planes, stabilize helicopters, and much more. Can you do the same with our wind tubes and hover table?

Engineers, especially those in the Bay Area, are working toward sustainable energy solutions by using the power of the wind to generate electricity. The need for wind power is continually growing.

Launching a rocket into space is a difficult task because of various factors. The efficiency, reliability, and safety of a rocket all depend on the quality of engineering design.

Design, build, and test your own earthquake-safe structures. Explore how buildings behave when the earth starts to shake, and how engineers use science to build safer homes & offices.

Design Quest inspires kids to come up with their own ideas, build prototypes, and test their designs to see if they can rise to the challenge. Check out what you can do in Design Quest today.

Step into our interactive, outdoor science park to learn how water erosion, earthquakes, weather, and other geologic forces have worked together to create the Bay Area landscape.

With our international colony of teaching animals—from chinchillas to box turtles—you can learn about animal behavior and habitats. Our knowledgeable staff will introduce you to our wonderful creatures and share fun stories and interesting facts about them.

Science On a Sphere (SOS)® is a three-dimensional video projection of our planet. This six-foot globe hovers in the air and displays stunning visual effects, like weather patterns, that are based on actual scientific data.

Explore the scientific discoveries and innovations of The Lawrence’s namesake, Ernest Orlando Lawrence. His invention of the first cyclotron earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939, the first UC Berkeley scientist to win the prize in any discipline.

The paper sculptures in this exhibit may look like aliens from another planet, but they are actually “time travelers” from some 540 million years ago. Long before the dinosaurs appeared, Earth’s ocean was filled with amazing life forms like these.