Museum of Science & Industry (Tampa) with Photos and Videos

The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) is a not-for-profit science museum located in Tampa, Florida. It is a community-based institution and educational resource that is dedicated to advancing public interest, knowledge, and understanding of science, industry, and technology. MOSI's core ideology is to make a difference in people's lives by making science real for people of all ages and background.

MOSI's funding comes from private donations, corporate sponsors, and support from Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa.

MOSI began in 1962 when Hillsborough County first approved funding for a youth museum in Sulphur Springs. Named the Museum of Science and Natural History, it provided natural science exhibits and education programs to children and adults. The name of the museum was changed to the Hillsborough County Museum in 1967. In 1976, the Hillsborough County Museum's advisory committee and staff started construction on a new museum in North Tampa that was to become the Museum of Science and Industry. The museum was completed in 1980 and permanently opened to the public on January 23, 1982.

In 1995 the construction of the 190,000 square foot science center with Florida's only IMAX Dome Theatre, extensive permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, a planetarium and a public library was completed. Further renovations were done in 1996, 2001, and 2005. MOSI was the largest science center in the southeast and the 5th largest in the U.S.

On August 13, 2017, MOSI closed 85% of their building and their IMAX theater to save money. Many exhibits were removed and the remaining exhibits were relocated to the previous "Kids in Charge" section of the museum.

The Museum of Science and Industry was re-accredited in April 2008 by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). MOSI was the 2009 recipient of the National Medal for Museums for the Institute of Museums and Library Services, which is the highest national award given to museums.

MOSI offers S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) powered programs for all ages from preschool to seniors.

MOSI's Science Camps are open when school is out of session including winter breaks and summer. MOSI offers summer educational camps usually lasting from June through August. These camps range in various scientific topics from snorkeling in natural springs to using DNA to solve crimes to designing video games. Teens can explore careers in fields such as art, technology, math, engineering or science at the S.T.E.A.M. Career Camp. Attendees receive a S.T.E.A.M. Certificate of Achievement for successful completion. The camps are designed for students K- High School.

Catering to the large, diverse community of Tampa Bay (and Florida at large), MOSI recognizes Hispanic Scientists through an annual award. The scientists attend Meet the Scientists Days, and they speak to children about their paths to the STEM fields. The Hispanic Scientist of the Year Award has been awarded since 2001.

MOSI encourages environmental conservation through exhibits, from water conservation to Florida-friendly gardens.

Mission: Moonbase is a simulated permanent lunar base in the year 2070. The premise is that it is built near the south pole of the Moon where there is believed to be large reservoirs of frozen water reasonably available within the rocks, and where some highlands can experience long periods of sunlight. Moonbase is the operations center of a larger operation that also includes food production (farming) and mining facilities. Mission: Moonbase at MOSI is funded, in part, by NASA and is part of MOSI's plan to continually improve our guest experience and support the future of STEAM.

Slippery Science, contains multiple exhibits that incorporate elements of the Tampa Bay Times Forum and Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team as a backdrop. Slippery Science includes a series of interactive exhibits that teach friction, physics, the science behind reaction time and more. Inside the exhibit, guests will be able to play games, see what's inside the hockey protection of a player's uniform and even ham it up on the JumboTron.

MOSI's Newest permanent exhibition Dinovations, allows guest to experience the prehistoric in a fun and interactive way. With the Diplodocus skeleton looming over the area kids and adults alike can create their own Dinosaur Movie, get an up close look at various fossils, and view various plants that the diplodocus would eat. Dinovations allows for kids to experience being a small dinosaur by providing various crawling tunnels for them to work their way through.

MOSI's newest interactive experience, Imagination Playground, enables kids to engineer everything from robots to cities using cubes, bricks, cogs, curves, and cylinders. Imagination Playground allows kids to play in a way that encourages creativity and collaboration, while continually exploring new directions and initiatives that promote the benefits of learning, social development, movement and above all, fun.

This breakthrough play space concept enables children to create open-ended designs in a safe environment led by one of MOSI's education staff. Guests can head over to MOSI's children's science center, Kids in Charge!, and dive into a play space that, unlike a traditional playground, is not made of monkey bars, slides or see-saws. In this innovative hands-on zone, children work with large foam pieces to connect and build in intricate ways, enabling them to bring their visions to life. Designed by David Rockwell, these unique building blocks are non-toxic and made of a lightweight, yet durable foam. They are soft and friendly to the touch yet dense and firm enough to build structures and shapes.Imagination Playground has received rave reviews around the country. The New York Times says it is "a playground where children's creativity can run wild," and CNN calls it "...the most innovative playground design since child psychologists started fiddling with jungle gyms in the 1960s".

Welcome to the future, where you can create anything imaginable through the revolutionary world of 3D Printing. From fashion to décor, entertainment to toys, medical devices to possible human organs, 3D Printing the Future, a new exhibition at MOSI, illustrates 3D printing's boundless and mind-blowing potential to re-shape how we live, work and play.

3D Printing the Future will offer an inspiring glimpse of the future through 3D-printed objects, live demonstrations, and hands-on 3D printing, along with an in-depth look at how 3D printing technology works, how it is used, and the amazing possibilities for the future.

Visitors will watch 3D printers in action as they take an immersive journey through all applications of 3D printing, including:

3D MedicineGuests will be able to view 3D-printed medical objects, including 3D-printed body parts and prosthetics, and learn how 3D printing is revolutionizing the world of modern medicine.

Complete article available at this page.