The Science Museum of Minnesota keeps its doors open past the bedtimes of its usual visitors for “Museum Nights” every Friday, an event aimed at adults to rediscover their love for science.
With live demonstrations, opportunities to speak with experts in the field, adult-only trivia on “The Science of Sex,” and live lava pours, the Science Museum is engaging adults with an after-dark experience.
Lauren Edson, a member of the Visit Experience team at the museum, said the program has been running for the better part of two years.
“We wanted to create Museum Nights to create a space for adults to feel like they could come to the museum without the pressure of feeling like a kid’s museum and still engage and learn science,” Edson said.
Founded more than a hundred years ago, the science museum began as the St. Paul Institute of Science and Letters before moving to its current downtown St. Paul location on 120 W. Kellogg Blvd, a few blocks from the Minnesota Children’s Museum.
“There’s a community perception that it is a children’s museum,” Edson said. “We have a really great children’s museum just down the street, so I get the confusion. But the science museum is a museum for everybody, whether you are nine or 99.”
The museum is focused on education, outreach and an engaging in-person experience, according to its mission statement. But most importantly, the museum is dedicated to collaborating with the community to foster a world where everyone can use science to make lives better.
A theme that has been carried into the “Museum Nights” event.
“We wanted to create an adult night atmosphere that could still be part of our inclusive museum ticket,” Edson said. “So the museum was sort of generating ideas and small things we could do to make Friday nights feel fun and exciting. So turning on mood music, setting the lights a little dimmer, having more adult-themed shows or programming.”
The average “Museum Night” features live science demonstrations from museum experts, including fire or ultra-cold liquid nitrogen experiments. There is also the opportunity to meet with local scientists and researchers, with new topics featured every week.
For the more competitive, there is “Trivia: The Science of Sex,” a mix of history, science and romance. Also included in a “Museum Night” ticket is complete access to the Omnitheater’s lineup, with their collection available throughout the evening.
But for a more fiery experience, the night ends with a live lava pour — a rarity for museums. The pours and other science demonstrations throughout the night are performed by a team of trained professionals, including Ryan Nelson, who has been working with the museum for a decade.
“Its a dream come true [working at the museum],” Nelson said. “I grew up as a kid watching Bill Nye and Beakman’s World… I’ve always loved science. But I never had a mind for math; but I was very interested in it, and I always loved coming here.”
The science performances are grant-funded and researched, with different organizations helping develop the lesson at the heart of each performance. Some lessons focus on basic science principles, while others are community — and location-based, like the lesson on Minnesota watersheds.
Nelson said he hopes adults leave the museum with more than they came in with, and “ the feeling that they had fun, and that will hopefully bring them back.
“Museum Nights” will continue to run on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with standard tickets available and a $10 discount on student tickets. For more information, visit the museum website.