Science Museums

This guide offers links to online collections and information resources relating to science museums, including museums covering aspects of health sciences and technology.

Note on Museum Formats

Science museum collections are organized and presented in a wide variety of styles and formats, depending upon the intended user population and the breadth and depth of subjects covered. Facilities and collections may encompass broad aspects of science, technology, or industry (e.g. in a 'Science Museum'), or they may cover more specialized topics, such as physical sciences, earth sciences, biological sciences, or health sciences (e.g. the International Museum of Surgical Science). Increasingly, collections and facilities are named or classified according to the the name of their principal founder or benefactor (e.g. Field Museum; Lederman Science Center), and also according to their mission or educational focus (e.g. Learning Center, Discovery Center, Exploratorium, Imaginarium, Hands-On Museum). It should also be noted that museum resources and collections are becoming increasingly accessible online, either partially or exclusively (as 'online exhibits' and 'virtual museums').

Additional guidance and commentary relating to the changing definition and scope of science museums, including their collections and information resources, are available through the International Council of Museums and the American Association of Museums.

Finding a Science Museum: Searchable Indexes and Directories

• Google Directory: Museums-Science
• Institute and Museum of the History of Science: List of Museums and Exhibitions
• International Planetarium Society: Planetarium Finder
• Museum Stuff: Science
• Virtual Library: Museums in the U.S.A.
• Wikipedia: List of Planetariums
• Wikipedia: Science Museums in the United States
• Wikipedia: Science Museums Worldwide
• Yahoo Directory: Science Museums & Exhibits
• Hands-on Science Centers Worldwide

Notable Science Museums in the Chicago Area

Adler Planetarium and Museum, Chicago, IL

Founded in 1930 by philanthropist Max Adler, and located close to the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium. Provides astronomy education through its planetarium shows and exhibits. Includes a wide selection of instruments and artifacts administrated by the Webster Institute for the History of Astronomy. In association with the University of Chicago and other local educational institutions, the Adler Planetarium and Museum conducts astronomy research, and publishes its annual report in the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. Its quarterly newsletter is the Prime Focus. 

Field Museum, Chicago, IL (formerly 'Field Museum of Natural History')

Principal natural history museum in the U.S. Midwest. Established in 1893 as the 'Columbian Museum of Chicago,' and subsequently renamed after the Chicago benefactor, Marshall Field. Research articles and collection descriptions are published in the peer-reviewed monographic series Fieldiana, whose content appears in the separate subject categories of Anthropology, Botany, Geology, and Zoology. The University of Chicago maintains a strong affiliation with the Field Museum for teaching and research, particularly in the area of Evolutionary Biology.
The Field Museum also has an extensive Library collection.  

International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, IL

Exhibits include artifacts, paintings, illustrations and sculptures "that interpret the primitive and modern healing practices of Eastern and Western civilizations... and portray the mysteries, breakthroughs, failures, and milestones that have shaped modern surgical science." 

Jurica Natural History Museum, Lisle, IL

The collection comprises around 10,000 animal and animal fossil specimens, located in the Michael and Kay Birck Hall of Science at Benedictine University. However, an increasing number of specimens and exhibits can also be viewed through their online catalog. Originated from the collections of the two brothers, Hilary and Edmund Jurica, both of whom received their doctorates in biology in the 1920s from the University of Chicago. 

Lederman Science Center, Fermilab, Batavia, IL

Public access interpretative and interactive exhibits describing nuclear physics research, including 'Quarks to Quasars.' The Center also includes the 'Margaret Pearson Interpretive Trail,' a quarter mile self-guiding nature trail through a portion of Fermilab's restored prairie. 

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Elmhurst, IL

Fixed and interactive art and science exhibits that include sculptures, rock specimens, minerals, local and general geology and natural history. 

Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL

The museum is notable for its size, interactive exhibits, and extensive permanent and visiting collections. Founded by Chicago businessman Julius Rosenwald, the museum opened in 1933 in the former Palace of Fine Arts building constructed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.  

Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL

Presents live and static exhibits, information, and activities related to marine education and conservation. Located adjacent to the Museum of Science and Industry and the Adler Planetarium. Founded in 1922 by John G. Shedd, benefactor and former president of Marshall Field & Company.

Other Notable Science Museums (U.S. and Worldwide)

Natural History and Geophysical Sciences Museums

• Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
• American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
• Berkeley Natural History Museums, Berkeley, CA
• California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
• Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, OH
• Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, CO
• Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland, OH
• National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
• Natural History Museum, London, UK
• Naturalis National Natural History Museum, Leiden, Netherlands
• Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT
• San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA

Planetariums

• Albert Einstein Planetarium, National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC
• Armagh Planetarium, Northern Ireland
• Clark Planetarium, Salt Lake City, UT
• Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
• Samuel Oschin Planetarium, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA
• Stardome Observatory, Auckland, New Zealand
• Tycho Brahe Planetarium, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Planetarium Projection Technology: Carl Zeiss, Germany

Biomedical and Health Sciences Museums

• Dr. Samuel D Harris National Museum of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD
• Freud Museum, London, UK
• John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science, Houston, TX
• Indiana Medical History Museum, Indianapolis, IN
• Museum of Nursing History, Philadelphia, PA
• Mutter Museum, College of Physicians of Philadelphia, PA
• National Museum of Health and Medicine, Washington, D.C.
• Wellcome Museum of Anatomy and Pathology, London, UK

Museums of Mathematics and Computing

• American Computer Museum, Bozeman, MT
• Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California
• University of Virginia Computer Museum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
• National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park, UK

Engineering and Technology Museums

• Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas, NV
• National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, Albuquerque, NM
• National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
• Science Museum, London, UK
(including Science Museum Library & Archives)

History of Science Museums

• Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, UK
• Institute and Museum of the History of Science, Florence, Italy

Museum Associations and Societies

American Association of Museums
Association of Science-Technology Centers
National Museum Associations (International Council of Museums)