Our Dyes and Textiles tour highlights the remarkable scientific properties of natural dyes and textiles, the technology behind synthetic clothing, and the impact of fashion on human health and the environment.

On this tour, you can expect to explore the science behind the contents of your closet. The technology that produces our modern clothing is the result of an unlikely collaboration between prehistoric humans, an 18-year-old chemist in Victorian London, and a Harvard professor employed by DuPont on the eve of World War II.

Our Dyes and Textiles tour bridges content from our new BOLD exhibition and our permanent exhibition, offering a broad picture of the scientific developments that shifted clothing production from the home to the factory to the laboratory.

We can accommodate up to 20 individuals per tour group with a minimum group size of eight. Larger groups will be split to stagger their tour times since our spaces are relatively small.

Our "Highlights" tours offer fresh encounters with historical artifacts, centered on a single theme that explores science's impact on society. Your group will enjoy a focused tour of a single section of our museum, followed by a guided, hands-on collections activity or demonstration that brings science history to life.

In our “Materials for the Masses” tour, you'll explore the history of modern materials, with a special focus on synthetic textiles like Nylon, Lycra, Spandex, and more. These fibers changed our world, from fashion to medicine, through wartime to peacetime and beyond. You'll look back at the history of natural textiles like wool and linen, then jump ahead to see high-tech solutions like ePTFE. Guided demonstrations will showcase the history of dyes, the technology behind "stretch" fibers, and how high-tech fibers are used today.

Bring your school or camp group for a fun-filled interactive scavenger hunt activity in our museum! Scavenger hunts typically last roughly 30 minutes and begin with a brief introduction to our museum. followed by self-guided exploration. Our scavenger hunt worksheets come in a wide variety of topics and themes, including:
"Machines in the Museum" (looking at scientific instruments)
"Meet the Elements" (exploring the Periodic Table)
"Behind the Science" (introducing "hidden figures" of science discovery)
"Food Science Eye Spy" (looking at food innovations and objects used to analyze them)
"SciFi" (examining objects that inspired great works of science fiction)
"Science History 101"

Our Science & Activism Tour invites visitors to consider these questions: Who is a scientist? Who is an activist? How does each bring about change?

This tour will explore historical moments of crisis, challenge, and change; from the influential book Silent Spring by conservationist Rachel Carson and the rise of the environmental movement; to ACT UP, the AIDS crisis, and the development of the patients’ bill of rights; to the Black Panthers’ lead role in community testing for sickle cell anemia; and more stories that examine the complex interactions between scientific knowledge, public policy, and community advocacy. This tour offers a broad picture of the ways activists have reshaped our understanding of science, and how visitors can become engaged today.

We can accommodate up to 20 individuals per tour group with a minimum group size of eight. Larger groups will be split to stagger their tour times since our spaces are relatively small.

Our Women in Chemistry Tour profiles women chemists from antiquity to the present, sharing stories of innovation, resistance, and change.

On this tour, you can expect to learn about the legendary founding women of alchemy, explore the connections between domesticity and distillation
see how wartime changed the laboratory, and more. You’ll meet pioneering chemists and chemistry educators, from 17th-century French alchemist Marie Meurdrac to Marie Maynard Daly, the first Black woman in America to receive a PhD in chemistry.

We can accommodate up to 20 individuals per tour group with a minimum group size of eight. Larger groups will be split to stagger their tour times since our spaces are relatively small.

Our Women in Chemistry Virtual Talk profiles women chemists from antiquity to the present, sharing stories of innovation, resistance, and change.

During this Virtual Talk, you can expect to learn about the legendary founding women of alchemy, explore the connections between domesticity and distillation, see how wartime changed the laboratory, and more. You’ll meet pioneering chemists and chemistry educators, from 17th-century French alchemist Marie Meurdrac to Marie Maynard Daly, the first Black woman in America to receive a PhD in chemistry.

Our Virtual Talks are suitable for school groups as well as adult audiences, college classrooms, libraries, and meetup groups/clubs. Following the talk, there will be time for an interactive audience Q&A. Virtual Talks are conducted via Zoom.

Every year, the Nobel Prizes shine a spotlight on a few famous scientists. But hidden just out of the spotlight are the large and diverse teams that make important research happen. In this interactive virtual program, we'll explore who is really "behind the science." Hear stories from the lab, meet unsung individuals who helped shape scientific knowledge, and get inspired by new achievements and discoveries.

Our Virtual Talks are suitable for school groups as well as adult audiences, college classrooms, libraries, and meetup groups/clubs. Following the talk, there will be time for an interactive audience Q&A. Virtual Talks are conducted via Zoom.

Our Dyes and Textiles tour highlights the remarkable scientific properties of natural dyes and textiles, the technology behind synthetic clothing, and the impact of fashion on human health and the environment.

On this tour, you can expect to explore the science behind the contents of your closet. The technology that produces our modern clothing is the result of an unlikely collaboration between prehistoric humans, an 18-year-old chemist in Victorian London, and a Harvard professor employed by DuPont on the eve of World War II.

Our Dyes and Textiles tour bridges content from our new BOLD exhibition and our permanent exhibition, offering a broad picture of the scientific developments that shifted clothing production from the home to the factory to the laboratory.

We can accommodate up to 20 individuals per tour group with a minimum group size of eight. Larger groups will be split to stagger their tour times since our spaces are relatively small.

Our "Highlights" tours offer fresh encounters with historical artifacts, centered on a single theme that explores science's impact on society. Your group will enjoy a focused tour of a single section of our museum, followed by a guided, hands-on collections activity or demonstration that brings science history to life.

In our “Materials for the Masses” tour, you'll explore the history of modern materials, with a special focus on synthetic textiles like Nylon, Lycra, Spandex, and more. These fibers changed our world, from fashion to medicine, through wartime to peacetime and beyond. You'll look back at the history of natural textiles like wool and linen, then jump ahead to see high-tech solutions like ePTFE. Guided demonstrations will showcase the history of dyes, the technology behind "stretch" fibers, and how high-tech fibers are used today.

Bring your club, class or group for a fun-filled interactive scavenger hunt activity in our museum! Scavenger hunts typically last roughly 30 minutes and begin with a brief introduction to our museum. followed by self-guided exploration. Our scavenger hunt worksheets come in a wide variety of topics and themes, including:
"Machines in the Museum" (looking at scientific instruments)
"Meet the Elements" (exploring the Periodic Table)
"Behind the Science" (introducing "hidden figures" of science discovery)
"Food Science Eye Spy" (looking at food innovations and objects used to analyze them)
"SciFi" (examining objects that inspired great works of science fiction)
"Science History 101"

Our Science & Activism Tour invites visitors to consider these questions: Who is a scientist? Who is an activist? How does each bring about change?

This tour will explore historical moments of crisis, challenge, and change; from the influential book Silent Spring by conservationist Rachel Carson and the rise of the environmental movement; to ACT UP, the AIDS crisis, and the development of the patients’ bill of rights; to the Black Panthers’ lead role in community testing for sickle cell anemia; and more stories that examine the complex interactions between scientific knowledge, public policy, and community advocacy. This tour offers a broad picture of the ways activists have reshaped our understanding of science, and how visitors can become engaged today.

We can accommodate up to 20 individuals per tour group with a minimum group size of eight. Larger groups will be split to stagger their tour times since our spaces are relatively small.

Our Women in Chemistry Tour profiles women chemists from antiquity to the present, sharing stories of innovation, resistance, and change.

On this tour, you can expect to learn about the legendary founding women of alchemy, explore the connections between domesticity and distillation see how wartime changed the laboratory, and more. You’ll meet pioneering chemists and chemistry educators, from 17th-century French alchemist Marie Meurdrac to Marie Maynard Daly, the first Black woman in America to receive a PhD in chemistry.

We can accommodate up to 20 individuals per tour group with a minimum group size of eight. Larger groups will be split to stagger their tour times since our spaces are relatively small.