Museum of Innovation and Science

The Museum of Innovation and Science is a science and technology museum in Schenectady, New York. It features a planetarium that has one of only 16 GOTO Chronos Star Machines, which are capable of showing over 8,000 stars and any location on earth from a 100,000 years ago to the present. The museum also contains a large archives, which was borne out of a merger between the museum and General Electric Schenectady. It holds G.E.'s 1.5 million photograph collection representing the development of the electrical industry and 20th century American life as well as its manuscript collection. The archives also holds various records from Schenectady, including newspapers, yearbooks, and materials documenting the various ethnicities of the city.

The Museum of Innovation and Science was established in 1934 as the Schenectady Museum and was first located in the old County Almshouse at the intersection of Emmet and Steuben Streets (the building was eventually demolished). It was later renamed the Schenectady Museum and Planetarium and vacated the almshouse in 1968. It appears it moved into its current building at that time.

The museum features three permanent exhibits: Engineering the Shot, Design Zone, and Women at GE. Engineering the Shot, which opened in January 2024, is an interactive mini golf exhibit intended to teach visitors about physics. Design Vision explores how science and math are used to create music, video games, and roller coasters. Women at GE (General Electric) showcases the contributions female industrial scientists and engineers have made since the early 1900s. The museum also offers traveling exhibits.

"Explore miSci's latest interactive exhibits and experiences!" Museum of Innovation and Science. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://misci.org/exhibitions.

"Overview & History." Museum of Innovation and Science. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://misci.org/about-misci.