With its newest feature, Kamin Science Center is satisfying a real need — the need for speed.
The North Shore institution on Thursday unveiled its currently under-construction “Science of Speed” exhibit — opening Aug. 1 — in the currently under-renovation 21,000-square-foot building formerly home to its “SportsWorks” exhibit.
Once complete, the new exhibit will feature a multi-level, lighted racetrack upon which eight electric karts will hit sloping straights and hairpin turns during six-minute races.
A 3,500-square-foot racing exhibition will be located underneath the track, complete with vintage and modern high-performance cars and bikes, interactive exhibits, five racing simulators (including one dedicated Formula One experience) where attendees can battle it out head-to-head, and artifacts from F1 and other racing series.
A racing-inspired lounge called “Pitt Stop” built on an open mezzanine will overlook the action, offering light bites, craft cocktails, local beers and private rooms for rent.
“Science of speed is driven by a simple idea — people are naturally fascinated by going faster, the thrill of acceleration, the precision of control and the technology that helps us push the limits of human performance,” said Kamin Science Center director Jason Brown. “And behind all of it is science.”
The new exhibit is sponsored by Lenovo, which maintains technology partnerships with both Formula One and MotoGP.
Brown says the exhibit will hit on STEM concepts with its hands-on experiences, like the “exploded” Audi R8 that shows off the inner workings of an internal combustion engine.
“[Guests will] experience in real time the science behind energy transfer, traction, drag, reaction time and control,” said Brown. “They’ll learn how innovation powers performance from aerodynamics and materials science to human response and decision making.
“Every part of this experience is designed to turn concepts in science, technology, engineering and mathematics into something physical, competitive and exciting.”
Lenovo marketing director Milo Speranzo elaborated on his company’s role in a sport where 600 terabytes of technical data can be generated within the span of a single race.
“Our technology — you may have seen it this weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal — powers everything from the broadcast center to the on-track sensors that are buried into the cars and the motorcycles that help predict maintenance failures, as well as how to tune these cars to make them go just a little bit faster,” said Speranzo.
The endeavor is aimed at adults, too. There are plans for extended adults-only hours beyond Kamin’s typical 5 p.m. closing time, when lights will create a “Tron”-esque experience, and Karts will hit top speeds of 40 mph.
“We’ll max it up at night,” said Science of Speed director Ian Sparks, who is in the process of hiring 20-30 new employees to manage the facility. “This is all LED lighting, so as you’re going by, it’s just going to be flashes of pretty lights.
“I think you’ll feel the speed as soon as you get into the cart.”
There are also tentative plans in the works to host racing leagues and Formula One watch events, said Brown.
“People like me, whose children are grown, people like my friends who don’t have children, my son who doesn’t have a child yet, college students — this is a place that we’re trying to pull them in as well,” said Brown.
The vision for “Science of Speed” has been building in Brown’s head for more than two years, following a conversation with a neighbor in a Porsche club with him.
“There’s this very passionate group of people who are really into racing in the Pittsburgh region, and there’s nowhere for them to get to the science and technology, but they’re all into it,” said Brown. “So we thought that’d be a great way to engage a whole new group of people.”
The cost of the new exhibit was not disclosed, but it is being funded through the sponsorship and Carnegie Museums’ $500 million “All Together” fundraising campaign.
The campaign is the first of its kind pursued in 20 years by the group of four Pittsburgh museums (Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art in Oakland and the Andy Warhol Museum and Kamin Science Center on the North Shore). It has raised $365 million to date and will ultimately transform 75% of exhibition spaces over the next several years.
In December, the science museum unveiled “Sports360,” the first long-term exhibit added to its portfolio following a $65 million donation in 2024 from philanthropists Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin, for whom the center was renamed last year.
The hands-on exhibits, camps, classes and off-site education programs that comprise Kamin are collectively visited by about 500,000 guests annually, the science museum reports.
