MathWorks and Discovery Museum Celebrate 15-year Partnership to Bring Hands-on STEM to PreK-8 Classrooms
Acton, MA – Discovery Museum and Natick-based MathWorks announced today their continued partnership to bring the Museum’s Traveling Science Workshops to classrooms throughout Massachusetts and beyond for the 2024-2025 school year. This is the 15th consecutive school year that MathWorks has invested in the Museum’s school outreach program.
In photo: Students in Lawrence, MA, explore chemical reactions and the pH of various liquids in Discovery Museum’s Chemistry Lab workshop. These and other photos are available for download here.
Traveling Science Workshops (TSW) are state curriculum-aligned, small group, in-classroom workshops that use simple, everyday materials and a hands-on approach to allow students to be scientists by exploring, observing, asking questions, and sharing discoveries. Museum educators deliver workshops on 23 STEM topics—including Sound, Weather & Climate, Physical Changes of Matter, and Force & Motion—to give elementary and middle school students direct experience with how things work in the physical world. It is the only classroom-based program of its kind in Massachusetts.
Strong and continued growth. During the 2023-2024 school year, Discovery Museum delivered nearly 2,900 workshops to schools in 116 towns, reaching more than 56,000 students in their classrooms with hands-on science. This is a 10% increase from the prior school year. Workshop delivery has tripled over the last 15 years of Discovery Museum’s partnership with MathWorks, with nearly 450,000 students reached in total.
“MathWorks has steadily supported Traveling Science Workshops because the program puts fun and collaborative STEM explorations into kids’ hands,” said Kevin Lorenc, director of corporate communications at MathWorks. “Taking the mystery out of science at an early age can build confidence around STEM and change how a young person views themselves and their possible career journey.”
“The 15 years MathWorks invested in this work helped us bring hands-on science to nearly 450,000 kids throughout Massachusetts and beyond,” said Discovery Museum CEO Marie Beam. “Helping children experience doing science rather than just reading about it matters because we believe they should see themselves as capable and creative problem solvers prepared to tackle the big issues of the future.”
MathWorks has partnered with Discovery Museum since 2010 to bring TSW to PreK through 8th grade school classrooms. The company also supports community access to the Museum by funding free-access Friday nights and a week of reduced admission pricing in the fall. MathWorks staff members undertake on-site volunteer projects several times each year.
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About Discovery Museum
Discovery Museum is a hands-on museum for families that blends science, nature, and play. The museum and its Discovery Woods accessible outdoor nature playscape and giant treehouse blend the best of STEAM learning on a beautiful 4.5-acre campus abutting 180 acres of conservation land in Acton, MA, about 20 miles west of Boston. Originally founded in 1982 and expanded to two museums in 1987, the museum reopened in a single, 16,000sf accessible building after a complete renovation and expansion in early 2018. Hands-on, open-ended exhibits developed by professional educators inspire curiosity and exploration, providing a fun and engaging experience for children and adults to discover their world together. Serving families and schools from towns throughout the region, the museum is devoted to informal education that enhances classroom learning. Discovery Museum is committed to accessibility and is a proud recipient of the Massachusetts Commonwealth Award, the only winner in the Access category, and a LEAD® Community Asset Award from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2024 Discovery Museum was awarded a National Medal for Museum Service from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the nation’s highest honor awarded to museums that make “significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Discovery Museum is a community-supported non-profit organization.
About MathWorks
MathWorks is the leading developer of mathematical computing software. MATLAB, the language of engineers and scientists, is a programming environment for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization, and numeric computation. Simulink is a block diagram environment for simulation and Model-Based Design of multidomain and embedded engineering systems. Engineers and scientists worldwide rely on these products to accelerate the pace of discovery, innovation, and development in automotive, aerospace, communications, electronics, industrial automation, and other industries. MATLAB and Simulink are fundamental teaching and research tools in the world’s top universities and learning institutions. Founded in 1984, MathWorks employs more than 6500 people in 34 offices around the world, with headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, USA. For additional information, visit mathworks.com.
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