About Us

Mission

To engage people of all ages and backgrounds in science and technology experiences that educate, inform, provoke thought and inspire action. The Tech Museum does this through content and programs featuring "The Spirit of Silicon Valley" inspiring people, inventions and mind-set that continues to make this region the leading source of science and technology innovation.

Exhibits

  • Hundreds of exhibits, 97 percent of which are original or custom made
  • Host of blockbuster exhibits "BODY WORLDS 2 and The Three Pound Gem" and "Leonardo: 500 Years into the Future"
  • Online exhibits and activities from robotics to satellites
  • Hands-on exhibits explore genetics with our partners from the Department of Genetics at Stanford University, space exploration with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, clean energy, biotechnology and other sciences
  • New galleries include: The Tech Virtual Test Zone, and The Tech Awards Gallery
  • Popular galleries include: Genetics: Technology with a Twist; Exploration, Earthquake platform, Jet Pack Simulator and Life Tech
  • Home of The Spirit of American Innovation, an exhibit about the National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest honor for technological innovation

Signature Programs

  • The Tech Awards - The international awards program honors brilliant innovators from around the world who apply technology to benefit humanity
  • The Tech Challenge - The annual team design challenge for youth in grades 5 through 12 reinforces the scientific process with a hands-on project to solve a real-world problem
  • The Tech Virtual Test Zone - This new gallery showcases the world's first hands-on, interactive exhibits conceptualized and developed originally in the virtual world of Second Life® by people from all over the world
  • Free Field Trips feature standards curriculum for schools and after-school programs
  • The Tech Summer Camps - the ultimate camp experience, brought to you in partnership with Galileo Learning, offers 4th-8th graders hands-on science and technology classes, high-quality lab facilities, teamwork exercises, and fun in the best camp traditions

Education

  • The Robert N. Noyce Center for Learning supports K-12 education with outstanding design challenge activities, classes and teacher professional development
  • 4,000 square feet of educational media and science and technology labs
  • Hands-on science labs
  • Online design-challenge lessons
  • Free museum membership for California K-12 public, private and home school teachers, principals and district employees

Outreach

  • ScholarShare Free Second Sunday - receive free admission on the 2nd Sunday of each month
  • Math Works - a bilingual math & science program geared toward Hispanic communities. Classes engage youth and their families and make learning a multi-generational experience

Visitors

  • More than 5 million visitors since opening new facility 10 years ago
  • Over 500,000 visitors per year
  • Nearly 120,000 visitors came from school groups, of which nearly 50,000 were from Title 1 schools

Budget & Staff

  • Total annual operating budget - $10.2 million
  • 90 total employees
  • More than 400 volunteers

Facilities

  • Total project cost - $113 million; $49million from the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose; $32 million raised through The Tech Capital Campaign; $32 million in equipment and services from more than 500 companies
  • Museum design architect is Ricardo Legorreta of Mexico City. The Steinberg Group of San Jose, CA, served as executive architects
  • 132,000-square-foot, three-level azure- and mango-colored building
  • 185-kilowatt photovoltaic solar panel system atop roof of Parkside Hall, supplementing energy supply by nearly 10 percent
  • 2,000-square-foot TechStore stocked with gift items, gadgets and books
  • 80-seat Café Primavera
  • 295-seat Hackworth IMAX DomeTheater, one of the top 10 attended in the United States. The theater houses a 9,000-square-foot perforated aluminum screen and a 13,000 watt, 6 channel, all digital surround-sound system
  • 45-foot cylindrical art piece, "Origin," designed by Beliz Brother, Brad Goldberg and Joseph McShane, stands in the museum's south atrium
  • A 16-foot-tall, 12-foot-long audio kinetic sculpture, "Science on a Roll," by George Rhoads stands at the museum's Park Avenue entrance

History

The idea for The Tech Museum was little more than a dream back in 1978 when the Junior League of Palo Alto - and later the San Jose Junior League - struck upon a grand plan to create a dynamic learning center devoted to science and technology. Twelve years later, "The Garage" swung open its doors at downtown San Jose's former convention center on San Carlos Street and quickly became a valuable educational resource for children and young adults. Just eight years later, The Tech Museum moved into a bigger, dazzling 132,000-square-foot mango-and-azure-colored domed building, unlike any other in the Silicon Valley or the world. The Tech has become a landmark for visitors seeking a glimpse of the most inventive place on Earth and a showcase of the latest blockbuster exhibits, high-tech gizmos and wondrous gadgets that continue to define Silicon Valley