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Innovation Labs
Enhance your students’ field trip experience with an Innovation Lab, a facilitated experience that offers a more thorough exploration of The Tech Interactive’s exhibits. Innovation Labs deepen student learning, encourage teamwork and build confidence in the engineering design process.
Innovation Labs last 45 minutes and take place in select exhibits.
Participants will use the design process to brainstorm, design, build, test and redesign creative solutions to real-world science and engineering challenges. All Innovation Labs support Next Generation Science Standards.
Innovation labs are available Tuesday through Friday, Sept. 5, 2023 through June 7, 2024.
Just Wing It
Grades: 1+
Student flight engineers design and build flying contraptions influenced by winged things of all shapes and sizes! Students build, test, and iterate as they discover how shape and form affect aerodynamics and lift.
Duration: 45 minutes
Maximum capacity: 20 students
Location: The Tech Studio (Lower Level)
New! Available starting October 17, 2023
Social Robots
Grades: 1+
Junior robotics engineers work as a team to “debug” a non-functioning robot and create an algorithm to help others with troubleshooting.
Duration: 45 minutes
Maximum capacity: 16 students
Location: Social Robots (Lower Level)
Updated for 2023-24!
Sustainable Cities
Grades: 4+
Student engineers work in teams to design and test their own approach to creating a sustainable city.
Duration: 45 minutes
Maximum capacity: 20 students
Location: Solve For Earth (Lower Level)
Sustainable Cities is presented by Ford. This lab has been made possible in part by a grant from Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Donor Circle for the Environment.
Cost and Reservation Policies
Title I Schools*
Innovation Lab** (45 minutes): No additional charge for school groups; pre-registration strongly recommended.
Non-Title I Schools
Innovation Lab** (45 minutes): No additional charge for school groups; pre-registration strongly recommended.
Summer Camps
Innovation Lab** (45 minutes): N/A
All Innovation Labs are offered Tuesday through Friday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12 p.m.
Innovation Labs are available through pre-booking or during drop-in times. Drop-in times will only be available if the lab is not pre-booked. We highly recommend pre-booking these experiences to guarantee a spot in the lab.
While Innovation Labs are offered at no additional cost, it is still important to let us know if your group is unable to attend the lab. Please call Group Reservations or let your Group Check-in specialist know on the date of your field trip if you need to cancel.
To reserve an Innovation Lab, please indicate your interest on our Request a Field Trip form. When a Group Reservations specialist calls to schedule your trip, they will guide you through the booking process. Please keep in mind you will likely need to split your class into multiple Innovation Lab sessions due to capacity constraints.