Visit Our Center

Neon open signs for the science discovery center
Children on a field trip to the Science Discovery Center

Public Hours

The current hours of the SDC are Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm.

Admission

Admission is always free; donations are always welcome.

Location and Parking

The Science Discovery Center is located in the Physical Science building on the SUNY Oneonta campus, room 112. In the summer there is a lot of open parking near the Physical Science building: look for the visitor (V) and commuter (C) parking lots below the Physical Science and Human Ecology buildings. During the academic year, especially during the work week, guests will need to get a free, no-registration day pass to park in visitor and commuter lots; passes can be picked up at the Center's main desk or contact us ahead of time and we can email it to you to print out. There is handicapped parking a short distance from the Center's doors, please feel free to call ahead for assistance.

Field Trips and Group Visits

The A.J. Read Science Discovery Center makes a great destination for a school field trip, especially for grades 3-5. We have a variety of engaging, hands-on STEM exhibits and demos, and the SUNY Oneonta planetarium is one of the most advanced in the region. There is no cost to visit us, and there is even support available to school districts to offset transportation costs.

Planning Your Trip

The Center's exhibits are great for all ages, though most of our visitors are elementary and middle school students. In order to serve the public safely, we have changed our field trip policies.

  • We are only booking one visit per day to allow our staff to clean our facilities.
  • Visiting school groups are limited to 58 people (students, teachers, chaperones) because of stricter capacity requirements in both the Center and the Planetarium.
  • Groups larger than 28 will be split into two sections and will rotate through the SDC and Planetarium.
  • The Wal-Mart Transportation Fund is available to local schools to offset transport costs. When you book your visit, you can also apply for transport reimbursement using the same form linked via the button below.

A typical three-hour visit would include: free exploration time at the SDC, time to eat a packed snack/lunch (we have a covered atrium that works well for this), a live planetarium show, and (sometimes) a live electricity demo or campus tour.

To book a field trip or group visit, please click on the button below, complete and submit the form, and a staff member will contact you to confirm dates and details.

Request Group Visit

Handicapped Accessibility and Sensory Safe

We try hard to be accessible to all! Physical Science is a handicapped accessible building with reserved spots not far from the Southeast door closest to the Science Discovery Center. The SDC itself is also handicapped accessible, and people in wheelchairs have reported that our exhibits are easy to navigate. The SDC is often very quiet and we don't play music, and most of our exhibits do not produce loud noises, so for people with sensory disorders it is often a very comfortable space. Feel free to contact us at sdc@oneonta.edu or (607) 436-2011 with any concerns or inquiries!

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