Events

The Science History Institute produces a wide range of in-person and virtual events that are free and open to the public. From exhibition openings and talks, to museum tours and late-night activities, our programming is aimed at science history lovers, students, industry professionals, scholars, educators, and the scientifically curious.
Featured

From Nature to Nylons: A Touch-Based History of Textiles

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 | 10:30am-12pm EDT
Learn More

Filter events

Event Types
  • Beckman Center
  • Classes & Workshops
  • Conferences & Symposia
  • Drop-In Tours
  • Fellow in Focus
  • First Fridays
  • For Families
  • Free
  • Hybrid
  • Joseph Priestley Society
  • Library Programs & Activities
  • Museum Programs & Activities
  • Online
  • Performances
  • Programs, Lectures & Talks
  • Science and Society
  • Science on Tap
  • Stories of Science
  • Touch Tours
woman with glasses, standing, showing a short blue nylon dress

From Nature to Nylons: A Touch-Based History of Textiles

This touch-based tour offers guests a private learning experience that combines a personally guided exploration of select gallery exhibits and a hands-on study of objects from our collections.

More
firework with the word "Passfire" over a black field

Film Screening: Passfire

This original documentary by Veverka Bros. explores the world’s most spectacular pyrotechnics, the artisans who create them, and the rich cultural traditions they represent.

More
painting of an alchemist doing an experiment that caught fire

Stories of Science: Revolutionary Science

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

More
chart of fingerprints

Forensics Highlights Tour

Fans of murder mysteries and true crime are invited to join our museum educators to explore the science behind deductions.

More
engraved print of a fireworks show in a book

Fireworks Tour

Join our museum educators for a drop-in tour of our special exhibition on the fascinating history and science of pyrotechnics.

More
illustration of a colonial-era man behind a boiling kettle

Stories of Science: Revolutionary Science

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

More
book illustration of protozoa

Unwell Waters Highlights Tour

Join our museum educators at 11:30am or 2pm as we visit the history of medicine exhibit to learn about waterborne epidemics from Pennsylvania’s past.

More
vials of powder paint pigments

Stories of Science: Color and Light

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

More

From Nature to Nylons Highlights Tour

Join our museum educators as we explore the history of the materials that fashion our clothes.

More
women in lab

Women in Chemistry Tour

Drop in for a tour highlighting the central role of women in shaping chemistry and the material sciences throughout history.

More
postcard showing colorful yarn

First Friday: Dyeing to Know!

Have you ever thought about the science behind the contents of your closet? If you’re dyeing to know the answer, come to our First Friday for an inside look!

More
A library interior with tall bookshelves, large columns, and seating area.

Othmer Library Tour

Curious about the other half of the Science History Institute? Step into the Othmer Library of Chemical History!

More
woman in apron dyeing cloth in a basin

Stories of Science: Color and Light

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

More
color ad depicting a boy and girl and a house

Stuff from Your House Highlights Tour

Join our museum educators at 11:30am or 2pm as we explore the scientific principles and history behind everyday household objects.

More
Museum educator Laura Prewitt speaks out the nylon exhibit with a man who using a white cane.

From Nature to Nylons: A Touch-Based History of Textiles

This private learning experience combines a personally guided exploration of select gallery exhibits and a hands-on study of objects.

More
Thomas Paine and Joseph Priestley are seated at a table with guns, knives, a dish says phospherous, a gun butt says "Royal Electric fluid." A winged puti grins at them squatting in the center of the table. Books on treason, murders, assistination, revolution, etc. surround them. At Priestley's feat are packages of brimstone, axe and pickax. On the walls are scenes of execution and assassinations.

Stories of Science: Revolutionary Ideas with Thomas Paine!

Join us as we welcome Thomas Paine—patriot, pamphleteer, AND SCIENTIST—as presented by reenactor Dean Howarth.

More
black and white photo of a man using a chromatagraph

Forensics Highlights Tour

Fans of murder mysteries and true crime are invited to join our museum educators to explore the science behind deductions.

More
A stylized depiction of fireworks with yellow and red bursts against a dark background, related to the history of fireworks.

Fireworks Tour

Join our museum educators for a drop-in tour of our special exhibition on the fascinating history and science of pyrotechnics.

More

Stories of Science: Color and Light

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

More
cooper bleeding bowl from the 1750s

Unwell Waters Highlights Tour

Join our museum educators at 11:30am or 2pm as we visit the history of medicine exhibit to learn about waterborne epidemics from Pennsylvania’s past.

More
color illustration of quartz samples

Stories of Science: Color and Light

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

More
photo of two fluorescent light bulbs

Stuff from Your House Highlights Tour

Join our museum educators at 11:30am as we explore the scientific principles and history behind everyday household objects.

More
illustrations of 18th century fireworks production

Fireworks Tour

Join our museum educators for a drop-in tour of our special exhibition on the fascinating history and science of pyrotechnics.

More
black-and-white photo of assembled students

Educator Night: Back to School

Discover new ways to bring the history of science into your classroom at this special evening dedicated to educators.

More
man doing research in a library

Othmer Library Tour

Curious about the other half of the Science History Institute? Step into the Othmer Library of Chemical History!

More
ad depicting dancers in neon undergarments under black light

From Nature to Nylons Highlights Tour

Join our museum educators as we explore the history of the materials that fashion our clothes.

More

Science & Activism Tour

From Rachel Carson to ACT UP, explore how scientists and activists have shaped discovery and created change.

More
woman crouching to feel lower part of Bakelizer

From Nature to Nylons: A Touch-Based History of Textiles

This private learning experience combines a personally guided exploration of select gallery exhibits and a hands-on study of objects.

More