You’re reading Part Two of two about the reimagined St Petersburg Science Center. If you’ve not yet read Part One, you can find it here.

In Part One, I shared the core mission for the Science Center – to be a center of excellence for artificial intelligence so that everyone in our community can thrive in an AI-infused world. While achieving that mission will be a significant undertaking, the Science Center has a lot more to offer. That’s what we’ll explore here.  

Crafting a vision for the next iteration of the Science Center was a complex and rewarding process. The requirements were to honor the past, prepare for the future and provide maximum value to the community, all within a sustainable business model. To accomplish this, we’ve baked in many different elements which we’ve dubbed “spaces.” Each space has unique attributes and each serves multiple purposes in meeting the requirements. We’ll cover some of them now, and you can do a deeper dive at ScienceCenter.ai.  

The Spaces

The Historic Mosaic Trail is, literally, a hidden treasure. Preserved safely beneath years of foliage and overgrowth, the nearly half-acre art installation is a trail of hand-made and hand-laid mosaic tiles. Each of the 50 states has its own section, with tile representations of the state geography, bird and flower. Tile portraits of noteworthy figures and moments like Tony Jannus and the first-in-flight Benoist plane are scattered throughout. A 20-foot bridge connects two parts of the trail and features a massive tile portrait of St Petersburg. The entire trail meanders through the Science Center garden. Both the trail and the garden will be renewed as a beautiful oasis to delight tourists, host events and offer peaceful retreat for our community.  

Visitors to the trail will first encounter Cafai, the AI themed café located in the original round building with the famous space shuttle mural. That building also holds the planetarium, which will be restored so visitors can again explore the universe (and enjoy the occasional dance party).

The crown jewel atop the Science Center is the Star Garden, an unique indoor-outdoor event space nestled in the tree canopy. The indoor section has all the amenities required for an unforgettable event. Stepping outside takes your evening to a whole new level. Between the indoor and outdoor gathering spaces is a lush rooftop garden. In addition to providing a rich botanical setting for your event, it also collects rainwater which feeds the garden below via a four-story cascading water feature. You can enjoy the waterfall from the viewing platform that juts out over the garden. The outdoor terrace and raised stage offer room for hundreds of stargazers to enjoy a wedding, a band or whatever they’re gathering to celebrate.

The multiple event spaces will be much needed additions to west St Petersburg. The area could also use more Class A office space, and the Science Center will provide nearly 20,000 square feet of it. Small one-person offices, medium 2-4 person offices and a few larger spaces will save beach-dwelling execs the daily commute across the peninsula to downtown. A community conference room will serve as a meeting place for local businesses, groups and nonprofits, and they’ll be plenty of other places to tuck away and work throughout the facility. Amenities include meeting rooms, audio and video studios, a gym, a walking trail around the perimeter of the grounds – and the use of my favorite space in the Science Center …

The Hybritorium is a first-of-its-kind venue built to seamlessly host hybrid events. Three tiers will hold about 220 seats. On the facings between the tiers, on the columns – and wherever there’s space – will hang around 120 monitors. When attendees reserve a ticket for an event, they’ll choose either a physical seat if coming in person, or a monitor if attending remotely. If remote, when the guest logs in, their face will appear on their specific monitor wherever it is in the Hybritorium. Each cluster of monitors has a camera and a speaker, so the remote attendee will see the stage from their actual monitor location. If they interact with the lecturer, the lecturer will hear them from their monitor, so they’ll turn and face the remote attendee just like they would when speaking with someone who is physically in the audience. Both in-person and remote guests appear on the big screen behind the lecturer, so that everyone can see and hear each other seamlessly.

The Hybritorium takes accessibility to the next level and showcases our dedication to being more than just a day out. One of the limitations of day-trip student destinations is that the magic created during the visit dissipates rapidly after the day ends. To make sure that doesn’t happen at the Science Center, all of or spaces include an “endless path” consideration. We ask how we can make sure the student (or visitor) never runs out of path to walk for a subject or experience. With our partners at Cityverse, we’ll build online elements so that if a student, for example, is inspired by the AI and creativity station in the AI Village, they can plug back into the Science Center from home and continue exploring more creativity curriculum. On-line navigators will host virtual meetups, classes and continuing education to illuminate an endless path of learning customized to each student. If a student absorbs all of our internal curricula, the navigator will be there to connect them to partners for mentorship, advanced courses and internships.  

The endless path concept is just a fraction of the virtual programming on offer. In addition to hundreds of people visiting the physical spaces each day, hundreds more will connect and interact remotely. That way everyone can access the valuable Science Center resources. Our human and AI navigators will be there to create a uniquely personal experience for each visitor. Even Cafai will have booths with screens embedded in the wall so that virtual friends can join the conversation.

The future will be driven by minds connecting with minds, supercharged by AI. Blending in-person and remote connections opens channels so the best ideas reach the most people. That makes our community more aligned, more resilient and more ready to thrive.

Thank you for reading. Know that our imaginations have not stopped and the project will continue to evolve as opportunities arise.  I hope you’ll find many ways to plug in and enjoy the reimagined St Petersburg Science Center.