Surrounded by gorgeous hiking trails in Oakland’s Redwood Regional Park, the Chabot Space & Science Center occupies a unique position in the Bay Area – it’s not only nestled in a scenic location, but it is also the only space-focused science center in the region. The institution has spent nearly 140 years serving as a research center and community resource, featuring attractions such as publicly-accessible refracting telescopes that are over a century old, and a wealth of interactive exhibits.
Despite its rich history, Chabot hasn’t been immune to hardships that were only exacerbated by the pandemic. They were forced to close in March 2020 and spent over 18 months shuttered to the public while aiming to refresh its visitor experience. The Chabot Space & Science Center has been one of the Moore Foundation’s longtime partners, and over the years we have been able to collaborate on areas such as program development, infrastructure support and strategic planning.
As part of its recent refresh, Chabot has been able to rebuild its leadership structure, develop and install new exhibits, overhaul spaces in the building, and create public programs (such as First Fridays) to engage audiences. These modernization efforts have served to secure the center’s future as a valuable part of the Bay Area community, and it reopened on November 12, 2021, highlighted by a partnership with NASA that moved the NASA Ames Bay Area Visitor Experience from NASA Ames Research Center to Chabot and set in motion a longer-term collaboration.
Aiming to maintain its position as a premier educational resource, the center is focused on providing an avenue for children to explore science and astronomy.
As its name suggests, Chabot boasts a variety of space and science-themed experiences, including a planetarium and historical items such as suits used in early space programs. Chabot’s most attractive feature might be its observation deck, which is home to three telescopes (Rachel, Leah and Nellie) and several other exhibits that let visitors see the sky in a different light. Among these are the Sky Mirror, with allows people to angle a mirror to reflect different parts of the sky. Chabot’s telescopes are some of the largest available for public viewing in the U.S., and visitors can watch staff operate the telescopes and observatory domes before taking a look for themselves. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the observatory is open free of charge, allowing for a one-of-a-kind viewing experience of stars, planets and more.
Chabot’s exhibits aren’t all centered on the stars, though. There is also an emphasis on the more grounded aspects of STEM and STEAM – particularly career pathways. Some exhibits share stories from NASA scientists, connecting people with employees that share their interests. Others introduce children to the various roles at NASA, ranging from engineers to artists.
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From Anthony Chabot himself to current director Adam Tobin, Chabot’s leadership and staff have long understood the value of using the wonders of the universe to inspire and educate others – especially youth. Former director Kingsley Wightman said it best with this quote, which can be found in the observatory plaza: “They say Kingsley, we don’t have enough money to teach reading, writing and arithmetic. Why should we be teaching astronomy?’ But then they get one look through the telescope.”
To that end, Chabot has many programs that serve to engage local youth, with a priority on serving the youth and community in Oakland and Alameda county. Schools can book field trips for grades K-12 that allow for a focused, hands-on experience with exhibits along with science demonstrations and nature hikes. During the pandemic, unable to welcome students through their doors, staff pivoted to make free virtual field trips available, featuring workshops and programming on YouTube. The center and the Moore Foundation have also partnered on programs such as Techbridge, which started as a program within Chabot in 2000 before it spun out to become a national model for girls and engineering, with a special focus on Black, Indigenous and people of color communities, through after-school programs.
With the new NASA Ames experience and a refreshed focus, all signs point to the center carrying that legacy forward by helping educators and parents raise the next wave of Bay Area scientists in a time when it is sorely needed. Walking around Chabot with all the visiting families and seeing kids engrossed in constructing paper airplanes to test in a wind tunnel or sculpting the landscape in the lunar sandbox, one can’t help but feel that the next generation is in good hands.
Chabot is currently open for general admission on the weekends, with tickets available on their website.
All images courtesy of the Chabot Space & Science Center.
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