The Kamin Science Center’s campus-wide makeover continues this week with the opening of Science of Speed, a big new immersive and interactive exhibit that features a multi-level electric kart-racing track.
Science of Speed, which opens Saturday, Aug. 1, occupies the 21,000-square-foot building that formerly housed SportsWorks. It also features high-tech racing simulators, displays about things like aerodynamics, traction and engine technology, and a trackside restaurant and lounge called The Pit Stop.
Science of Speed will be open seven days a week and on Thursdays through Saturdays will stay open until 11 p.m. for visitors 18 and older.
“We designed this to broaden our audience,” said Science Center director Jason Brown at a press preview Thursday. “We wanted something for everyone.”
The new exhibit is the latest phase of the Center’s makeover that also includes Sports360, a large permanent exhibit that opened in December. It is the most recent of a planned nine new exhibits and experiences at the Center that will roll out through the end of 2027, transforming 75% of its gallery space.
Visitors to Science of Speed are greeted by the three-story, winding 800-foot track, with its yard-high barrier walls lit blue, green and orange. The track is designed to mimic the shape of a Formula 1 road course, its surface lined with a special resin that mimics asphalt. As display text notes, asphalt is less durable than concrete but provides better traction for fast-moving vehicles.
The Center’s 30 or so karts travel at speeds up to 40 mph — respectable, if rather slower than the 200 mph-plus routinely attained by F1 drivers. For visitors accustomed to old-school gas-powered karts, these electric vehicles are shockingly quiet. Save for the squealing tires of cornering vehicles, they are no louder than vacuum cleaners.
The low-slung karts come in two sizes: junior, for kids ages 7 to 12 (and at least 4’ tall) and adult, for drivers 13 and older (and at least 4’6”). Races include up to six vehicles for six minutes each, or about a dozen laps.
Among the first preview guests to take the wheel Thursday was Mayor Corey O’Connor.
Speaking Thursday, Brown characterized the kart racing as immersive learning.
“We hope that you’ll experience while you’re out there things like momentum, energy transfer, traction, aerodynamics and reaction time,” he said. He also touted that Lenovo, the global technology company that is a partner of Formula 1 racing, is the primary sponsor of Science of Speed.
Near the track’s lower level sit five simulators — four interconnected SimGear machines that let players compete as a group plus a WAVE Italy Formula 1 Motion Simulator, the only one in the region.
Nearby displays and interactive exhibits explore materials science, energy transfer, data analytics, human performance under stress and more. Featured artifacts include the iconic 1959 race car Ol’ Yaller, an exploded-engine Audi R8, a Ducati racing motorcycle, and a signed racing suit from MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez.
The Pit Stop includes a full bar and a lounge-style pizza-and-sandwiches menu.
For its debut Saturday, Science of Speed will be open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Festivities will feature DJs, local sports mascots and giveaways.
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