Sparking a Love for Science

The Reading Science Center gives visitors a unique, hands-on experience

By Amish Jindal, Communications & Marketing Intern, GRCA

The Reading Science Center is positioned to have a significant impact on the community. Aside from being a great place to spend time, the center sees itself as a hub that will help keep talented youth in Berks County.

Founded by Jim Cinelli in 2017, the facility is located on Penn Street in downtown Reading and occupies a 7,000-square-foot space with more than 45 interactive STEM (Science, Technology, Math and Engineering) exhibits.

Many of these exhibits feature something that encompasses Berks County. For example, the newest exhibit “Bones and Stones” is a wooden box that is filled with local dirt from different places in the county. This dirt contains donated crystals and rocks. Children are taxed with finding stones and identifying them.

“Bones and Stones teaches all of us about how important it is for children to play in the dirt. Many people don’t know about the immunity that can be gained from dirt,” said Executive Director Lisa Meredith-Unrath.

Another unique facility is the Neag Cell Lab. This is the only wet, biological stem lab east of the Mississippi River where visitors work their way through guided experiments.

An exhibit that Meredith-Unrath sees having a huge impact on Berks County is “If-then.” In this experience, children are asked a series of questions and then told which fields they would most likely be interested in. They then go on to explore these fields.

“We show children all the opportunities available for them in Berks County. We make them realize that they don’t have to leave to have a great career. This stops the “brain drain” that the county has been experiencing for decades,” said Meredith-Unrath.

Since its official opening in 2020, the Reading Science Center has faced its share of challenges.

“Opening in the pandemic was nerve racking and frustrating. But in a way a blessing. It allowed us to get our footing and retool our experience,” said Meredith-Unrath.

Right now, the center faces the difficulties of funding and awareness.

To gain traction, the center has launched many new programs and events. One of these is a free, after-school program that exposes 4th, 5th and 6th grade girls to STEM. It also supports and welcomes field trips from local schools. A certified teacher works at the center and can match lesson plans with the experience at the center, making sure no class time is missed.

Networking and social events also are held at the Reading Science Center. Companies can rent out the space and host people, while also providing a fun, interactive time with the exhibits.

Looking to the future, the Reading Science Center looks to not just focus on STEM, but also the social impact the facility will have on Reading and the surrounding areas.

“We will be a driving force for where our youth goes and what they do. We see ourselves being that go-to place.” MeredithUnrath said.