SciencePort: Northern Virginia's Science Center  will further the public understanding of science and technology through experiential learning and the science center's identified goals and values. 

As it plans for the opening  of its new facility in 2010, SciencePort will begin with the creation of several major iconic experiences.  Each of these icons is a complex, multi-faceted environment that offers multiple points of entry and permits a wide range of investigation on a multiplicity of topics.  SciencePort's icons are complemented by resources - exhibits, workshops, and labs - that are designed to provide context for the icons, as well as the tools for understanding and interpreting them.  Each of the types of resources plays a key role in providing opportunities for visitors to take their learning to deeper levels. 

SciencePort also hopes to create synergistic partnerships with many different local entities such as the Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the area's school systems, George Mason University and private industry.

SciencePort is a member of The Science Museum of Virginia network of science centers.  The network is a group of state-agency science centers located in Richmond and Danville, and with a statewide mission.  Since Northern Virginia is one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas without a hands-on science center, it is a natural opportunity for the creation of a new science center in support of schools, general visitation, and tourism.  

Visitor Experience Master Plan

Overarching Goal: 

"A science center should affect us all with a compelling desire to visit, see, explore, engage, and have fun.  When we walk away, it is from a memorable experience - a learning experience.  The science center design we create must, at its heart, change lives." 

~Dr. Walter R. T. Witschey, Director, Science Museum of Virginia