The Science and Technology Education Innovation Center, formerly known as the Science Center of Pinellas County, is an educational center in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States.

Venue: Science and Technology Education Innovation Center
Town: St. Petersburg, US

The Science and Technology Education Innovation Center, formerly known as the Science Center of Pinellas County, is an educational center in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It occupies 7 acres (28,000 m2) of land located on 22nd Avenue North, in West St. Petersburg, located near the Tyrone Mall. The Science Center is a non-profit organization founded in St. Petersburg in 1959 by William Guild and Nell Rodgers Croley. It was the first science center of its kind in the world, and it operates on donations and grants. Its mission is to inspire interest in and to promoting the understanding of all sciences. In 1966 the present main building was completed. During the 1960s and early 70s, the center offered after-school and weekend classes for students from Kindergarten through middle school in such subjects as biology, chemistry, electronics and astronautics. Today about 22,000 children visit the building each school year during field trips. The Science Center frequently works with Pinellas County schools, and all summer camp classes and science camps taught at the Science Center meet FCAT guidelines. In 2000 the Margaret Ewell Dickins Marine Room opened. The exhibit includes numerous aquariums filled with marine creatures such as a snowflake moray and a black sea bass. The most popular feature is a 600-gallon touch tank where visitors can touch starfish, horseshoe crabs, guitarfish, slipper lobsters, hermit crabs and sea urchins. In addition, the Science Center holds marine biology classes for children in this room during science summer camps and school breaks. In 1997, the Carol Samuels Observatory opened. The observatory provides visitors with a view of cosmic events and features through a 16-inch (410 mm) Meade telescope. The research-grade telescope is the only one available to the public in Pinellas County in a non-university setting. The St. Petersburg Astronomy Club holds a handful of events at the Science Center throughout the year, and helps the public u