MOSAC Academies

Our academies are full-day field trip experiences in which you and your students will explore all that MOSAC has to offer! One of our dynamic, engaging Educators will lead you through real-world learning, engineering challenges, lab experiences, and a dome theater show, in addition to exhibit exploration. Use your problem solving and engineering skills to innovate, create, and explore solutions to real world problems with our unique Academy Programs! 

To book an Academy or field trip, call us at 916.674.5000 ext. 104 or email us at education@visitmosac.org.

Academy Experiences

Ecosystem Investigations (3rd-5th)

What would we need to live on Mars?  It all starts with understanding how ecosystems provide balance for living things, including the food we would need in outer space.  Students will explore the concepts of ecosystems with engaging lab activities, then interact with related exhibits in the Space and Nature galleries.  Bringing this altogether through an exciting design challenge, they will take on the role of engineers testing a balanced ecosystem on Mars. 

Available Tuesday – Friday during the 2023-2024 school year.  

NGSS Alignment:  

  • Disciplinary Core Ideas 
    • LS2.A 
    • ESS3.B 
    • ETS1.B 
  • Crosscutting Concepts 
    • Cause and Effect 
    • System and System Models 
    • Stability and Change 
  • Science and Engineering Problems 
    • Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 
    • Developing and Using Models 
    • Asking Questions and Defining Problems 
    • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 
    • Engaging in Argument from Evidence 
Bright Ideas — Solar Innovations (6th-8th)

Take your students to Mars in an out-of-this-world exploration of energy generation and use. This full-day adventure builds students’ understanding of energy concepts, including renewable energy, while strengthening their skills in experimentation, design, and engineering. They’ll take basic concepts of energy and see how they are applied through interactive exhibits in the Destination Space and Powering Change galleries, and bring it altogether with an exciting engineering challenge: Design, build, and test a device that runs on solar energy power in order to help astronauts live on Mars.

Available Tuesday – Friday during the 2023-2024 school year.  

NGSS Alignment:  

  • Disciplinary Core Ideas 
    • PS3.A 
    • PS3.B 
    • PS3.C 
    • ESS3.D 
    • ETS1.B 
  • Crosscutting Concepts 
    • Cause and Effect 
    • Stability and Change 
    • Energy and Matter 
    • Structure and Function 
  • Science and Engineering Practices 
    • Asking Questions and Defining Problems 
    • Developing and Using Models 
    • Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 
    • Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information