Education through
direct action.

Sidewalk Science Center increases access to education and strengthens scientific skillsets using our core E-E-C-L outreach model.

Exposure

Integrate educational experiences into highly-visible public spaces on a near-daily basis. Familiarity with SSC is built through regularity, repetition, and word-of-mouth attendance.

Metrics

# of programs hosted each year
# of hours spent at programs
# of SSC educators present at programs
# of locations hosted per day
# of towns and cities visited each year

Engagement

Generate interactions through positive visual appeal and natural curiosity without the use of verbal pressures, solicitations, or other actions designed to compel participation.

Metrics

# of visitors per day, month, year
# of repeat visitors per day, month, year
Visitors from word-of-mouth or social media
Visitors who drove by, parked, and walked over (street corner locations)
Estimated Visitor vs. Passerby ratio
Time spent viewing passive displays
Average length of total visit

Communication

Promote question-based discourse guided by tangible demonstrations and evidence- or logic-based responses. SSC is designed to connect people with subject experts and become a reliable knowledge resource within the communities we serve.

Metrics

Visitors who directly interact with educators
Visitors who ask follow-up questions to information provided on passive or interactive displays
Visitors who request additional information or materials for learning
Visitors who sign up for newsletters and continued interactions
Visitors who go on to hire SSC for private events or other resources

Literacy

Visitors gain basic subject knowledge, access to supporting documents and evidence, and incentive to further explore the subject. Participants are incentivized to seek out external knowledge bases, subject-focused communities, and science- or education-centered paths.

Metrics

Visitors who demonstrate prior subject-matter knowledge
Repeat visitors who demonstrate retained knowledge after encountering SSC
Visitors who seek out additional educational experiences beyond SSC
Visitors who patronize partner organizations after encountering SSC
Visitors who pursue hobbies, studies, or employment in related fields after encountering SSC

THE STORY OF
SIDEWALK SCIENCE CENTER

Alex Martin started writing science-fiction novels in 2004 at the age of 11. As he developed a stronger voice as a writer, he began incorporating more science-based plotlines into his books. His fifth novel, Resonance, laid the foundation for what would become Sidewalk Science Center. While writing Resonance in 2014-2015, he created a website to dive deeper into the world and science of his stories, with explainers exploring how interstellar travel and other technologies were made possible in the books, "blogs" from characters in the story-worlds, and a network of scientific institutions and industries seen throughout the books.

The website transformed into a science blog, and while living in beautiful Savannah, Georgia in 2017-2018, Alex began interviewing passerby about various scientific concepts, often accompanied by short demonstrations. The interview videos evolved into a table of science experiments, and on July 11, 2018, Sidewalk Science Center was officially born.

While the original website has faded into a series of cached pages buried on the internet, Sidewalk Science Center is thriving in St. Petersburg, Bradenton, and Sarasota, Florida. In 2025, SSC is now reaching nearly 10,000 people every month across more than 275 yearly programs showcasing science experiments, environmental education, and astronomy.

Off the sidewalk, SSC partners with local organizations to provide experiences at camps, community events, and back-to-school nights. We also offer at-home private programs, bringing the cosmos to your backyard, or turning the neighborhood kids into a team of scientists testing variables and getting messy.

We've traveled all around Florida, up and down the east coast United States, and even out to Denver, Tucson, Sedona, and other areas throughout Arizona and Utah. In the future, we plan to open Sidewalk Science Centers all around the state, then the country, and finally, the world.

Science and art are forever intertwined. Powered by boundless curiosity and driven by creative passion, let us guide you in exploring life, the universe, and everything.

Where We've Been

Discover our past and present Sidewalk Science Center locations

Education through direct action.

Sidewalk Science Center increases access to education and strengthens scientific skillsets using our core E-E-C-L outreach model.

Metrics

Metrics

Metrics

Metrics

THE STORY OF SIDEWALK SCIENCE CENTER

Where We've Been

Education through
direct action.

THE STORY OF
SIDEWALK SCIENCE CENTER