Highmark SportsWorks^®

Overview

Pittsburgh. Many would agree that there isn’t a bigger sports town around, and Pittsburghers nurture their young to embrace that proud legacy. But did you know that a passion for sports can be used as a gateway to talk about the topics of physics, anatomy, biology, and even chemistry?

That’s the whole idea behind Carnegie Science Center’s Highmark SportsWorks^®: to inspire learning and curiosity by uniting the experience of sports for every age level with the laws of science that control sports.

Highmark SportsWorks^® offers nearly 30 interactive experiences in three thematic areas: LifeWorks, Physics of Sports, and Sports Challenge. Additionally, Highmark SportsWorks^® is converting courts, fields, gyms, and tracks into a science lab in the new Motion Lab. Explore the science behind movement as you practice sports-related actions and review footage captured on a high-speed camera.

NEW! Motion Lab

Motion Lab turns sports practice into an experiment! Perform various sports-related activities while being recorded on a high-speed camera at about 200–250 frames per second. Once recorded, play back your footage, and compare your motions to a professional athlete! The goal of this new permanent exhibit in Highmark SportsWorks^® is to learn how you can improve your movement with science.

The Rock Wall is currently closed.

Science of BIKES shows visitors how bikes work and have evolved.

• Learn the science and technology behind the machine.
• Discover how bikes have impacted our culture.

LifeWorks conveys the fundamental science of the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

• Learn CPR to the beat of the disco hit “Stayin’ Alive.”
• Play an oversized Operation Game to remove and repair body parts linked to the ten most common sports injuries.

In Physics of Sports, visitors put their inner daredevil to the test.

• Become a human yo-yo in an exhibit that demonstrates the principle of potential and kinetic energy by whisking visitors high in the air, up and back down-and then up again by pulling on cable-tethered handles.

Sports Challenge gives visitors a chance to be part of the game.

• Use lasers to determine your Major League swing speed, and whether you could knock a ball out of PNC Park.
• Compare your time against that of Olympic silver medalist and local track star Lauryn Williams in Olympic Sprint.
• Test your reaction speed against an ice hockey goalie at Reaction Time Hockey.
• Adjust your center of gravity to ‘hang ten’ on Skateboard Stability.
• See if you can beat Hoops, the robotic basketball-shooting arm that free-throws basketballs.

SportsWorks^® is a registered trademark of Carnegie Science Center. Highmark^® is a registered trademark of Highmark Inc.