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.

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.

• The NEW Ropes Challenge course invites visitors to defy gravity in an exhibit that challenges your sense of balance, and enjoyment of heights!
• 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.
• Scale a 25-foot Rock Wall.

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.

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