About Us

What is the National Ag Science Center?

The National Ag Science Center is the premier provider of hands-on agricultural science education and career connections.

Rooted in one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions, California’s renown Central Valley, the National Ag Science Center’s leadership has created innovative curricular offerings to help teacher and students connect real world science with the food they eat.

The primary vehicle to reach the students  is Ag In Motion, a mobile science laboratory classroom which travels to schools and invites students with a hands-on opportunity to explore science. A menu of standard’s based life and physical science curricula has been developed by volunteer educators to offer labs to schools which fit into their current lessons while providing students with a new perspective on how science impacts the food they eat and the clothes they wear. In its first year operation Ag In Motion hosted more than 8,000 middle school students at no cost to the schools.

Helping teachers understand the connection between science and agriculture has been a mainstay of the National Ag Science Center’s programming for many years. Each summer we offer a teacher agricultural science seminar entitled TASTES (Teacher Agricultural Science Technology Education Seminar) which gives teachers an opportunity to explore new topic connections between science and agriculture. Teachers visit agricultural operations learn about new career connections for their students and can earn continuing education units for writing agriculturally related lesson plans for use in their classrooms.

Of course every organization needs a long term vision and for the National Ag Science Center that vision is the design and construction of  a 65,000 square foot National Ag Science Center building which will be located on the campus of the Modesto Junior College.  The state-of-the-art facility  will feature an 18,000 square foot exhibit space, introductory theater, retail store, dining facilities and meeting space. Once inside the  science center, visitors will enjoy a unique experience of the role science, technology and careers play in the development and expansion of the American agricultural industry. With 30 interactive exhibits and two learning labs, visitors will be encouraged to  dig deep into agriculture  and learn how farmers provide a safe, nutritious, abundant and sustainable supply of food and fiber for the world’s consumers to enjoy.

The National Ag Science Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3), tax ID number 77-0438308