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Key Takeaways:

A guide to six Chicago-area destinations where STEM students can see their coursework come to life — including the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Argonne National Laboratory, and Fermilab.

As a student in a STEM field, you’re learning to understand how the world works, ask better questions, and imagine what comes next. In Chicago, those questions don’t have to stay in the classroom. Step outside, and you’ll find ideas taking shape in museums, laboratories, and research centers where scientists and engineers are pushing the boundaries of what we know.

From the renowned science museums in Chicago to world-class research laboratories, some of the best opportunities to explore your field are just around the corner. Whether you’re planning an engineering field trip, exploring the origins of the universe, or looking ahead to the research that is shaping the world of tomorrow, these places offer the chance to see what you’re learning come to life.

Here are a few places every STEM student should explore in Chicago. 

Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

Walk into the , and the biggest ideas in science and engineering suddenly become things you can see, touch, and explore.

From transportation and energy to medicine and space exploration, the museum brings complex concepts to life while giving you a chance to ask questions that engineers and scientists ask every day: How does this machine work? Why does it work that way? How could we make it work faster, safer, or more efficiently?

For engineering students, this sort of hands-on approach offers a unique opportunity to understand the concepts that you encounter in the classroom. You’ll move from studying an idea on a page to seeing it take shape in the real world.

Don’t miss , where you can get up close and personal with some of nature’s most powerful phenomena, including a 40-foot indoor tornado, lightning, and a giant tsunami. It’s a perfect reminder that the forces you’re studying in textbooks are the same forces shaping the world around us.

Field Museum

Science doesn’t end at the laboratory door. At the , the natural world becomes the subject of investigation. How did life evolve? What can fossils tell us about species that disappeared millions of years ago? What can the living world teach us about the future?

Explore evolution, biology, paleontology, ecology, and the history of life on Earth through the specimens that researchers use to understand the world around us. Because the Field Museum also conducts active research, its exhibits don’t just show what we know; they reveal the questions that scientists are still working to answer. For biology and environmental science students, it’s a reminder that some answers aren’t found just in textbooks but are still buried in the ground waiting to be uncovered.  

While you’re there, you can’t miss Sue, the most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex ever found. It’s an extraordinary look at one of the most formidable creatures ever to walk the Earth.

Adler Planetarium

Look up at the night sky, and suddenly the scale of everything changes. The city becomes small, and the questions become enormous. At the , you can explore some of those questions: How did the universe begin? What worlds exist beyond our own?

Through immersive sky shows, interactive exhibits, and conversations with astronomers, Adler Planetarium brings those questions down to Earth without making the universe feel any smaller.

Make sure to check out the , Chicago’s largest publicly available telescope. Able to gather 7,000 times more light than the unaided human eye, the telescope reveals planets, the moon, stars, and nebulae trillions of miles away. Look through the telescope, and you’ll witness a universe that’s still unfolding, where distant worlds hold mysteries waiting to be discovered.

Shedd Aquarium

Most of the planet is covered by water, yet humans have only explored a fraction of what lies beneath its surface. At the , you can get a closer look at the living world that remains largely hidden from us—and the science that helps understand it.

For students interested in biology, environmental science, chemistry, or animal science, the Shedd Aquarium offers a different kind of laboratory: one filled with living systems. Explore animal behavior, anatomy, ecosystems, habitats, and water chemistry while seeing how scientists use what they learn to better understand and protect our planet.

For STEM students, that means more than seeing animals up close. It’s a chance to consider the complex relationships that sustain life, the forces that threaten them, and what science can teach us about protecting them.

While you’re there, don’t miss the , where beluga whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, sea lions, and other marine animals interact in a 3-million-gallon habitat. There, you can explore a world that exists alongside ours: an immense, living expanse beneath the waves, full of creatures and mysteries that we have only begun to understand.

Argonne National Laboratory

What happens when science reaches the limits of what we know? At , you can see what happens when scientists and engineers push those limits a little further.

Located just outside Chicago in Lemont, ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, Argonne brings together researchers from across scientific disciplines to tackle some of the world’s most complex challenges. From advanced computing and materials science to energy and particle physics, the laboratory offers a glimpse into the research shaping what comes next.

For STEM students, a visit is a chance to see the science you study in the classroom applied to problems that don’t have easy answers. How do we build technologies powerful enough to solve problems we have never faced before? What happens when we can finally measure, model, or see something that was once beyond our reach?

Fermilab

If you look closely enough at the universe, the world we’re familiar with begins to disappear. Matter breaks down into particles, particles reveal hidden forces, and the questions only grow larger. At , located in the Chicago suburb of Batavia, ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, scientists are delving deeper into that hidden world, studying the particles and forces that make up the fabric of our universe.

For students interested in particle physics, quantum science, or engineering, a trip to Fermilab offers a chance to see fundamental science up close. College tours connect undergraduate and graduate students with experts while showcasing the laboratory’s campus, Main Control Room, and research facilities. For STEM students, it’s an opportunity to stand where scientists are working to understand the most basic building blocks of the universe.  

While you’re there, pay a visit to Wilson Hall, Fermilab’s iconic high-rise headquarters and a landmark of the laboratory’s campus. Step inside, and you’re in a place where the smallest pieces of matter become key to answering some of the biggest questions in science.

Learn in the City

As a STEM student, you’ll quickly learn that some of the best lessons don’t happen while sitting at a desk. For an astronomy student, they might happen while looking through a telescope. For a physics student, they might begin with a particle accelerator. For a biology student, they might unfold while watching an ecosystem come to life.

Sometimes, the best way to understand what you're studying is to see it up close for yourself.

That’s one of the biggest advantages of studying STEM in Chicago. The city puts world-class museums, research laboratories, and scientific institutions within reach, giving you opportunities to learn from researchers, explore new ideas, and see your field beyond the pages of a textbook

When you study STEM in Chicago, you’re not just preparing for the future. You’re surrounded by people and institutions who are helping to build it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do students get into museums for free or at a discount in Chicago?

It depends. Argonne and Fermilab offer free guided tours for groups of 10 or more, while ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ residents can get free general admission to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry on select days throughout the year. The Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and Shedd Aquarium also offer discounted admission for groups.

When in doubt, ask! A quick call or email could save you money.

Do labs in Chicago provide tours?

Yes! Tours at Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab are free for groups of 10 or more, but reservations are required. Similarly, groups looking for a behind-the-scenes experience at the Field Museum must register in advance. Adler Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium offer group and educational experiences, while the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry offers a range of guided experiences for groups.

Remember: the opportunities don’t end with a tour. These institutions host programs, events, lectures, and demonstrations throughout the year, giving you unique opportunities to meet experts and experience the science happening beyond exhibits.

Does ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ Tech partner with any of Chicago's labs or museums to conduct research?

Yes! ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ Tech has established research partnerships with both Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab, giving students and faculty opportunities to work alongside researchers on projects ranging from high-performance computing and artificial intelligence to particle physics and quantum science. The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry offers for ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ Tech Students, where you can work alongside educators to inspire the next generation of STEM learners.