San Diego, California—Discover the secrets behind the work of video game developers, music producers, roller coaster designers and other creative problem solvers in Design Zone, a new interactive exhibition opening at the Fleet Science Center on Friday, April 9, 2021. 

What does it take to create an addictive and fun video game? How many beats per second does a DJ need to get bodies moving on the dance floor? What goes behind creating a roller coaster or a skate park that produces the most fun and biggest thrills? In this exhibition, visitors discover that design is everywhere we look and everything we do—and science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) are behind it all.

Design Zone is a highly interactive exhibition where visitors can explore a variety of creative concepts while learning the processes and tools needed to create a successful design. The exhibition is organized into three thematic zones, all highlighting the importance of science and mathematical thinking in areas critical to building creativity and innovation: art, music and engineering. 

Design Zone’s themed areas include:

• Art—See It! Visitors discover the math behind visual creativity—from architecture to video games—designers use scale, patterns and other key mathematical concepts to turn visual ideas into reality. Visitors can explore the relationship between weights and distance by creating their own colorful two-dimensional mobile in Balancing Art, navigate a Marble Maze, adjusting the variables in this videogame to create the highest score and test their abilities to continue a pattern in three dimensions as they Build a Tower.

• Music—Hear It! Visitors explore relationships in musical instruments between length and pitch, and ratios and rhythms with visual representations of sound. Visitors can experiment with tube length and pitch to create music with the Whack-a-Phone, explore the math behind rhythm and music by mixing a song on a Drum Machine and as the Light Show DJ, discover how laser light show technicians create mesmerizing patterns that get people dancing.

• Engineering—Build It! Visitors explore the engineering, math and physics behind anything that moves. Visitors can discover what it takes to create a thrilling ride in Roller Coaster Hills, explore how hill height and speed are needed to create a Fast Tracks roller coaster course and Design a Skate Park by manipulating slope to create essential skate park features and then test their design with a virtual skater and ride the course!

Design Zone opens on Friday, April 9, and will be on view at the Fleet Science Center through September 6, 2021. This exhibition is included with the price of admission. 

Design Zone is presented at the Fleet Science Center through the generous support of the Norris Foundation, the City of San Diego and the Reuben H. Fleet Foundation Fund. The creation of Design Zone was made possible by the generous support of the National Science Foundation. The exhibition was produced and is toured by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI).

For more information on Design Zone, visit www.fleetscience.org/exhibitions/design-zone.