Designed by kids, for kids: Science City opens newest ‘Battle of the Brains’ exhibit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Science City at Union Station has opened its newest exhibit, Light Lab.

The exhibit incorporates several interactive tools to learn more about light and how it works.

The Light Lab exhibit was designed by fourteen students at Delta Woods Middle in Blue Springs.

The group entered Burns & McDonnell’s Battle of the Brains competition, beating out more than 700 entries.

The Delta Woods team won the competition in January 2024 and spent the next year and a half collaborating with Burns & McDonnell professionals.

“I don’t think anyone has seen something like this yet, there’s no light exhibit here,” Max Brown, a seventh grader on the Delta Woods team, said. “It’s a new idea, and it’s going to have a lot of interactive opportunities for kids to enjoy. I’m pretty excited to see our ideas come to life.”

One million dollars has been invested in the Light Lab exhibit. It joins a number of other exhibits from the Battle of the Brains competition. According to Burns & McDonnell, students have helped reimagine more than half of Science City through the competition.

Science City is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $17 and can be purchased here.

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