PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — If you've ever walked by 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue, near Temple University, you've probably passed by a low-profile city gem without even knowing it.
The Wagner Free Institute of Science of Philadelphia sits in the heart of North Philadelphia. The museum, which offers free science education and programming, has been around since the Victorian era.
"We have 100,000 natural history specimens on display," including rare fossils like a saber-toothed tiger, said Executive Director Susan Glassman.
"Almost our entire collection is actually available on view all in these big wooden and glass top cases, and all set up for people to learn and explore from. And that's something that really requires you coming into the museum to understand and to see."
At this National Historic Landmark, Glassman said they take pride in making science education free and accessible to everyone.
"We've been around since the middle of the 19th century, and our mission is free public education and science. We do that for all ages," she said.
There are lessons and group tours, as well as multi-week evening science programs and children's educational programs during the day, including school field trips, though those are less frequent amid the pandemic.
To prevent their programming from becoming fossilized, the museum is hosting its annual fundraiser A Sip of Science on Friday, featuring Dr. Kenneth Scott of Beech Companies as the keynote speaker and honoree.
"We're gonna have — for the first time in two-and-a-half years — a fundraising event that will help us go into, we hope, 2022 strong and able to support all our free programs," said Glassman.
