Science at Pioneer Works

Science is a part of culture.

The integration of science is essential for the full expression of a cultural organism. At Pioneer Works, we value the cultural impact of scientific thinking, discovery, and irrepressible curiosity. We bring influential, creative scientific minds to our Pioneer Works community to explore unsolved quandaries and to engage in vivid public conversations. The audience can experiment with technical equipment, look through our telescopes with astronomers in the garden, or edit the genome of yeast. We emphasize public engagement while providing a platform for scientific exchanges and scholarly research. We welcome our Visiting Scholars to be as singularly focused as they need to be on equations, data, observations, and measurements.

Our Founding Director of Sciences, Janna Levin, is an astrophysicist, author, and Claire Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. In the spirit of connecting great centers of education and culture, with support from Barnard College, Janna brings influential, creative scientific minds to our Pioneer Works community to explore unsolved quandaries and to engage in vivid public conversations.

Pioneer Works is building New York City's first public observatory — home to a restored 1895 telescope with a storied history spanning more than a century. Learn more about the Observatory Initiative and see the telescope on view in the Science Studios.

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