The Tech Interactive
A nonprofit science and technology center in downtown San Jose that uses hands-on exhibits, design challenges, laboratories, and STEAM education to engage learners.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Tech Interactive is a nonprofit science and technology center in downtown San Jose, California, adjacent to Plaza de César Chávez. Formerly known as The Tech Museum of Innovation and commonly called The Tech, it presents technology and science through hands-on exhibits, design challenges, laboratories, educator training, school programs, films, and online learning resources. Its work is intended to help children, families, educators, and other visitors understand how scientific and engineering ideas can be applied to real-world problems. The organization grew from planning work begun in 1978 by members of the Junior League of Palo Alto, later joined by the San Jose Junior League. The project developed slowly with support from the City of San Jose and other community participants. Its first temporary exhibition, known as The Garage, opened in 1990 in a former convention-center space. The name referenced the garage mythology associated with Silicon Valley innovation, including the nearby Hewlett-Packard story. A permanent 132,000-square-foot facility opened on October 31, 1998, as The Tech Museum of Innovation. The museum's building was designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta. Its mango-and-azure exterior, three floors, and prominent public artworks are part of its identity. The lower level includes Origin, a large cylindrical-tower sculpture exploring relationships among art, technology, and natural resources, as well as Science on a Roll, a rolling-ball installation by George Rhoads. The building also houses the IMAX Dome Theater, which opened in 1998 and has subsequently been upgraded. The theater presents both commercial and educational films and can seat up to 280 people. The Tech's exhibits cover robotics, human movement, space exploration, cybersecurity, sustainability, healthcare, synthetic biology, immersive media, and global problem-solving. Examples include Social Robots, Body Motion, Space Exploration, Solve for Earth, Cyber Detectives, The Tech Studio, Body Worlds Decoded, Reboot Reality, Innovations in Healthcare, and Biodesign Studio. Many installations are designed around experimentation rather than passive viewing, asking visitors to build, test, observe, revise, and collaborate. Education is central to the organization. The Tech Challenge is an engineering-design competition for students in grades 4 through 12. Since its creation in 1988, the program has involved more than 44,000 students and has used practical challenges such as designing hovercraft, earthquake-resistant structures, and water-delivery devices. The program emphasizes participation by students underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In 2024, it expanded internationally through The Tech Challenge Kenya. The Tech Academies, launched in 2014, provides professional development for educators. Its two-year fellowship, delivered with San José State University's College of Science, focuses on engineering and computer-science instruction. The organization also provides school field trips, virtual visits, and scholarships intended to improve access for underserved schools. The Tech for Global Good extends the former Tech Awards into a year-round program featuring innovators and organizations using technology to address issues such as healthcare, data access, vaccine delivery, homelessness, and wildlife protection. In May 2019, the organization adopted the name The Tech Interactive and announced a partnership with Discovery Education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it closed temporarily to in-person visitors in March 2020 and developed digital resources through The Tech Interactive at Home and its Spanish-language counterpart, The Tech Interactive en Casa. Katrina Stevens became president and chief executive officer in November 2020, succeeding Tim Ritchie and becoming the first woman and first educator to lead the organization. The Tech Interactive is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
History
Planning for a Silicon Valley technology center began in 1978 through the Junior League of Palo Alto, with subsequent support from the San Jose Junior League. Although the City of San Jose promised funding during the 1980s, the project took years to develop. A temporary 20,000-square-foot exhibition called The Garage opened in 1990 in a former convention-center building. Its name evoked the region's culture of garage-based invention and entrepreneurship. The permanent facility opened on October 31, 1998, as The Tech Museum of Innovation. The 132,000-square-foot building was designed by Ricardo Legorreta and became a major downtown San Jose cultural and educational destination. Its architecture and installations were intended to make science visible and approachable, while the galleries emphasized participation and experimentation. The IMAX Dome Theater also opened in 1998 and later received technical upgrades. Over subsequent years, the center developed galleries and temporary exhibitions addressing genetics, communications, energy, environmental design, digital media, healthcare, robotics, and Silicon Valley innovation. It also used nearby Parkside Hall for major traveling exhibitions. These included Body Worlds 2 in 2007, a Leonardo da Vinci exhibition that ran from 2008 into 2009, and Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination from October 2013 through March 2014. The Tech Challenge, an engineering-design competition for students, dates to 1988 and became one of the institution's major education programs. The Tech Academies began in 2014 to provide deeper STEM training for teachers, including a two-year fellowship conducted with San José State University's College of Science. The former Tech Awards, an annual recognition program for technological contributions to human welfare, was broadened in 2016 into The Tech for Global Good, a year-round educational initiative organized around themes such as healthcare and data. Several permanent or long-running galleries opened in the 2010s. Innovations in Healthcare and Biodesign Studio opened in 2016. The Tech for Global Good and Reboot Reality opened in 2017, as did Body Worlds Decoded, which combined plastinated anatomical specimens with augmented reality and a virtual dissection table. Cyber Detectives, presented by Palo Alto Networks, opened in 2015 and used interactive missions to teach cybersecurity concepts. An expansion of approximately 63,000 square feet was proposed in 2018 as part of the Park Habitat development, although the available reference material does not establish that the expansion was completed. In May 2019, the institution adopted the name The Tech Interactive and announced a partnership with Discovery Education. The new identity placed greater emphasis on interactive learning, design thinking, and the organization's education work beyond its physical museum. The center temporarily stopped in-person operations in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It responded by publishing The Tech Interactive at Home in English and The Tech Interactive en Casa in Spanish. In November 2020, Katrina Stevens became president and CEO, succeeding Tim Ritchie. The Tech Interactive later opened Solve for Earth in 2021, an exhibition about sustainability and climate-related problem-solving. In 2024, The Tech Challenge expanded internationally through The Tech Challenge Kenya. The organization remains a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit science and technology center.
- 2024
The Tech Challenge Kenya launches
[1]The student engineering challenge becomes international through a Kenya-based program.
- 2021
Solve for Earth opens
[1]A new exhibition explores sustainability, climate impacts, and emerging technological responses.
- 2020
Pandemic digital-learning response
[1]The center closes temporarily to in-person visitors and releases English- and Spanish-language at-home STEM materials.
- 2019
Organization becomes The Tech Interactive
[1]The institution adopts its current name and announces a partnership with Discovery Education.
- 2016
Tech Awards expands into The Tech for Global Good
[1]The annual awards concept is broadened into a year-round program using exhibits, lessons, videos, and laureate stories.
- 2014
The Tech Academies launches
[1]The organization introduces a professional-development program focused on strengthening STEM instruction among educators.
- 1998
Permanent museum facility opens
[1]The 132,000-square-foot building opens on October 31 as The Tech Museum of Innovation; the IMAX Dome Theater also begins operation.
- 1990
The Garage temporary exhibition opens
[1]A 20,000-square-foot temporary exhibition opens in a former convention-center facility in San Jose.
- 1988
The Tech Challenge begins
[1]The student engineering-design competition is established and later becomes one of the center's signature education programs.
- 1978
Initial planning begins
[1]Members of the Junior League of Palo Alto begin planning a technology center, with later involvement from the San Jose Junior League.
Products and positioning
A hands-on, innovation-focused science center that connects Silicon Valley technology with accessible public learning, engineering design, and global problem-solving.
Museum exhibition · 1998
Hands-on science and technology exhibitions
The Tech Interactive's core offering is a collection of interactive galleries where visitors investigate scientific and technological ideas by building, operating, measuring, and revising. Subject areas include robotics, human movement, space exploration, cybersecurity, sustainability, healthcare, synthetic biology, immersive media, and global development. The exhibits are designed to connect abstract concepts with practical decision-making and engineering processes.
Student engineering competition · 1988
The Tech Challenge
The Tech Challenge is an engineering-design program for students in grades 4 through 12. Teams address a real-world problem by defining requirements, creating prototypes, testing designs, and iterating toward a solution. Past challenges have included hovercraft, earthquake-resistant structures, and water delivery. The program also seeks to broaden participation in STEM among students who have historically been underrepresented in those fields.
Global technology education program · 2016
The Tech for Global Good
The Tech for Global Good presents organizations and innovators using technology to address major social or environmental problems. It evolved from The Tech Awards and operates through exhibits, classroom materials, videos, and thematic educational content. Themes have included healthcare and data, while featured applications have included vaccine delivery, homelessness solutions, and wildlife-protection technology.
Educator professional development · 2014
The Tech Academies
The Tech Academies supports educators seeking to integrate high-quality STEM instruction into classrooms. Its two-year fellowship, developed with San José State University's College of Science, emphasizes engineering and computer science. The program combines professional learning with practical classroom application and has received recognition from museum and education organizations.
Educational and commercial theater · 1998
IMAX Dome Theater
The IMAX Dome Theater presents mainstream films and educational productions in a dome-format auditorium. It opened with the permanent museum facility in 1998 and has been upgraded over time. The theater is described as Northern California's only domed IMAX theater and can accommodate up to 280 people.
Educational outreach
School and virtual learning programs
The organization offers in-person and virtual field trips for school groups, generally during the school year, together with scholarships intended to help underserved schools participate. During the COVID-19 closure, it expanded digital access through English and Spanish at-home resources.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024The Tech Challenge Kenya
Kenya · International
The Tech Challenge's engineering-design format was extended to Kenya, giving the long-running student program an international presence.
Outcome. The program expanded beyond its original regional and United States focus; further participation results are not specified in the reference material.
- 2020The Tech Interactive at Home and The Tech Interactive en Casa
United States · Online
The Tech Interactive developed English- and Spanish-language digital STEM resources after its physical site closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outcome. The initiative allowed the organization to continue educational engagement while on-site visits were suspended.
- 2016The Tech for Global Good
United States · International digital audience
The organization transformed its former annual Tech Awards model into a year-round educational platform focused on people and organizations applying technology to global challenges.
Outcome. The program became an ongoing combination of recognition, exhibitions, lessons, videos, and student-oriented problem-solving resources.
Brand decisions
2021
Launch of Solve for EarthProduct launchBackground
The organization expanded its exhibition portfolio toward sustainability and climate-related problem-solving.
Action taken
It opened Solve for Earth, an interactive exhibition about how personal actions, scientific work, and emerging technologies relate to environmental challenges.
Aftermath
The exhibition added climate and sustainability education to the center's major permanent or long-running subject areas.
2020
Shift to digital programming during COVID-19 closureStrategyBackground
The center temporarily closed to in-person visitors in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Action taken
The organization published The Tech Interactive at Home and The Tech Interactive en Casa online resources.
Aftermath
The digital response preserved access to STEM learning while physical attendance was unavailable.
2019
Rebrand from The Tech Museum of Innovation to The Tech InteractiveStrategyBackground
The institution sought to express its emphasis on participation, education, design challenges, and learning beyond the physical museum.
Action taken
It adopted The Tech Interactive as its organizational name and announced a partnership with Discovery Education.
Aftermath
The new identity positioned the organization more explicitly as an interactive learning platform and education partner.
Recent events
- 2024
The Tech Challenge expands to Kenya[1]
Campaign · Other
The student engineering-design program extended its international reach with the launch of The Tech Challenge Kenya.
- 2021
Solve for Earth exhibition opens[1]
Product launch
The exhibition began presenting sustainability, climate impacts, and technology-oriented responses to environmental challenges.
- 2020
Katrina Stevens becomes president and CEO[1]
Leadership change
Katrina Stevens succeeded Tim Ritchie as president and chief executive officer, becoming the first woman and first educator to lead the organization.
- 2020
The Tech Interactive launches at-home STEM resources during the pandemic[1]
Other
After temporarily closing to in-person visitors in March, the center published English and Spanish online resources to support learning at home.
- 2019
The Tech Interactive adopts new organizational name[1]
Other
The organization changed its name from The Tech Museum of Innovation to The Tech Interactive and announced a partnership with Discovery Education.
Sources2 sources
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