CLEVELAND — March Madness is getting a scientific twist right here in Northeast Ohio.
The Great Lakes Science Center is launching “March Mathness."
It's an interactive celebration that blends basketball with STEM learning—just in time for the Science Center’s 30th anniversary.
The family-friendly event invites visitors to explore how math and physics play a role in everything from shooting a basketball to launching a spacecraft.
The month-long celebration features hands-on experiments and challenges designed to show how science powers everyday activities—especially sports.
One highlight is the “Nothin’ But Net! Gravity Challenge,” a weekly workshop where participants design and build trampolines and catapults to launch mini basketballs.
The activity takes place at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. every Sunday in March.
Participants will experiment with gravity, angles and energy while trying to score as many points as possible. The workshop is designed for families and carries a $5 materials fee per person.
The science center is also celebrating two major science milestones on March 14 and 15 — Pi Day and Albert Einstein’s birthday.
That weekend will feature a variety of interactive activities, including:
- “Liftoff: Math in Space” Science Show – Demonstrating how mathematics helps make human space travel possible.
- Tangrams Hands-On Activity – Visitors explore geometry and problem-solving with classic puzzles.
- Stretchy Gravity Well Experiment – A visual demonstration of gravity and Einstein’s theory of relativity using everyday objects.
- Pi Digits Scavenger Hunt – Guests search the museum for hidden digits of pi and place them in the correct order to win a prize.
- Pi Skyline Community Build – Participants add geometric shapes that correspond to digits of pi to create a collaborative cityscape.
The Great Lakes Science Center, which opened in 1996, is marking its 30th anniversary in 2026.
Over the past three decades, the museum has welcomed more than 10 million visitors and continues to serve as a major STEM education hub in Northeast Ohio.
The Great Lakes Science Center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
Visitors can find more information and purchase tickets here.
