South Dakota Discovery Center

09/02/2026

Get your Best for Last Raffle Ticket now for a chance to win a special Early Bird Prize.

Your ticket is only eligible for the Early Bird Prize if you order before September 30th!
Our biggest celebration and fundraising event of the year is happening on Nov. 19, 2026. We hope you can join us, but you don't have to be present to try your luck at winning $10,000, so get your raffle ticket (or tickets!) now before they run out! Raffle tickets purchased prior to October 1st will be entered into an early bird prize drawing!

Find out more at https://www.sd-discovery.org/best_for_last.php

08/29/2026

Come Down to the Center today and Learn All About the Nancy Roman Telescope, Launching TOMORROW!

Join us at the Center to find out: What makes Roman different from other space telescopes Why scientists think it could discover thousands of new worlds Where it's headed (hint: 1 million miles from Earth!)

08/28/2026

We are seeking students enrolled in high school or their freshman/sophomore years of college for a micro-internship to beta test online air quality monitoring tools used by scientists and the public alike!

Date: Sunday September 20, 2026
Time: 2pm CT/1pm MT - 4pm CT/3pm MT
Location: Virtual, via Zoom

Internship payment: $50 stipend is provided upon completion of this micro-internship.

Apply Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNDNNMg0u-eLGzsFY7zEyMCfOCQTn5hDXgyZsPwJgSqzZVlQ/viewform

08/27/2026

Sign up for Little Explorers: Hide and Seek before Registration is full!

How do some animals hide and how do some seek? Look at camouflage and what senses animals use to track, like smell or sight. Can you use your eyes or nose to find something?

Little Explorers is a combination of our beloved Little Explorers Nature Preschool and the Itty Bitty Einsteins class model. Classes are geared toward explorers between the ages of 3-5 and their families. Explore the science of nature and the nature of science through hands-on experiences and STEM journals together.
Fees must be paid at the front desk on the day of class.

SDDC Member: FREE
Nonmember: $4 per family group + general admission fees
Sign up here: https://mms.sd-discovery.org/members/evr/reg_main.php?orgcode=SDDC&evid=66811307

08/22/2026

Sign up for Little Explorers: Hide and Seek before Registration is full!

How do some animals hide and how do some seek? Look at camouflage and what senses animals use to track, like smell or sight. Can you use your eyes or nose to find something?

Little Explorers is a combination of our beloved Little Explorers Nature Preschool and the Itty Bitty Einsteins class model. Classes are geared toward explorers between the ages of 3-5 and their families. Explore the science of nature and the nature of science through hands-on experiences and STEM journals together.
Fees must be paid at the front desk on the day of class.
SDDC Member: FREE
Nonmember: $4 per family group + general admission fees

Sign up here: https://mms.sd-discovery.org/members/evr/reg_main.php?orgcode=SDDC&evid=66811307

08/16/2026

USD and the South Dakota Discovery Center are helping STEM teachers bring new ideas into the classroom with the help of chameleons.

Story below

08/14/2026

We want to send a HUGE thank you to the Pierre-Fort Pierre Rotary Club for this generous Community Grant! We're very excited to use the funding to make our Volunteer Kiosk! Which will help us organize and track our volunteers, supporting Rotary interns, Rotary Interact Members, and everyone who donates their time to the Discovery Center, Thank you for supporting our volunteers and our community

President Bob Jeffries presents Rotary Community Grants to Brendan Jannusch and Allison Graviett-Pfaff of the Discovery Center, Tom LeFave of Watermark Mission and Kim Leiferman of Countryside Hospice.
Discovery Center will use funds for a Volunteer Station to be used by Rotary interns, Interact Rotary members and other volunteers.
Watermark Mission will use the fund for recovery work in Highmore, when they start a 2-week recovery mission. A one week crew costs around $15,000 and provides many services to a community in disaster.
Countryside Hospice will use the Rotary funds for Pennies For Roberts gas cards. These gas cards are for anyone in a 70 mile radius to come to Pierre for Helmsley Center services, or if travel out of Pierre is needed for other cancer services. Over 1.2 million has been raised and used since Pennies for Roberts started. I. Addition, St Benedict’s House provides free lodging to people traveling to Pierre for cancer treatments.

08/08/2026

STARRY SATURDAY'S HOURS CHANGE
Starry Saturday's is now 1 PM - 3 PM

Ever get starry-eyed and curious about what's going on beyond what we can see with our bare eyes? Want spend time with your family as a space explorer and learn all about space?

Then come down to the Discovery Center TODAY to have a cosmic blast learning all about space at Starry Saturdays!

Join us for Starry Saturday at 1:00 PM!

08/07/2026

Happy Friday, Pierre!

Welcome back to The Air We Share, your weekly peek at what's floating around in our local air!

Today we have seen some Stipple Damage in our garden which is patterns of tiny, pale dots or speckles on plant leaves

This week's AQI: 1

Get outside, take a deep breath, and enjoy it.
As always, stay hydrated

Thank you for joining us for these reports, We hope you've learned all about the Air We Share

Brought to you by the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium, Sanofi US, Center for Astrophysics l Harvard & Smithsonian, Association of Science and Technology Centers, and viewers like you.

Thank you!

08/01/2026

📣 Join our team! 📣

We're hiring a Visitor Services & Retail Associate to provide top-notch service to our Exhibit Hall visitors and manage our STEM-themed store.

Responsibilities include staffing the visitor desk, maintaining a clean and safe environment, and promoting our store online and in-person.

Ideal candidate has excellent communication skills, is detail-oriented, and comfortable with technology.

Part-time position, 20hrs/week, with potential for more hours during peak seasons.
$15.00-$16.50/hour.

Apply with cover letter, resume, and references to [email protected].

Find out more details here: https://sd-discovery.org/work_with_us.php