Western Science Center

08/27/2026

Longtime museum supporters Dallas Raines and Dannie Raines are coming back to Science Under the Stars this year! 🌟

Join them in supporting local scientific research and education in Riverside County and the Inland Empire at large, and help us celebrate our 20th anniversary by getting your SUS tickets today: https://events.readysetauction.com/westernsciencecenter/sus2026

08/04/2026

Our Library Pass program has expanded, thanks to Dr. Yxstian Gutierrez!

With allocated Community Improvement Designation (CID) funds, we now have passes available at Moreno Valley Public Library, San Jacinto Public Library, Nuview Library, and Cabazon Community Library! Each pass grants free admission for two adults and three children to WSC.

Thank you so much to Supervisor Gutierrez and his office for their support, and we look forward to continuing to expand this program across Riverside County and beyond! 🦣📚

07/29/2026

Have you saved the date yet for this year’s Science Under the Stars? We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary, and this promises to be our biggest SUS yet! ✨

Science Under the Stars is the Western Center Community Foundation’s annual fundraiser to benefit science exhibits, research, and education through Riverside County’s premiere natural history museum, the Western Science Center.

Science Under the Stars will be held on
Saturday, September 19, 2026, beginning at 5:00 p.m.
outside on the Museum’s Piazza in Hemet, California.

Come enjoy a delectable dinner and exquisite wine tasting.
Explore museum exhibits and participate in exciting auctions.
At the end of the night, dance with your friends beneath the starry night sky.

Support science education in one beautiful night at this special 20th anniversary event!

A 21+ event / California casual attire

07/27/2026

Did you know that WSC is the fossil repository for Joshua Tree National Park? We’re proud to partner with our local park service to conserve their precious paleontological resources, and we recently got a chance to tour members of their staff around our labs and repository!

Select JTNP fossils will be going on permanent exhibit later this year in “Fossils of the Inland Empire - stay tuned!

📸: Sheri Shirley

07/02/2026

The Western Science Center will be closed to the public on Saturday, July 4th, for the holiday. We'll resume normal business hours on Sunday, July 5th.

05/21/2026

There's a new blog post from our Executive Director Dr. Alton Dooley!

Learn all about the bison vertebra that got sliced clean in half, which will go on permanent exhibit later this year! 🦬

As I've mentioned in prior posts, many of the Western Science Center's fossils were discovered during construction projects. Often the first indication that a fossil is present is when a bulldozer or other piece of machinery cuts through a bone, at which point the mitigation paleontologists step in....

04/07/2026

The 11th annual Inland Empire Science Festival returns to the Western Science Center on April 18th, 2026!

Over twenty science organizations from across Southern California will be taking part in this year’s annual Inland Empire Science Festival, which aims to highlight the incredible scientific research happening in the region. For the price of regular museum admission, visitors will be able to check out the sky with Temecula Valley Astronomers, learn about local geology from the UCR Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, dive into the world of insect conservation with The Xerces Society, and much, much more.

Local businesses Buffet Ranch and Sweet Frecklez will be onsite with food and drink available for purchase during the festival.

The Inland Empire Science Festival will take place at the Western Science Center on Saturday, April 18th from 10AM to 4PM and attendance is free with regular museum admission. Admission to the Western Science Center is $10.00 for adults, $8.50 for seniors 62+, $7.00 for students 13-22 w/ID, $7.00 for youth 5-12, under 4 years old is free, and Active Military (individual) w/ID is free.

02/20/2026

📣 We’re hiring!

🔧 We’re looking for a new Full-Time Facilities Lead at the Western Science Center! If you like hands-on work and want to help us keep our buildings and exhibits in great shape, this might be the role for you.

🪜Check out https://www.westernsciencecenter.org/employment for more info on the position and to submit an application.

02/13/2026

Special delivery! 🐋

Sometimes scientific research involves one museum loaning fossils to another. Our friends helped us pack up some s***m whale fossils that will go on loan to WSC so we can study them! A project like this involves a lot of coordination, including making sure the fossils are ready for cross-country transport.

Thanks so much to Adam, Lucy, and everyone else at VMNH for making this possible! We can’t wait to see what we discover about these whales.

02/06/2026

Horse cleaning party! 🎉 🐴

WSC volunteers are hard at work getting a 1-million-year-old horse fossil ready for prime time. This specimen will go on permanent exhibit later this year - stay tuned for more information on that soon! 👀