Racing into STEM: How a Museum Exhibit is Blending Indiana Traditions with STEM Education
A Hands-On STEM Learning Experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
When most people think of museums, they picture quiet rooms and historical artifacts behind glass. But education has taken a bold turn at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. In collaboration with leaders in the STEM and STEAM education industry, including STEM Education Works, the museum launched the Innovation Workshop. This permanent, interactive STEM exhibit blends the high-energy world of motorsports with hands-on STEM learning experiences.
This workshop redefines what out-of-school learning can look like for students, families, and educators across Indiana and beyond by giving them access to:
Robotics
3D printing
Circuitry
Download the full case study here!
Making STEM Education More Accessible and Immersive
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (IMSM) sees over 140,000 visitors annually. Many are young students and families. Others are long-time race fans or curious travelers. What they all share is an opportunity to not just learn about the history of racing, but to interact with the science and innovation that powers it.
Jake Apollos, IMSM’s Director of Education, explained the vision this way:
“We wanted to give people the opportunity to not only come in and learn about the stories by reading about them … we wanted to give them an actual way that they could engage with the stories and the history.”
But like many cultural institutions, IMSM faced a common challenge: How do you make STEM education exciting and relevant for people of all ages and backgrounds, especially outside of a traditional classroom setting?
A STEM Space That Feels Like Play, but Teaches Like a Lab
The idea wasn’t to just add some gadgets to a corner of the museum. Instead, the goal was to design a fully immersive learning space where visitors could explore the same tools, skills, and problem-solving strategies used in real motorsports careers.
To bring this to life, IMSM teamed up with STEM education experts to deliver equitable, hands-on STEM curriculum and technology solutions for schools and community organizations.
Together, they envisioned a space where:
- STEM isn’t intimidating. It’s fun, tactile, and welcoming.
- Visitors could move from curiosity to creation in one visit.
- Every age group could find a way to engage, experiment, and imagine.
“So we actually train our staff to … let them discover things on their own. We don’t just give answers, we’ll let them explore and engage. And we find that just leads to more authentic learning and long-term memory.”
A Museum Exhibit Like No Other
The result is the Innovation Workshop, an open, high-tech space that now anchors the museum’s new education efforts. Here, visitors can experience a variety of STEM technologies.
Race Robots on Custom Tracks
Using Sphero indi cars, kids (and grown-ups) code and race color-sensing robots across courses they build themselves, learning the basics of robotics, logic, and design.
Prototype with 3D Printing
Guests use MakerBot 3D printers to explore how racecar parts are designed and manufactured. It’s an introduction to engineering, design thinking, and problem-solving in action.
Explore Circuits with littleBits
For those new to electronics, Sphero’s littleBits kits offer a fun way to connect circuits, build mechanisms, and learn how technology powers the modern racing world.
The Workshop is intentionally hands-on and low-barrier. No prior STEM experience is required. Museum staff are trained to guide exploration without giving away all the answers, encouraging deeper learning through trial, error, and discovery.
“I love the indi cars because those were ones that I originally did not intend to buy. And they brought them down and showed them to me and said, ‘Well, you can use them to build race courses.’ So, that was kind of the first light bulb moment I had on this job. And then from there I’ve been like, ‘All right, tell me what else you’ve got.”
STEM Learning That’s Fast-Paced, Fun, and Future-Ready
Launched in spring 2025 as part of the museum’s $60.5 million renovation, the Innovation Workshop is already one of the museum’s most popular attractions.
It’s helping to change the perception of STEM in these ways and more.
- Through increasing STEM engagement among students and families
- By showcasing career pathways in engineering, technology, and motorsports
- By inspiring schools and museums across the country to pursue similar STEM education partnerships
And the learning doesn’t stop with kids.
“We’ve had grandparents and college students come in thinking, ‘This room isn’t for us.’ And the next thing you know, they’re on the floor, playing and doing things too. So it’s really creating that culture and atmosphere that this is for everybody. ”
Expanding Access and Growing the STEM Community
The Innovation Workshop is only the beginning. IMSM and STEM Education Works are already looking toward Phases two and three with these objectives in mind.
- Standards-aligned programming for schools and homeschoolers
- Digital outreach and mobile kits for learners who are too far to visit in person
- Collaborative events and workshops connecting museums, educators, and STEM professionals
STEM That Moves People
At its core, this project isn’t just about robots or racecars. It’s about showing learners that STEM is something they can touch, build, and be part of. It’s about turning a museum visit into a moment of inspiration and maybe even the start of a future career.
As Jake put it, “They come out excited about what they’re learning, which means that they’re a little bit more excited about IndyCar, and we’re just continuing to grow that fan base for the next generation. ”
When curiosity gets behind the wheel, there’s no limit to where learning can go.
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