Spark!Lab

10/10/2025

Due to the government shutdown, we are temporarily closed beginning on Sunday, Oct. 12, along with Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo. We will update our operating status as soon as the situation is resolved. We do not plan to update social media other than to inform you of changes to our operating status. While our doors are closed, Smithsonian digital resources continue to be available at invention.si.edu.

09/15/2025

📢 WE'RE HIRING!

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is seeking a passionate and innovative Project Specialist to lead its Spark!Lab Network. This full-time, onsite role in Washington, DC, offers a salary between $84,601 and $109,975 per year. As part of the Invention Education team, the selected candidate will play a pivotal role in fostering creativity and hands-on learning experiences across the nation.

If you're interested in shaping the future of invention education and engaging with a dynamic network of educators and innovators, this opportunity might be for you. The application deadline is September 18, 2025.

For more details and to apply, please visit the official listing:

Job Opening: Project Specialist (Spark!Lab Network Manager), IS-0301-11 at Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

07/01/2025

🎉 Spark!Lab is turning 10!

Since July 1, 2015, Draper Spark!Lab has welcomed young inventors and curious minds from around the world to explore, create, and dream big at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Join us in celebrating a decade of invention—and stop by this summer to see where your ideas can take you!

04/25/2025

🚨 Calling all DC-area teens! 🎨💡🎧

Are you curious, creative, and ready to make a difference? Join the Spark!Lab Teen Innovators Program at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History this summer!

✅ Hands-on invention & design
✅ Behind-the-scenes museum experience
✅ $2,300 stipend 💵
✅ Open to teens ages 15–17 in the DMV area
✅ No experience needed — just bring your ideas!

Spend 7 weeks working on real projects, collaborating with other inventive teens, and gaining skills that last a lifetime.

📅 Apply by May 9
🔗 https://invention.si.edu/sparklab-teen-innovators-program

Tag a teen who needs to see this! 🔁

11/22/2023

Happy Thanksgiving! Our Draper Spark!Lab will be open on Thursday, Nov. 23 from 11am - 2pm 🦃

About 30 million turkeys are sold each year with built-in pop-up timers designed to tell cooks when the bird has reached that magic temperature. Here's the story behind the pop-up timer's inventor.

07/12/2023

Join us and The Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for an exciting event today, July 12 at the National Museum of American History from 1-3:00 p.m.!

🎉 In celebration of inventor Jerome Lemelson’s 100th birthday this month, we will share his invention notebooks, on loan to the museum and other invention-related notebooks from the national collections, in a special “Objects Out of Storage” program. After looking closely at sketches and notebooks in the collection, pick up your own (free!) inventor notebook and practice the invention process through a series of sketching prompts and activities.

✏️ Sketching is vital to the invention process as it facilitates idea generation, visualization, iteration, communication, problem-solving, documentation, inspiration sharing, and intellectual property protection. It empowers inventors to bring their ideas to life and fosters creativity, collaboration, and innovation throughout the journey of inventing.

[Image: Invention Notebook, Volume 1, pages 108 109, shows sketches for an autobody automatic cleaner and device for cooling flash bulbs, 1950. Made by Jerome Lemelson. Loan, Courtesy of the Dorothy Lemelson Foundation]

07/07/2023

Our Draper Spark!Lab located in the National Museum of American History is hiring. Applications will be accepted until July 21 - don't wait, apply now!

Part-time Museum Program Assistant (Spark!Lab Facilitator), Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American HistoryThe Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation (Lemelson Center) at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American...

04/10/2023

Amy Prieto invents green rechargeable batteries. Sunil Cherian invents ways to make electric power grids more sustainable. Both inventors have chosen Fort Collins, Colorado, as their place of invention. Check out this The Smithsonian's Lemelson Center virtual event on April 12 to find out why!

Interested in the topic of renewable energy? Don’t miss the next virtual Innovative Lives program on Wednesday, April 12, featuring Amy Prieto and Sunil Cherian. Registration is free but required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/539574861937

02/02/2023

Attention all students and educators! Are you interested in learning about the amazing work of Black inventors in STEM fields?

The Smithsonian's Lemelson Center has launched the Inspiring STEM Pathways project, featuring first-hand accounts from living Black inventors.

These video interview clips, along with accompanying math and science problems, group discussion outlines, and invention challenges, are designed to inspire and encourage students to pursue STEM careers.

Discover how these inventors draw on their curiosity and resiliency in their daily work and overcome challenges. Get inspired and start your own STEM journey today by visiting: https://invention.si.edu/inspiring-stem-pathways

01/09/2023

Happy New Year!

Is one of your new year's resolutions to give back to your community in a meaningful way? Do you live in the Washington, DC area? Are you interested in learning more about invention education? If you answered yes to these questions, then you should volunteer in our Draper Spark!Lab, located inside of the National Museum of American History.

Volunteer training sessions for 2023 are starting soon, sign up today: bit.ly/3WXV2oO