Get ready to drop a beat, Bham! Today, the Birmingham City Council has approved a new exhibit that uses hip hop to teach STEM at McWane Science Center. Here’s the scoop.

McWane’s new hip hop + STEM exhibit

The new exhibit at McWane, called Dropping Science is an interactive learning exhibit that will explore the history and cultural significant of hip hop. The exhibit will be one of the first in the country to use hip hop to teach STEM.

Those who visit the exhibit will have the chance to engage in a number of activities, such as:

Creating beats + recording lyrics
Designing a sneaker
Learning dance moves
And more!

Under the agreement, the City of Birmingham will provide up to $450,000 for a term of three years to support the exhibit.

Birmingham Councilor JT Moore told Bham Now:

“This is an incredibly thoughtful and engaging way to introduce young people to the science behind music, song writing, artistic expression and the culture surrounding hip hop.

It’s an honor to be able to support this innovative approach to STEM programming here in Birmingham. I’m encouraged by the fact that the leadership at McWane has brought on an advisory group comprised of local people who understand the cultural relevance and the impact that hip hop has made on our society.

I think this is an exhibit that is going to bring a lot of people to Birmingham and is another great way to introduce them to the ways that Black culture has shaped our city and our world.”