Joseph Cox, President & CEO, Museum of Discovery & Science

May 2026 — Invest: sat down with Joseph Cox, president and CEO of the Museum of Discovery & Science, to discuss the institution’s next phase of growth, from new exhibits and workforce development programs to expanded access and long-term strategic priorities. “We’re not just preparing future scientists here at the museum, we’re preparing future problem solvers,” Cox said.

What major milestones or successes stand out for the Museum of Discovery & Science (MODS) over the past year?

Over the past year, we have focused on two major efforts: closing out our current strategic plan and preparing to launch our new plan for 2026 through 2030. That transition has been an opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished and where we are headed next.

One of the biggest successes has been the opening of our early childhood gallery, Discovery Spot, which has performed extremely well. It has become an important entry point for families with young children and reinforces the museum’s role in shaping learning experiences from the earliest years. That work has been strengthened through support from Lilly Endowment, Inc., which has helped advance our focus on developing character skills in children. Across these experiences, we are intentionally building traits such as critical thinking, caring, cooperation, and confidence in the children and families we serve.

Another important milestone was the opening of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County at MODS After School Program, which reflects our commitment to extending science learning beyond a traditional museum visit and deepening our connection to the community through accessible, high-quality out-of-school-time programming.

Innovative partnerships are central to this work. By collaborating with schools, universities, companies, public agencies, community organizations, and national partners such as Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the LEGO Playful Learning Museum Network, MODS is able to co-create relevant programs, advance character and playful learning, connect learners to emerging industries, and extend the reach of science learning into the community.

We are also preparing to open about $10 million worth of new exhibits this year. Those investments will bring to life new experiences around environmental sustainability, aviation, health, and our new Deerfield Beach Nature Center.

Another highlight was the Visit Lauderdale Science Festival, which was likely the biggest one-day event in the museum’s 49-year history. We welcomed 15,800 people in a single day and partnered with more than 50 organizations, including Amazon and UKG. About 20% of attendees came from Miami-Dade, and we estimate the one-day economic impact on downtown Fort Lauderdale at nearly $800,000.

That event showed how science, tourism, education, and community development can come together in a meaningful way.

How is the museum supporting community engagement, workforce development, and interest in STEM careers?

At MODS, we have made a very intentional shift that will continue under our new strategic plan. We are not just inspiring curiosity, but building capability.

For a young child, that may begin with a first encounter with science in our early childhood spaces. For an older student, it may mean earning a drone pilot license through our Emil Buehler Aviation Academy.

Community engagement is central to this work. Through experiences like Build a Better World: The Future Begins with You, a new permanent exhibit opening in the fall, we connect guests to timely issues facing South Florida and invite them to think about resilience, environmental stewardship, and how they can make a difference in their own communities. Our Save Our Seas Distinguished Speaker Series sponsored by the Save Our Seas Foundation is another important example, bringing leading scientists, conservationists, and experts to MODS to engage the public in meaningful conversations about ocean health, sustainability, and the future of our planet.

One of the programs I am most proud of is our workforce development internship initiative, which includes aviation through the Emil Buehler Aviation Academy and environmental science through EcoExplorers. Together, these programs are among the largest of their kind at any science museum in the country. Currently, 125 Broward County high school students work year-round as paid museum educators for 25 hours per month, helping develop and activate programs on the museum floor and through outreach.

They receive training and wraparound support, including free meals, uniforms, access to a Broward College scholarship, paid employment, opportunities to engage with experts in these fields, and excursions ranging from the Everglades to JetBlue University in Orlando. Representing an investment of about $1.2 million, this work is made possible through corporate partners, private philanthropy, government agencies, and organizations such as the Children’s Services Council of Broward County. EcoExplorers is a particularly strong example of the program’s impact, giving students direct exposure to environmental sustainability, researchers, resilience-focused companies, and hands-on field experiences in the Everglades, where they work alongside experts and contribute to projects with real-world relevance.

We also work to build interest in STEM careers across all of our public programs and events. Whether a family is attending a special exhibition, a weekend program, a speaker event or a community festival, we strive to include connections to real STEM roles and career pathways tied to that experience. We want children and families to see that science is not just something to learn about, but something people do every day in careers that shape our world.

The moment a young person realizes they are not simply learning science, but making science and participating in it, everything changes. We have also added physical science and innovation as one of the museum’s four major pillars. We are not just preparing future scientists at the museum. We are preparing future problem solvers.

How are you adapting the museum’s model to serve audiences across all generations?

Last year, we welcomed nearly 500,000 visitors to the museum and reached another 60,000 through outreach. About 60% of our guests come with a child aged 6 or younger, but we also see family audiences that span generations.

What has changed most is the expectation around learning experiences. People no longer want education to be passive or one-size-fits-all. They want something immersive, flexible, relevant, and connected to their lives.

We have responded by creating what we see as a lifelong learning ecosystem. That journey can begin with programs for one-year-olds in our Sprouting STEM classroom, continue into Discovery Spot, expand through field trips and summer camps, and eventually lead to internships, volunteer opportunities, or employment.

We also offer programming for older adults through partnerships such as AARP. That matters because science learning should not have an age limit. Our goal is to create an institution where people can see themselves at every stage of life.

For many visitors, especially tourists, we may only have a two- or three-hour window to make an impression. In that time, we have to create lasting memories and long-term relationships with science.

How is the museum addressing affordability and access so more people can participate?

Access is one of the most important issues we think about. We take affordability, transportation, and awareness very seriously because no child should be excluded from what we offer because of those barriers.

In 2018, when I joined the museum, we became the first museum in Broward County to participate in the national Museums for All program. Through that program, families who receive SNAP or EBT benefits can visit the museum for $4 per person instead of the regular admission price.

Last year alone, more than 25,000 people benefited from that program. We do not receive national funding to operate it, so all of the support is raised locally. That says a great deal about the commitment of our community.

We also run other access programs. Our Blue Star Museums initiative provides free admission for active military families during the summer. Through the Leo Goodwin Foundation Kids Club, we offer free access to children and families connected to about 30 social service agencies. We also host multiple free-admission days throughout the year, including the Visit Lauderdale Science Festival and Eye of the Storm.

Access is not just about cost. It is also about belonging. If a child comes to the museum early in life and feels this is a place for them, there is a much greater chance they will grow into an adult who values museums, science, and lifelong learning.

How do you evaluate outcomes related to career readiness and long-term community impact?

Evaluation is taken very seriously in the museum field, and certainly at MODS. Attendance matters, and we are proud that it continues to grow, but numbers alone are not enough.

We look at educational outcomes, confidence building, skill development, and readiness. We want to understand not just who walked through the door, but how their thinking changed and what they gained from the experience.

That is why we gather feedback across many touchpoints. We conduct member surveys and collect feedback from field trip participants, camp families, and after-school club participants. These insights help us better understand the guest experience, measure learning and engagement, and shape future programming based on the needs and interests of our community.

We also bring in third-party evaluation firms to assess programs independently. That includes efforts such as EcoExplorers and major new exhibitions. For example, we are investing nearly $5 million in a new exhibit called Build a Better World: The Future Begins With You, and we will be closely evaluating how effective it is in shaping learning and engagement.

We do not just measure impact by how many people come in, but how many leave changed.

What are your top priorities for the next five years?

Our priorities center on expanding access, deepening educational impact, and ensuring long-term sustainability.

We want to continue growing our membership base and overall attendance, but just as important is the strength of the experiences we are building. We have several major projects coming up, including Building a Better World, the renovation of our Storm Center exhibit in partnership with Florida Power & Light, and updates to our health exhibit with Broward Health.

We are also opening the Deerfield Beach Nature Center, a new satellite location that will allow us to expand our geographic reach and deepen our environmental programming. In partnership with MAGNA-TILES, we are launching a new traveling exhibit that will tour museums around the country.

Looking ahead, 2027 will mark the museum’s 50th anniversary. We will celebrate under the theme Golden Moments, Infinite Discoveries, honoring the stories and memories of the last 50 years while also using that milestone as a launch pad for the next 50.

We are excited to launch a new era centered on community relevance, innovation, and measurable impact, giving us a strong sense of the opportunity ahead.