The Curiosity Cube™, a mobile science lab from MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has begun its 2026 tour of North America, Europe, and Southern Africa. Throughout the year, over 2,000 employees and partners worldwide will step out of their laboratories, manufacturing facilities, and offices to share their skills and insights with the next generation of scientists, providing hands-on STEM experiences for an expected 62,000 students.
“Our employees work every day to impact life and health with science, and that passion makes them powerful role models for today’s students,” said Jeffrey Whitford, Vice President, Sustainability and Social Business Innovation, the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “As we mark the 10th anniversary of our SPARK™ employee volunteer program, the Curiosity Cube™ remains one of the many ways we spark curiosity and inspire confidence in students. We provide access to hands-on science by bringing the interactive, mobile lab directly to their schools.”
Inside this year’s Curiosity Cube™ are three lessons focused on synthetic biology. This topic introduces students to biology principles and highlights growing sectors within the life sciences, including research and development, healthcare, and agriculture. The three lessons include:
- Enzyme Function: Demonstrating how enzyme shapes influence biological processes using lock and key models.
- DNA Coding: Allowing students to discover how DNA “codes” affect traits and behaviors.
- Gene Activation: Highlighting how turning genes on or off can create genes that help solve real-world problems.
The eighth North American tour includes 133 events across major cities in the U.S. and Canada, including Austin, Boston, Cleveland, Durham, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Diego, San Jose, St. Louis, Toronto, and more. For its fifth European tour, the Curiosity Cube™ will host 156 events with stops in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K., with new stops in Poland, Serbia, and Slovakia. After a successful expansion to Southern Africa in 2025, the Curiosity Cube™ is returning to host 126 events alongside universities in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and will expand to Zambia for the first time.
To learn more about the Curiosity Cube™ mobile science lab and view the 2026 tour schedule, visit TheCuriosityCube.com and follow the Curiosity Cube™ on Instagram: @curiositycube_milliporesigma.
