What has four wheels, is full of fun activities and scientific tools, and brings cutting-edge tropical research directly into classrooms around Panama?

That would be the Q?Bus, which is geared up to visit more public schools and communities in cities and rural areas in 2025. A one-of-a-kind learning experience, this educational program mobilizes Smithsonian science and brings it closer to young students who haven’t had the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)’s facilities around the country.

“El Busito de la Ciencia” (“the science bus” in English) is a hands-on science program for children and adults to participate in the excitement of the discovery process. Based on current research taking place at the Smithsonian in Panama, the interactive activities allow students, teachers and Q?Bus guides to create a unique experience that awakens scientific curiosity in young minds.

Aligned with the standards of Panama’s Ministry of Education (MEDUCA), the activities are developed for students from 7th to 9th grade; this year they explore topics like the causes of coral bleaching and how researchers study birds in the field.

Q?Bus is named after the Q?rius program from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington DC. Q?rius also inspired Q?rioso in STRI’s Punta Culebra Nature Center, a science learning laboratory for visitors of all ages, to get access to research tools and inspire curiosity.

The program will run from May to November of this year, thanks to funding from the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative.

For more information about the Q?Bus program and how to book a visit to a school, visit our Q?Bus page.

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The institute furthers the understanding of tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Promo video.