Inside a Rockville storefront on a recent evening, two girls stood by a workbench vise grip as a third wielded a mallet to thwack a piece of metal into shape. Other kids steered zippy robots that inhaled plastic balls Roomba style and flung them into baskets, like little mechanical Stephen Currys.

It was all in the name of science.

After school most days, Montgomery County students gather at the Rockville Science Center to work on their engineering, drone and robotics teams — but in a few months, they could be left in a lurch.

“I joined because I was interested in science, and I stayed because I loved it,” said Jane Croshier, 18, a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and the primary pilot for the drone team. She talks about coming back as a mentor when she’s in college.

The nonprofit organization serves students — and science enthusiasts of all ages — across the county and has held two spaces in Rockville Town Square since January 2020.

Its landlord, Morguard Management Co., recently said it will end the lease with the science center by May. Morguard did not reply to a request for comment.

Officials at the Rockville Science Center are asking for public support to find a permanent home for the organization, which they say served more than 9,000 people last year.

They’re seeking $1 million in donations toward acquiring at least a 5,000-square-foot building in Rockville to continue their programming of high school engineering classes, adult workshops, weekly chess clubs and more.

The science center, which has roots dating to 1989, has seven part-time paid staff members, a roster of volunteers with professional experience in the sciences and a board of trustees of six volunteers, said Ulisses Santamaria, board president.

If there’s any money left from the fundraising campaign, it will be used for additional staff and programs, he said.

The center receives grant funding from Maryland Technology Development Corp., Rockville and private foundations, Santamaria said. Other funds come from program fees and annual dues, such as those required to participate on high school engineering teams.

Santamaria, a research technician for infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, started as a volunteer for the center’s most popular event, Rockville Science Day.

“It’s interesting to see what a center like this can do and what it brings,” he said. “There’s something to be said about having scientists and engineers here and accessible to the public.”

The center’s downtown location has been essential to generating awareness of the workshops, he and others said.

Santamaria stumbled across it while walking around Rockville Town Square. Some of the teenagers said some of their favorite memories at the center involve getting to explain and demonstrate their projects to passersby.

They also love connecting with fellow science geeks from other schools and neighborhoods.

“I’ve met one of my closest friends from doing robotics, and she’s a junior and I’m a senior,” said Abigail Diamant, 17, a student at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and captain of the autonomous robotics team. “I’ve found that it’s really cool to be able to help someone through the same math problems or physics problems.”

The center’s teams participate in regional and national competitions throughout the year. Some of the kids balance other high school activities, including sports, during the daylight hours. That can make for long nights at the science center.

“At least once every two weeks, especially up until competitions, we’re here pulling all-nighters consistently,” said Annika Balaji, 17, a senior at Montgomery Blair High School. “Just having that drive in us to make something work is just why we’re so passionate.”