How can I spend my science in smaller increments?

I'm at what I assume to be the midway point of the game where I've just built some oil wells and a calciner, so now I'm making my own titanium. The issue I'm running into is that while I'm collecting science not through scholars but through "rare astronomical events" that are happening multiple times each season (for about 6-8K science/year), I'm still maxing out my science and I have nothing to spend it on. I need to build up more scaffolds and steel so that I can create new buildings and raise my max science (since I've already researched/unlocked everything I can with 60K science), but I feel like I'm wasting the science since it maxes out and I have nothing I can do with it.

Is there a way to spend the science in smaller amounts to keep it below the max level (like I can with wood -> beams or iron -> plates), or do I just need to let it sit there (and miss out on astronomical events) until I raise my max enough to have something new to do?