Summer fun for families at the Science Museum of Virginia

Learning about DNA structure at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, VA.

Since its founding by the Virginia General Assembly in 1970, the Science Museum of Virginia has become the premier center for hands-on science education in Virginia.

Permanent exhibitions include interactive exhibits on a wide range of science topics. The Ethyl Corporation IMAX®DOME creates the ultimate “you are there” experience.

Additional museum programs include visiting exhibitions, weekly educational programming, overnight adventures, lectures, demonstrations, dramatic presentations, summer camps and outreach programs.

In the Imax Dome Theater:

Sharks is now playing in the Imax Dome theater onsite of the Science Museum of Virginia. Come face-to-face with a multitude of shark species, including the great white, hammerhead and whale shark. Witness them as they really are: not man-eating creatures, but wild, fascinating and endangered animals that have been in existence a million years before dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

MacGillivray Freeman’s Coral Reef Adventure is now playing. Dive and explore among filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall to document the imperiled coral reefs of the South Pacific and the worldwide challenge to save them. From Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to the corals of Fiji, witness how our actions affect our environment and learn ways to save the reefs.

MacGillivray Freeman’s Dolphins is now playing. From the dazzling coral reefs of the Bahamas to the wind-swept seas of Patagonia, romp with inquisitive Atlantic spotted dolphins, acrobatic dusky dolphins and the familiar bottlenose dolphin of “Flipper” fame. From rarely seen fish-herding behavior to a close-up look at complex communication activities, you’ll catch a fascinating new perspective on the lives of dolphins and their remarkable intelligence.

Live Theater: Amazing Tales of Sharks: Featuring CSTC Tale Tellers from June 18-August 16, 2009. Thursday-Sunday at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Demonstration Stage. CSRC professional Tale Tellers are always full of the most exciting and intriguing stories and they deliver their dramatic interpretations with unforgettable energy and style. “Amazing Tales of Sharks” is appropriate for all ages and is free with museum admission.

Visiting Exhibitions:

Shark Space: June 27- November 1, 2009. Daily shark feeding from 10-10:30 a.m.; shark petting at noon-12:30 p.m. and 3-3:30 p.m. Track Level. Get your hands wet as you meet living sharks and other marine animals. A museum educator will give you the inside scoop on these fascinating creatures. The shark tank demonstration is free with museum admission, but tickets are required and available at guest services. For safety reasons, children must be 40 inches or taller to experience the touch tanks.

What’s more deadly, a shark or a falling coconut? Did you know that sharks have a “sixth” sense? Find out which shark species are nearing extinction. Dig for shark teeth at Tooth Sleuth. Head outside, grab some sidewalk chalk and help decorate a 39-foot-long, life size silhouette of a whale shark, the biggest fish on the planet.

Check out an amazing depiction of a sand shark and a marine food web made entirely with sand. Watch a stop-action video of the 100-ton sand sculpture’s creation by Guinness World record holding and award winning artist Ted Siebert of The Sand Sculpture Company. Thank you to Skanska  for providing the sand for the exhibit.

Operation Simple: da Vinci Center for Innovation in Product Design and Development through July 31, 2009, Thursday – Tuesday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Demonstration Stage and Level Two Mezzanine. Virginia Commonwealth University engineering, business and art students will share with museum visitors how they designed and prototyped a $500 operating table for use in developing countries around the world. The VCU team will be working at the museum and available to answer questions and conduct demonstrations as the table is transformed from a prototype to a product ready for sale in Bangladesh.

Mindbender: Now through September 7, 2009 in the Imax Dome Wing. Get ready to use your problem-solving skills to solve a variety of inventive brain teasers and puzzles. Adults and children alike will enjoy challenging their minds as they attempt to master each of the 40 individual brain teasers and five group activities in this fun and unconventional new exhibit. Supported by www.thinkfinity.org .

LiveSky and Sky Watch: Free. Every third Friday at 6 p.m., stargazers of all ages find out “what’s up” in the current night sky at LiveSky, an interactive planetarium show presented by a museum astronomer in the IMAX DOME. It is followed by Sky Watch, that’s when volunteers from the Richmond Astronomical Society set up their powerful telescopes on the front lawn and help guests spot and identify celestial objects (weather permitting). LiveSky schedule: August 21, 2009 at 6 p.m.: “Jupiter” Sky Watch begins at 8:30 p.m. September 18, 2009 at 6 p.m.: “Autumnal Equinox,” Sky Watch begins at 7:30 p.m.

The Science Museum of Virginia will be open seven days a week through September 7, 2009.

Hours and Admission:
Now through September 7, 2009, Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., and on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
September 8, 2009 through May 30, 2010: Tuesday – Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Monday openings: Memorial Day, Labor Day, Oct. 12, Dec. 21 and 28, 2009; Jan. 18, Feb. 15 and April 5, 2010.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Shop 4 Science (the museum's gift shop), Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. , Sunday, noon–5 p.m. (closed Mondays Sept. 8, 2009–May 30, 2010).
Café Portico: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m. (closed Mondays Sept. 8, 2009–May 30, 2010) (Museum admission not required for gift shop or café.)

Sunday Summer Special! IMAX® movies are just $5 on Sundays, now through Sept. 6, 2009. Discounted tickets are available at Guest Services or by calling (804) 864-1400 or 1-800-659-1727.

Admission:

Adult ages 13–59 Youth ages 4–12. Discount also applies to Seniors 60+ and Active Military. Children 3 and under are free.

Adult: $10/exhibits, $8.50/IMAX DOME only, $15/exhibits and IMAX, $3/Carpenter Science Theater, $10/feature length films.
Youth: $9/exhibits, $8.50/IMAX, $14/exhibits and IMAX, $3/Carpenter Science Theater, $10/feature length films
Members: Free/exhibits, $5/IMAX, $5/exhibits and IMAX, $3/Carpenter Science Theater, $9/feature length films.

For more information about membership, visit the website at www.smv.org.

History of Broad Street Station and the Science Museum

• Early 1913: The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad (RF&P) solicits bids for a new passenger station to be built in Richmond, Va. Company directors select a design submitted by New York architect John Russell Pope.
• April 21, 1916: The RF&P and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad announce that a new station will be built on a 50-acre tract on Broad Street. Plans feature an innovative rail yard and track system.
• Jan. 6, 1917: Ground is broken for the new station.
• April 22, 1943: During World War II, a record 33,324 passengers arrive, depart or pass through Broad Street Station.
• 1953: After it is struck by lightning, the station's terra-cotta dome is replaced with sheet copper.
• May 1, 1971: RF&P's passenger rail service ends. Amtrak takes over passenger train service to Richmond and throughout much of the country. Broad Street Station is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
• Nov. 15, 1975: Amtrak moves all passenger train operations to a new station on Staples Mill Road. The last passenger train departs Broad Street Station at 4:58 a.m.
• 1976: RF&P sells Broad Street Station to the state of Virginia.
• Jan. 6, 1977: Gov. Mills E. Godwin unveils the Science Museum of Virginia's first permanent exhibit gallery, the Discovery Room.
• April 22, 1983: Completion of the Ethyl IMAX®DOME & Planetarium.
1995: The Virginia Department of Historic Resources erects a marker to commemorate the station's place in the history of the commonwealth.
• October 2000: Completion of extensive exterior renovations, new interior spaces and a new exhibition.
• January 2003: Mary Morton Parsons Earth-Moon Sculpture “the Kugels” dedicated. Features the Guinness World Record-holding 29-ton solid granite globe of the Earth.
• September 2005: Forty new interactive exhibits were opened. Also unveiled were multipurpose galleries devoted to the history of Broad Street Station and Virginia's prehistoric past.

Exhibits:
The Science Museum of Virginia has hundreds of hands-on experiences to amaze and inspire you!
Build bridges. Create a giant soap bubble. Investigate alternative energy sources. Pilot a Segway® Human Transporter and serve your own head on a platter.

Along with fun ways to explore science, our exhibits provide many ways of meeting the Scientific Investigation, Reasoning and Logic strands in the Virginia Standards of Learning.

1. Bayscapes: The Science Museum has joined forces with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to create a BayScapes Garden on the museum's front lawn. BayScaping is an environmentally sound method of landscaping which benefits people, wildlife and Chesapeake Bay. Once established, a BayScapes garden needs less water, pesticides, fertilizer and mowing than a traditional garden. Considering creating your own Earth-friendly oasis? Look for explanatory signs in the garden that will help you identify and learn about the types of plants used, or click here for online information.
In addition to the Science Museum and the Alliance, BayScapes Garden partners include the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries  and ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance . Philip Morris USA  and the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund  sponsored the project.

2.  Science Unplugged.  Get ready to step back in time while testing basic science principles of engineering and physics. Designed and built at the Science Museum of Virginia, Science Unplugged blends the look and feel of the mid 20th-century with fun, hands-on science experimentation.  Using the scientific method, explore:

3. Build It! Build a bridge you can walk on. Can you design and build a structure that can withstand an earthquake? Stack blocks to make a gravity-defying cantilever. What does a string of pearls have in common with the Gateway Arch in St. Louis?

4. Force and Motion. Experiment with tops, bubbles and bursts of air. Get a mechanical advantage using pulleys, gears and other labor saving devices.

5. Bioscape. Your journey into life sciences begins with the five-story DNA strand and leads you into the Very Small Gallery and the amazing realm of cells and DNA. Investigate genes, traits and heredity. Find out about the Human Genome Project and how its findings could be used to help people. Enter the Science Sleuth Theater to try your hand (and mind) at crime solving.

6. My Size Gallery. Shift from microscopic scale to human scale as you enter My Size Gallery, which features multi-sensory explorations of human biology and health science. Investigate body systems with Body Probe and manipulate a human skeleton to find out how joints work. Activate a kinetic sculpture using your own pulse.

7. Really Big Gallery. Make the jump from human scale to Earth size in the Really Big Gallery, where the spotlight is on environmental sciences. Reel in a giant Smallmouth bass to find out what it eats and then interact with exhibits on mutation and evolution, extinction, biodiversity and global warming. Express your viewpoints about environmental conservation and compare them those of other visitors.

8. Electriworks. Investigate and explore key concepts of electricity. Make electricity arc through the air, use your voice to make a laser beam dance and generate electricity. Discover the principles behind a simple working motor.

9. Light Visions: eye sight to star light: Picture Light What is light? What makes light white? How does it travel? Shadow exhibits introduce this concept in a unique way. Experiment with lenses, mirrors, prisms and light. Step into a giant camera. How does it work like your eyes to form an image?

10. Seeing Things. Experience interactive illusions that play with your perceptions and baffle your brain! Step into a room where first-graders are bigger than their teachers! Put your head on a platter. You won't believe your eyes!

11. Cosmic Visions. Understand the phases of the moon. When is the Big Dipper not the Big Dipper? What stars can be seen from your backyard tonight? Touch a rock from outer space as you explore your universe!

12. Newton in SpacE: bodies in motion. Explore Newton's laws, gravity, momentum, potential and kinetic energy Float on air. Test your astronaut skills as you control a gyro chair. Ride a Segway®. Watch a feather and a penny drop at the same speed. Studying force, motion and energy has never been so much fun!

13. Space Gallery. Investigate the amazing properties of aluminum-lithium alloy while experimenting with its strength and stability. Assemble part of the international space station. Study Virginia's moon rock. Witness the effects of near-zero gravity. Simulate a satellite's orbit around the Earth and the moon in the unique Gravity Wells exhibit.

14. The Kugels. Rotate the floating granite kugels (kugel is German for ball) and study features of the Earth and the moon.

15. Reynolds AluminauT: exploring Deep Ocean Space. In 1964, Reynolds Metals Company, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia., launched an extraordinary creation - the Aluminaut, the world's first aluminum submarine. During its career, the Aluminaut set a world record for the deepest dive by a submarine and traveled the world to perform scientific research and emergency salvage missions. Hands-on exhibits investigate density, the effect of pressure changes in the ocean, corrosion and galvanic action, and the effects of pressure and stress on shape.

16. Virginia Tech Solar House. Open for tours Tuesdays 11 a.m.–noon and Thursdays 1–2 p.m. The award winning Virginia Tech Solar House was designed and built by engineering, architecture and urban studies students and faculty for the 2005 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. To find out more about the Solar House, download an information sheet. For groups of 10 or more contact the Sales and Information Office.

17. New Energy Virginia. Sell electricity back to the power company? That's what's going on in the innovative building behind the Science Museum of Virginia. Solar panels, a wind turbine and geothermal energy combine to power the building's lighting and heating systems. Hop on a stationary bicycle and start peddling. See how much energy you can generate and compare that with the energy being generated by the tall wind turbine. Find out what areas of the country are well-suited for this type of energy. Manipulate mirrored panels to get the most energy from the sun. A readout shows you when you are getting the best results. New Energy Virginia is made possible by a grant from the Virginia Department of Mines Minerals and Energy  and the U.S. Department of Energy .

18. Discover VirginiA! Discover Virginia! Note: this exhibit may not be available on the day of your visit. Dig into Virginia's prehistoric past, changing shorelines, major river systems and geological resources.

19. A Pictorial History of Broad Street Station Note: this exhibit may not be available on the day of your visit. The story of the landmark building's illustrious past told through historic photographs.

For more information about the Science Museum of Virginia, visit the museum at 2500 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA or call (804) 659-1727 or visit the website at www.smv.org.