| Gateway Science Museum - A New Resource for North State Families |
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 After more than a decade of community planning and participation, the beautiful new Gateway Science Museum at California State University, Chico is finished and ready for visitors. On Saturday, February 27, North State residents are invited to the Museum's 10 a.m. grand opening ceremony.
Bring the whole family to participate-fun activities follow the ceremony, and all can experience the wonders of our region in the new facility. North State families are a main audience for the Gateway Science Museum. Not willing to wait longer than necessary to begin the educational mission of the museum, field trips and programs started in October 2009, providing kids and families opportunities to visit the museum. Visitors turned out in full-force: Friday field trips saw over 500 North State children participate as part of classroom visits to CSU, Chico and the Gateway Science Museum. Activities included science-based curriculum that emphasized interpretation of the oak woodlands of the North State, and children participated in nature walks, guided activities, and had time to explore the Museum's multi-faceted Discovery Room. New activities are currently in development for spring 2010 fieldtrips. Families had a chance to investigate activities at the museum during three "Saturday at the Gateway" events in the fall. Hands-on exploratory activities were offered in the Education Station and Discovery Room. CSU, Chico scientists offered opportunities for families to observe and discuss their scientific research in the Demo Lab. Topics included entomology, geology, biology and anthropology. "It's been really fun to see ‘kids' of all ages participating in the Discovery Room and museum activities," said Dr. Julie Monet of the Department of Science Education at CSU, Chico. One family in particular caught the attention of museum staff when a young girl instructed her grandmother on how to look at organisms living in leaf litter under trees. Monet designed family-friendly activities such as fingerprint analyses of visitors, and construction of birdcall whistles. More learning and hands-on activities for kids and their families will take place in spring 2010 when the Museum hosts a traveling exhibit called Backyard Monsters: The World of Insects, featuring oversized animatronic insects that are up to nine feet tall! Exhibits and educational activities at the Gateway Science Museum are selected to specifically help children and their families regain the natural wonder many once had for the natural world. Exhibits like Backyard Monsters allow visitors to explore phenomena like the way insects fly, how they eat, and how they see through multi-faceted eyes. Many believe that informal science education like that offered at the Museum will help improve the state of science education for kids in Northern California. "The degradation of science education in the United States has placed us in the midst of a ‘Quiet Crisis,'" said Dr. Jim Houpis, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at CSU, Chico. He adds that the exhibits and programs hosted by the Museum are an important way that Northern Californians can motivate kids, encourage their curiosity, and foster their excitement and interest in science. The Gateway Science Museum is located at 625 Esplanade in Chico. Tickets are $5 for adults & $3 for children. More information about the Gateway Science Museum is available at their website www.csuchico.edu/gateway, or by calling (530) 898-4121. Dr. Rachel Teasdale is Acting Executive Director of the Gateway Science Museum. She is a professor in the Department of Geological & Environmental Sciences at CSU, Chico. Rachel teaches and does research on volcanoes and lava flows around the world. When not at the museum or investigating volcanic eruptions, Rachel enjoys hiking, biking and snowshoeing around the North State. |
March 2010
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