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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Science Corner: Amazing Expanding Balloon

Every Tuesday in the Wilson Daily Times we will be running the Imagination Station Science Corner. These will be simple experiments that parents can do with their children at home. Each week there will be a few questions that go along with the experiment; and, the answers can be found here.

Answers to the Amazing Expanding Balloon:

1. Why did the balloon expand?

The balloon expanded because when the Baking Soda and Vinegar were mixed some atoms from each one came together to form a gas that wasn't in the bottle before. The new gas wants to expand and has to go somewhere, so it goes up and fills the balloon.

2. What gas do you think filled the balloon?

The gas that is formed is Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

A Chelonian is . . .


The answer to our Monday Give Away trivia question:

A Chelonian is either a turtle or a tortoise. It's one of the six families of reptiles. The six families are Lizards, Snakes, Chelonians, Crocodilia, Dinosaurs, and Tuatara. We actually have 4 of these 6 at Imagination Station. Of course, we will never have a dinosaur and Tuataras are extremely rare and live only in New Zealand. We do, however, have a dwarf Cayman that was recently added to out reptile collection.

The Imagination Station t-shirt will be shipped to the winner today . We will be taking the next Monday off because of Christmas Eve, but we'll go ahead and have one on New Year's Eve. So, be sure to check back in on December 31st!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Hunter's Creek Middle School

We had about 90 students from Hunter's Creek Middle School visit today. They got to learn about the Laws of Motion in our Phenomenal Physics program.

Monday Give Away


This week we are giving away one of our new museum t-shirts. I know its winter, but at least you'll have a new shirt to wear when spring rolls around.

This week's trivia question:

What is a Chelonian?

The first person to e-mail (mail@imaginescience.org) me the correct answer will receive the free T-shirt.

Of course, I realize in the days of Google such questions are a little too easy. So, you may see increasing difficulty as the weeks go by.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Museums in Education: Do They Matter?

What is the value of a science museum? Do they really make a difference?

These are valid questions that I have heard even in my short time thus far as the director of a science museum. These questions are valid and need to be answered. For many, a museum appears to be a stagnant building that people visit, look around, and leave. The problem is that the majority of the museum's efforts are not seen by the casual observer. A family making a weekend trip to a science museum like Imagination Station will not see the numerous programs, workshops, and other educational opportunities the museum has to offer. I know, I used to be one. I think many times those in the museum bubble simply forget that the average person doesn't know the in's and outs of the museum world. Undoubtedly, it is the job of the museum to bridge that gap in understanding, not vice versa. We need to be able to justify our existence.

Until I became an educator in a museum I had no idea that so much was going on inside that "stagnant" building. Thousands of students get to experience science in ways a classroom simply can't offer. A museum has the resources that a school system can't. A school system can't keep tanks of Liquid Nitrogen, numerous live reptiles, and much more. A science museum, however, offers a centralized location with specialized equipment that schools can use to accomplish their science education curriculum.

Of course, there are also thousands of students served by our Science on Wheels outreach program, thousands more by our Smart Start preschool science programs and our Merck Pharmaceuticals professional development grant for teachers in the area of science education.

So, next time you drive by, or walk by, what appears to be a dormant building know that the place is most likely buzzing with activity; you just may not see it.

Willow Springs Elementary

The museum was busy today with almost 100 first grade students from Willow Springs Elementary. They took full advantage of their visit getting to experience two Merck Science Courtroom programs and one Discovery Class workshop.

The children participated in our Deep Freeze Liquid Nitrogen and Radical Reptiles program. They also took part in our Cookbook Chemistry hands-on workshop.

Thanks for visiting Willow Springs, we hope to see you again!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Imagination Station is Going Green


As a science museum we feel we have an obligation to demonstrate how science and technology can be used to be not only environmentally responsible, but also to decrease our dependence on foreign energy sources. The incandescent lights on the display floors of the museum have all been replaced with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs. There were 112 bulbs in all, which will represent a significant decrease in our energy consumption. Of course, it also means our utility bill, which can be rather expensive in a building this old, will feel the effects as well. We have already seen the meter slowing down over the past 2 months as we have reviewed the numbers.

This is something simple that every one can do. CFL's cost more than incandescents, but by the time you add up the fact that CFL's last for 7 years and use 1/4 of the electricity, they easily pay for themselves and then some. Not everyone can change all their lights at once, but you can certainly replace ones that go out with a new CFL. If every household simply replaced one incandescent bulb with a CFL, one coal-fired power plant could be shut down. Of course, this doesn't take into account businesses and what would happen if everyone changed all their light bulbs!

This doesn't have to be an issue of what one believes about global warming. It's simply something we can all do to reduce demand for fossil fuels, which will benefit us in many ways. It is an issue of national security, economics, and, yes, environmental responsibility. Whatever your reason or motivation may be, let's all do this together!

South Edgecombe Middle School

Today Imagination Station was glad to have 94 students from South Edgecombe Middle School. They were able to see our Deep Freeze Liquid Nitrogen program and our Pop, Fizz, Boom chemistry demonstration.
If you're curious about these programs, check in every Thursday for our Program of the Week. Starting next Thursday, Dec. 20th we will feature one of our programs or discovery class workshops. This will give you all the opportunity to know exactly what these students are experiencing when they visit.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

White's Lights Starts Tonight!

Tonight is the kick-off for the White's Lights Christmas Light display! There are over 20 acres of lights to see. Imagination Station is one of three non-profit recipients of the proceeds this year. For more information click here.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

And the Winner is . . .

Congratulations to Dawn and Daniel Wilkins along with their three children! Dawn was the first to send in the right answer to the trivia question. Her family will be receiving a free one year membership to Imagination Station.

Be sure to check back in next Monday, Dec. 17th, for our next Trivia Give Away contest.

The correct answer to this week's question is Water - H2O. This is what makes Hydrogen such an attractive option for powering vehicles and creating electricity. The Hydrogen burns creating the necessary pressure to run a combustion engine or to power a generator; and, the only byproduct is H2O, or water vapor.

When you see a flame what you are witnessing is the energy being released when oxygen molecules break apart and join with what is burning. So, for example, when wood is burned, which has a high level of carbon, the carbon is joining with the oxygen, thus producing Carbon Dioxide (CO2). So, when hydrogen burns it goes through the same process and produces H2O.

If there are any questions you can leave them in comment section below, or feel free to contact me by e-mail.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Membership Give Away

The first person who sends me an e-mail with the correct answer to this question will receive a free family membership* to Imagination Station ($60 value):

What molecule is formed when Hydrogen burns?

(Check back in for our weekly give aways! Though they won't always be worth as much as this one!)

**Membership includes free admission to ISSM and over 250 other science centers in the US. It also includes a 10% discount in our gift shop, discounts on summer camps, and other museum events.

B.O. Barnes Elementary

70 students from B.O. Barnes Elementary made their way to Imagination Station today. They were able to see our Deep Freeze program along with our guests from Barton College (see below). I was also able to get some of our snakes out for them to touch. Of course, as usual some of the students couldn't get enough and others could get far enough away.

A Visit from Barton College

Ms Jackie Ennis' Elementary Methods Course at Barton College visited the museum today to learn more about the benefits of using Informal Science Centers as a curriculum supplement. They were able to see our Deep Freeze program, which uses liquid nitrogen to teach states of matter and the effects of temperature on matter. It was our honor to have them as our guests!

Imagination Station is intentional in including North Carolina Standard Course of Study Science Curriculum Objectives in each of its programs. So, teachers are able to bring their students to the museum and know that they will be participating in a program or workshop that supplements their curriculum goals.

ISSM Thanks Enviropest

Imagination Station would like to say thank you to Enviropest for their recent commitment to donate pest control services to the museum. The willingness of local companies to donate in-kind services to Imagination Station frees us to focus our spending on bringing science education to the students of Eastern North Carolina. Thank you Enviropest!

Friday, December 7, 2007

75 Students Visited Museum Today

We had about 75 students at the museum today from two different schools. They got to see some of our reptiles up close and personal in their reptile program. They then moved on to their workshop on weather. Its always neat to see children learn for the first time that the energy from the Sun drives the weather patterns of Earth.
One of the school groups also experienced Pop, Fizz, Boom!, a program that teaches some basic concepts about Chemistry. Of course, basic or not, it's fun to see all the kids jump when we create hydrogen gas in a Zip-loc bag and open it under a flame . . .

Support Imagination Station

Support Imagination Station by attending White's Lights. This year Imagination Station will get to benefit from the proceeds along with Greenfield School and WilMed Hospice. You can purchase a ticket at Imagination Station or The Wilson Daily Times for $10 per car and receive a coupon for $10 off at White's Tires. Or, you can just pay at the gate! We hope to see you there!

Dec. 12th-24th
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
1106 Forest Hills Rd.
Wilson, NC


Thursday, December 6, 2007

Seeing Stars

Michael Peckerar, our Science on Wheels Educator, took the stars to a local home school group today. Kids always enjoy getting to go inside the StarLab Portable Planetarium to see the stars and learn about constellations.

Rainbow Stew

Michael got to teach Ms. Curtis' class at Benson Elementary about colors yesterday. The children had a great time being introduced to the basic concepts of color and light. As you see below they all had a good time seeing the colors of the spectrum through their diffraction grating lenses.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Reinventing the Science Museum

There was a great article in a recent edition of the Wall Street Journal concerning the need for Science Museums to reinvent themselves. The article deals specifically with interactive children's science museums which are a relatively recent development. According to the article, the first was the Exploratorium in San Fransisco, built in 1969. Of course, during this time period NASA was at its height and science education was in the forefront. Since that time things have changed and shifts in emphasis have occurred. The article can be found here.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Santa Meets Science


I came across this interesting article citing just how fast Santa has to move to get the job done on Christmas. If he does it right he can actually get 48 hours to do the job by traveling against the earth's rotation. But, even then, he only gets 34 microseconds per stop. Read more about it here.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Lizards, Snakes, and Chelonians

So, you may be asking, "What's a chelonian?" Chelonian is the reptile family of which turtles and tortoises are a part. A small group of 16 students were able to learn this and more as they came to Imagination Station for our Radical Reptiles program. Imagination Station is fortunate to have 4 of the 6 families of reptiles represented at the museum. The 6 families are Lizards, Snakes, Chelonians, Crocodilia, Tuatara, and Dinosaurs. We don't feel so bad, however, about the 2 families we don't have. Obviously, Dinosaurs are no longer around and the Tuatara family is rare and found only in New Zealand. But, we do have a Dwarf Cayman, so we even have the Crocodilia family covered.
For those of you who are not familiar with the museum, we allow students to have hands-on interaction with most of our reptiles. There is nothing like the look on the face of a student who is touching a 6 foot Boa for the first time!

This is Yoshi, our iguana.

Plenty of Polymers

This past Friday 40 fourth grade students came to the museum to learn about Polymers. Polymers are a fascinating part of our world. They have interesting and unique properties that have allowed many modern-day conveniences. For example, a pair of disposable diapers uses a super-absorbent polymer in the lining. One of the many activities the students got to experience was dissecting a diaper and collecting the small amount of powder found in them. Most of the time they are able to fill up a corner of a Zip-loc bag. They then slowly add water to the bag; and, amazingly that small corner of powder is able to absorb almost an entire beaker full of water.

The fact that polymers are able to expand is what allows this. The polymer in diapers is called sodium polyacrylate. This particular polymer forms in a ball and expands as the water molecules move into it. You can try this experiment yourself with nothing more than a pair of diapers, scissors, a sandwich bag, and some water.

This was just one of many hands-on activities the students were able to do in their polymer workshop. I'll be sure and include some of the others the next time a group comes through.