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Reptiles are amazing creatures. It’s unfortunate that sometimes they have a bad reputation. You need to be respectful of them, just like any other animal, but mostly they are perfectly content to spend most of their time just hanging out, relaxing, and eating when they’re hungry. At our Reptile Day event at the Museum, lots of reptiles came out to meet our visitors, and we even had prizes for visitors who registered their pet reptile friends in contests! Special guests on hand at the event included Gator Boys Chris and Ashley from Animal Planet, and Chef Kat Duran, who gave a cooking demonstration on how to eat like a reptile. There was a live venomous snake handling show by Venom One (Miami’s Snakebite Response Team), a live python presentation by a Museum herpetologist, an airboat display by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and a presentation on invasive reptile detection and training by the Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (ECISMA). We had crafts, activities, and demonstrations all throughout the Museum, like a chameleon camouflage challenge, sea turtle bingo, reptile scavenger hunt, and a lizard personality quiz. Even the turtles got in on the excitement of the day by having a race for our visitors!
Reptile Day is sponsored in part by Venom One, ECISMA, Gatorama, MSM Collections, Zoo Med, GEICO, Tom Crutchfield, and United Pet Group, Inc. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Donald Uricchio at duricchio@miamisci.org.
 Just a baby!  Eat like a reptile  Just hanging out
 Someone just like you  A new friend  Everyone with new friends!
Posted in In the Community, In the Museum, Partnerships
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Tagged Animal Planet, Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gator Boys, Gatorama, Geico, Inc., Kat Duran, Tom Crutchfield, United Pet Group Inc., Venom One, Zoo Med
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If you came to the Museum last weekend, you would have been greeted with a room full of sparkling, colorful treasures that would make any old-time pirate jealous. The Miami Mineralogical and Lapidary Guild was holding their fall show here at the Museum, which was free with admission. Visitors had the option to participate in classes, workshops, and demonstrations, and vendors showed off beautiful handcrafted items as well as other amazing pieces created solely by nature. Whether you were there for science, nature, or jewelry, there was something for everyone!
Last Saturday, ECHOS teachers and teacher assistants came to the Museum on a quest to become prepared to host the Head Start Museum Family Day. Both ECHOS and Head Start are all about creating environments for young children to learn and develop in a safe and educational environment. This workshop in particular focused on the upcoming Head Start Museum Family Day, as well as identifying new ways to involve parents in ECHOS activities – with the expectation that teachers would then incorporate these strategies at their respective centers. As part of their “Quest” at the workshop, teaching teams explored museum exhibits that had been selected by ECHOS staff to help deepen their understanding of science concepts that are presented across all 9 ECHOS units. Throughout their Quest, teams compared features of live birds at the Museum’s Wildlife Center, learned about shells and fossils with “Fossil Frank,” observed bees at work in our new Beehive exhibit installation, and were even challenged to estimate how many gallons of water are in the large fish tank in the Sea Lab. Three teams guessed the exact number of gallons, and won prizes. Can you guess how many gallons? Scroll down to the photo from the Sea Lab to find out! (The answer is in the caption.)
 This teacher was fascinated by this horseshoe crab shell, which she had never seen before. Have you?  One of the quest challenges was to spell out your own initials using these movable magnetic gears.
 Teachers observed bee pollen and butterfly legs through microscopes.  There are 3,000 gallons of water in that large tank! How close was your guess?
The Smithsonian is a name recognized all over the world. Internationally, if people know one Museum in the US, it’s most likely the Smithsonian. But through Smithsonian Affiliations, museums all over the country can partner in efforts to share science, art, and history with everyone. The Miami Science Museum is a proud Affiliate member, and recently has taken advantage of several unique opportunities made available by the Smithsonian.
One of these opportunities was sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live, and it allowed our Museum to open its doors for free and allow even more of our community to come here and get up close to science activities and exhibits, planetarium shows, and even live animals like starfish and turtles. We had a special visitor that day, 3 month old Colton, who came to the Museum for the first time with his family – just like his mom did when she was a child. Colton’s mom wrote a gracious email to the Museum telling us all about Colton’s adventure, and how much he enjoyed his first Museum visit. Click here to see more of Colton’s day and read his family’s letter to the Museum.
 Colton and his mom Tracy For the Smithsonian’s National Youth Summit, the Museum was able to invite local youth to participate in a national conversation about environmental stewardship. Students previewed clips from Ken Burns’ documentary “The Dust Bowl,” which shows the very real cause-and-effect relationship that humans can have with nature, and focuses on the 1930s, when the wheat farming boom caused a large-scale, decade-long drought. Miami students participated in a nationwide videoconference with students from around the country, and then in a “town hall” meeting with local experts. Because of this event, these students now know more about being responsible for their environment. Click here to find out more about this event.
 Students and local experts at our “town hall” meeting In yet another amazing opportunity, the Museum applied for and received a grant from Smithsonian Affiliations to involve students in astronomy and astrophotography through the Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos program. Students were able to remotely operate NASA MicroObservatory telescopes, request their own images, and then process their images using real astronomy imaging software. Students were given complete creative freedom, and the result was a new exhibition at the Museum showcasing their work, which illustrates the spectacular detail and amazing structures in our Universe. At the exhibition’s opening weekend, students were present to show their work to visitors, and lead hands-on activities related to color, light, and telescopes. Click here to see more of the students’ images of our colorful cosmos.
 Raymond and Giselle at their exhibition What’s next? We can’t wait to see!
Posted in For Students, In the Community, In the Museum, MiaSci at Large, Partnerships
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Tagged Dust Bowl, Ken Burns, Museum Day Live, NASA MicroObservatory, Smithsonian, Smithsonian Affiliations, Smithsonian Magazine, Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos
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The Miami Science Museum is one of only 10 museums nationwide that was selected to participate in the Smithsonian’s National Youth Summit on October 17th. The focus of this summit was contemporary environmental issues and the legacy (as well as lessons learned) from the Dust Bowl period in the 1930s. During this time, the boom of wheat farming (sometimes called the “great plow-up”) brought on a 10 year drought, showing that human activities can cause large scale environmental effects. Students from around the country participated in the summit via video/web conferencing, and had the opportunity to view clips from Ken Burns’ recently released “The Dust Bowl” documentary. They discussed what they learned from the Dust Bowl and shared ideas on how they can be protectors of their environments. The overarching theme of the event was to explore how to better understand the complexity of environmental issues and to learn what people can do today to avoid (or lessen) other environmental crises.
Each of the 10 selected museum sites also hosted a local town hall discussion with these themes in mind, but in the context of their own local environmental issues, especially as it relates to how humans can impact their environment and what the youth can do to help. The Miami Science Museum’s town hall focused on climate and conservation in South Florida environments. Local experts were invited to talk with local students for the event. These included Dawn Shireffs of the National Parks Conservation Association, Dr. Benjamin Kirtman of the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Dr. Jayantha Obeysekera of the South Florida Water Management District, and Maria Beotegui of Biscayne National Park. Over 100 students from Centennial Middle School and Riviera Middle School that were present for the event now have some idea of how they can have a positive effect on their own environment.
 Students filled the Museum theater for the town hall meeting to talk to local environmental experts
Posted in For Students, In the Community, In the Museum, MiaSci at Large, Partnerships
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Tagged Biscayne National Park, National Parks Conservation Association, National Youth Summit, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Smithsonian, Smithsonian Affiliations, South Florida Water Management District, University of Miami
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Every year, the Museum celebrates our Universe, and everyone with a passion for observing, investigating, and learning about it. On a large scale, it’s officially National Astronomy Day. Here at the Museum, we called our celebration AstroJam: A Cosmic Quest. On Friday under a nearly full Moon, and on Saturday under sunny skies, visitors were treated to space-related film screenings, hands-on activities, planetarium shows, a live theater show featuring Galileo, and the chance to look through the Museum’s rooftop observatory on Friday night, and through solar telescopes on Saturday provided by the Astronomy Club from Florida International University. Also on hand at the event was the Southern Cross Astronomical Society, who provided materials for guests and shared news of their weekly observing nights that are open to the public. Visitors received materials from Astronomy Magazine, and were treated to an exhibition of astrophotography sponsored by the Smithsonian Affiliations’ Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos project, and created by high school students from the Museum’s Upward Bound program. (Click here to see more of the students’ exhibition.) During the event, young visitors went on a “Cosmic Quest” throughout the Museum – every time they completed an activity, they received a sticker on their “quest port card.” Activities included a laser maze, building your own Mars Rover, making ultraviolet jewelry, and lots more. And of course, being so close to Halloween, what event would be complete without a costume contest? A few lucky visitors (like Mario & Luigi, Darth Vader, and Athena) walked away with prizes like Celestron telescopes, a Straddle game (kind of like a space version of Twister), and glow in the dark stars for their rooms. The whole event was a cosmic hit! Check out a slideshow of photos below.
Posted in For Students, For Teachers, In the Community, In the Museum, MiaSci at Large, Partnerships
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Tagged Celestron, FIU Astronomy Club, Florida International University, National Astronomy Day, Smithsonian Affiliations, Southern Cross Astronomical Society, Upward Bound Math & Science, Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos
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The bees are here at the Miami Science Museum, thanks to support from the Junior League of Miami! Don’t worry – these are NOT killer bees. These are European honey bees, which are known to be calm, easily handled, and not at all aggressive. The bees’ main focus is to mind their own business and work on their hive, which was set up last weekend by Inese and Jason Bunch from Bunch Farms. Inese got the colony of bees settled in their new home, which is also a new exhibit at the Museum where you can see inside the everyday lives and home of bees. So next time you are at the Museum, you will be able to see the bees close-up from inside the Museum, while the bees still have access to the outside environment. You may even see a bee with a blue dot on her back. This is the queen, and every hive has one. You also may see the bees wiggle in certain patterns and angles. Bees do this to communicate with other bees, telling them where good sources of pollen can be found. Or you may just see them busily buzzing about their hive.
We’ve all seen the amazing images from the Hubble Space Telescope. The details in the colors and swirling patterns are not just beautiful – they also tell a story about what is happening there. Is that cloud of gas and dust a nursery for newborn stars? Are these massive bubbles of gas that have exploded from a supernova? And perhaps most importantly, who creates these images, and how?
As a member of Smithsonian Affiliations, the Miami Science Museum was recently able to answer that last question … in our case, it’s students! As a recipient of a grant from the Smithsonian’s Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos program, the Museum was able to give students participating in our Upward Bound program the opportunity to remotely operate NASA’s MicroObservatory, a system of robotic telescopes in Arizona. Students chose the objects they wanted to observe, including the exposure time and the filter through which the telescope would take the image. The next day, they received emails from the telescope with their images. Most of the time, the images appeared dark, as if there wasn’t much there. But students learned how to use professional-grade software to adjust brightness scales, reduce the background “noise” of the image, and add color schemes. All of a sudden those seemingly dark images became spectacular images of our colorful cosmos!
 MicroObservatory telescopes  Lagoon Nebula (raw image)
The students were not done after they created their works of astrophotography art. Their work has now been combined into a new exhibition at the Museum! Students were also present for the exhibit’s opening weekend (which coincided with AstroJam, the Museum’s annual astronomy event) where they led activities on color, filters, and light, to pass on to Museum visitors their knowledge of telescopes and our Cosmos.
 Lagoon Nebula (created by Claudia)  The Sun (created by Raymond)  The Pinwheel Galaxy (created by Giselle)
 NGC 891 (created by Odelkis)  Orion Nebula (created by Samwood)  The Dumbbell Nebula (created by Randy)
 Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos Exhibit  Jerry, with his creations  Ivory, with future scientists building a laser maze
As announced at the groundbreaking for our new building back in March, the Miami Science Museum is implementing a new program called Science Stars, intended to reach out to communities who may not have had a chance to visit us in the past, to make sure that we connect with them and make them part of our future. Between now and the opening of the new Museum, the Museum will work with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to select nine schools each year, focusing on underserved elementary schools. The goal of the program is to get the children excited about science in general and the new Museum in particular, and to invite them and their families to visit the current Museum and be able to take advantage of all the valuable and fun learning opportunities we have to offer. Each school gets a special visit from a ‘Science Star’ – a scientist, professor or graduate student recruited by the Museum to give a special presentation about their field of science, what their job involves, and why it’s so exciting. Then, the entire school, including all the children’s families, is invited to the Miami Science Museum for a free night of food, fun, and festivities. Each family attending the free night also receives a free one-year family membership to the Miami Science Museum, to make sure they can come back and visit again as often as they want.
Our first school was a complete success! On October 4th, we visited Robert B. Ingram Elementary School with our special Science Star, University of Miami Physics professor Kevin Huffenberger, and four of his graduate students. Dr. Huffenberger gave a presentation to the entire assembled school, including Principal Dr. Susan McEachin, leading students on a journey through the cosmos, from the familiar stars we can all see at night to the furthest reaches of the galaxy and beyond. Then our museum staff showcased the exciting plans for the new Miami Science Museum.
This past Thursday, October 18th, the Museum was pleased to host Robert B. Ingram Elementary School for their Science Stars night at the museum. Over 450 students, family members, faculty, and staff joined us for an incredible night of discovery and play. Our guests were treated to a delicious meal provided by Pollo Tropical. While at the Museum, they experienced special showings of our Legends of the Night Sky planetarium show, Aha! Science theater show, and Magic Planet Solar System Tour. They also got to show off their moves on our Energy Dance Floor, fly high on the Human Yo-yo, get up close and personal with the birds and reptiles in our Wildlife Center, and touch a starfish in our SeaLab. As the pictures show, the night was a great success with everyone enjoying themselves. We look forward to hosting Shadowlawn Elementary next month!
  
Are you a tinkerer? Do you want to learn the basics of tube audio amplifier restoration, troubleshooting, and some of those mystical mods tube gurus talk about. Or maybe you have a vintage piece that’s giving you trouble? Either way, come to Got Retro Part 2, a workshop held by The Tinker Tank. You can bring in that piece that’s troubling you, or you come just learn, so that the next time a piece is troubling you, you’ll have a better idea of how to tinker with it to get it up and running again. A Museum staff member will lead this workshop on vacuum tube audio amplifiers, which will cover repair, maintenance, circuits, selecting your first tube amp, and some modifications you can do. It will be held this Saturday October 27, at 11:30am at O Cinema Miami. For more information, contact Robert at rcruz@miamisci.org.
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