You’re invited to a film screening at the Museum! Students in the Museum’s Upward Bound program have been serving as Eco-Ambassadors to south Florida’s unique environments, and with support from a State Farm Youth Advisory Board grant, have created their own Public Service Announcement videos. These videos are meant to bring awareness to the environmental issues in our community, such as water conservation and the exploitation of our natural resources. Check out the flyer below for more information, and we’ll see you there!

A lone mangrove seedling

On Saturday, December 8^th, 60 Upward Bound Eco-Ambassadors joined a group of volunteers from Miami-Dade College in replanting almost 1,000 mangrove propagules at R. Hardy Matheson Preserve. The Preserve is undergoing a major management effort by Miami-Dade County to remove exotic plants, replant native habitats such as mangroves, and create a multi-use protected area for recreational activities.

In all, over 100 volunteers participated in planting mangrove seedlings that had been exhibited on a wall at Miami Science Museum since November 2011, as part of the Museum’s Reclamation Project.  Specifically, they planted young mangrove plants along the banks of the Snapper Creek, a historical waterway. Not only does Snapper Creek have historical significance, as evidenced by a 500 B.C. Tequesta Indian habitation mound, but it is also one of the largest tracts of coastal native habitat in Miami-Dade County. Until recently, the banks of the creek where the volunteers planted were covered in large mounds of landfill which were dumped there as part of periodic dredging of the creek for the purpose of recreational navigation. These mounds were also, until recently, covered in invasive plants such as Australian pine and Brazilian pepper, and devoid of any native vegetation. Thanks to the efforts of these Eco-Ambassadors, this area will once again be covered in mangroves and associated plants which will provide food and shelter for native birds, mammals and reptiles, such as the endangered American crocodile and the West Indian manatee.

This effort is being funded by a State Farm Youth Advisory Board grant to engage local teenagers in restoring local habitat, outdoor learning and telling their own stories about South Florida’s natural areas through film. Click here for more information on the Reclamation Project, the Eco-Ambassadors, and the State Farm Youth Advisory Board.

The eco-ambassadors gather to start the day

The group wades into the water to replant mangroves

With the increase in number and strength of hurricanes over recent years, it’s important to know how to deal with these natural phenomena. To help the public learn what it takes to predict, prepare for and protect against a hurricane, the Miami Science Museum, in collaboration with State Farm and Florida International University, opened its brand new “Hurricanes” exhibit over Thanksgiving weekend. If you are willing to brave the exhibit, you can test your skills against an impending disaster with a hurricane preparedness game, see real artifacts from Hurricane Andrew, test a model house against hurricane-force winds using a model Wall of Wind, and even climb inside a full-scale P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft. While in the aircraft, you will be headed into the eye of a hurricane, thanks to the large-scale wall mural painted by local artist Jiae Hwang. At the heart of the exhibition is the interactive spherical display known as the “Magic Planet,” which, thanks to a contribution from CSX, has been enhanced with a live climate change presentation led by Museum explainers. The Magic Planet enables visitors to explore connections between hurricanes and global climate change, with a focus on possible impacts on South Florida. During hurricane season, the 4-foot spherical display will even display real storm tracks. “This is a very important time to showcase the hurricane exhibit,” said Miami Science Museum CEO & President Gillian Thomas. “Severe weather is becoming more prevalent and serious across the globe, and South Floridians in particular need to be aware of how to prepare and protect themselves before, during and after hurricanes.” Admission to the “Hurricanes” exhibit is included with regular museum admission.

Artist Jiae Hwang paints a wall-sized hurricane

Piloting the P-3 hurricane hunter

Testing a house against a “wall of wind”

]]> http://www.miamisci.org/blog/hurricane-exhibit-has-made-landfall-at-the-miami-science-museum/feed/ 0 http://www.miamisci.org/blog/coming-soon-a-hurricane-science-exhibition-brought-to-you-by-state-farm-and-miami-science-museum/ http://www.miamisci.org/blog/coming-soon-a-hurricane-science-exhibition-brought-to-you-by-state-farm-and-miami-science-museum/#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:02:55 +0000 admin http://www.miamisci.org/blog/?p=1366 Continue reading →]]>

State Farm has generously donated $14,500 to the Museum in support of a future exhibition and programming that will explore how hurricanes have shaped and will continue to affect the physical and social landscape of South Florida. The exhibition will be very interactive and educational, including a specialized bilingual emergency preparedness kiosk and two hurricane-focused events, so that visitors can find valuable information and resources to better prepare them for natural disasters.

Miami Science Museum VP of Content Development & Programs Jennifer Santer; Frank Manusky and his daughter Madison, a 6th grader at Lyons Creek Middle School; Museum President and CEO Gillian Thomas; Iris Lopez, State Farm Agent; Jose Soto, Public Affairs Specialist; and Sean Duran, VP of Exhibitions at MSM.

“Increased awareness is key in lessening the risk of injury and destruction from natural disasters,” said Jose Soto, State Farm Community Specialist. “This exciting partnership with the Miami Science Museum will help spotlight hurricane awareness for South Florida families, helping them understand the importance of disaster preparedness. Our State Farm mission is to help people prepare for the unexpected, and this collaborative hurricane prep effort will help protect and increase the safety of Florida families.”

The exhibition will feature the technologies and expertise of Florida International University’s International Hurricane Research Center and will give visitors the opportunity to check out the instruments and methods professionals use to predict, track and assess weather patterns. At the heart of the exhibition, will be the Museum’s interactive spherical display known as “Magic Planet,” a system that enables visitors to explore connections between global climate change and hurricanes, with a focus on possible impacts on South Florida, and to track actual hurricanes on the 4-foot spherical display during storm season.

Hands-on activities will include miniature model house building where visitors can test if their creations can withstand hurricane force winds, as well as an air canon that simulates the way debris flies during a major storm.

The funding will also support two major events at the Museum: “Feel the Force: Hurricanes and Other Hazards” to be held June 2, 2012, and a special event marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew to be held August 24, 2012. The Museum welcomes the community to attend both events. The exhibition will open in phases coinciding with both Feel the Force and Hurricane Andrew events.

For more information about the Museum’s exhibits, please visit: http://miamisci.org