There are lots of different kinds of engineering – electrical, structural, mechanical, civil – and therefore, we need young people with lots of different interests and skills to fill those jobs for the next generation. And we especially want to encourage young women to explore engineering fields! Last Saturday the Museum held an event “engineered” to do just that. During our Engineering Day, activities and speakers showed off the creative and collaborative nature of engineering, and how engineers of all kinds are changing our world. Panels of successful female engineers provided some career awareness and inspiration by sharing their stories and some keys to their success, local engineering organizations and students showcased their innovations, and Museum staff delivered lots of fun hands-on activities and workshops for over 500 visitors.

This event was designed to stimulate the next generation of engineers, and could not have been carried out without the generous support of our current generation of engineers and other professionals. Special thanks goes to one of our newest members of the Miami Science Museum Board of Trustees, Vanessa Grout. As President/CEO of Douglas Elliman Florida, which served as title sponsor for the event, she was a source of unwavering support. And after attending the event, she felt that “the enthusiasm shared by the children as they participated in the learning exercises was inspiring.”

Other organizations that provided speakers, volunteers, and hands-on activities for the event included the National Engineers Week Foundation, IBM, Johnson Controls, Society of Women Engineers chapters from University of Miami and Florida International University, the Tau Beta Pi chapter at FIU, Girls Scouts of Tropical Florida, United States Air Force, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Additionally, generous financial support from Morgan Energy, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, and the Cuban American Association of Civil Engineers allowed this event to be free of charge for all students, male and female, in grades K-12.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day 2001 was the first national call-out to the profession to focus on getting more girls into engineering and technology. The founding partners were the Society of Women Engineers, MentorNet, IBM, the Association for Women in Science, the Women in Engineering ProActive Network, and the National Engineers Week Foundation. The day serves as catalyst and focal point for activism, and each year during Engineers Week, “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” encourages thousands of women engineers, with support from their male counterparts, to directly mentor more than one million girls and young women in K-12 with first-hand experiences in engineering.

The Museum’s involvement in the annual national celebration of Engineering Week, as well as “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day,” started three years ago as a direct result of our leadership role in the Girls RISE National Museum Network project, funded by the National Science Foundation.

The Museum was flooded last weekend with visitors who came to dive into our 2^nd annual Miami Underwater Festival. Friday night kicked off the event with showings of award-winning French and English underwater films from the 39^th Festival Mondial de L’image Sous-Marine, including The Surprise Salmon, narrated by Jeremy Irons. And the film festival continued on Saturday with an evening of marine conservation films sponsored by COSEE Florida and Beneath the Waves Film Festival. Throughout the weekend, lots of special guests came to shed light on fascinating underwater worlds, and the amazing creatures that call water home:

Dr. Ted Caplow of Fish Navy Films showed his film Fish Meat: Choose Your Farm Wisely, and talked about how to support sustainable fish farming (for example, eat the “bottom feeder” species)… Dr. Mike Heithaus of Florida International University talked about all the incredible research they are doing in Shark Bay, one of the world’s most unique ecosystems… Julian Sprung of Two Little Fishies discussed new trends and species in ornamental marine aquaculture (everyone loved seeing all the new blends in hybrid fish coloration)… Dr. Lisa Krimsky of NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office talked about lionfish, which are an invasive species in south Florida (this means they are not native to the region), and the problems they are causing for native species. This was followed by a yummy lionfish taco tasting prepared by Chef Alan McLennan… Expert divers Nick Morrell and Jason Bacon of the Miami-Dade Reef Guard Association shared tips on the best places to dive and the fantastic things you can see there… and Chris Olstad from the Marine Resources Development Foundation connected with the Museum via videoconference from Key Largo, and let visitors here at the Museum remotely operate an underwater vehicle in the ocean!

For those visitors who wanted to really get their hands wet, there were workshops to learn how to set up and maintain an aquarium (and a raffle to win your own new aquarium), activities to learn how things float, interactive story time with Oscar from the Miami-Dade Public Library, displays of fluorescent coral, viewings of WPBT2’s Changing Seas, and an exhibition of underwater photography by the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. If you really wanted to get up close, you could even dissect a squid (if you could stomach it). And of course, when you are showing award-winning French films, the weekend would not be complete without a delicious French breakfast by PAUL, sponsored by the General Consulate of France in Miami and partners.

We are just starting to dry off after our weekend underwater, but we are already looking forward to diving in again next year!

What you’ll see in our Sea Lab, or diving off south Florida

Visitors dissect squid in the Museum’s Sea Lab exhibition

Starfish can grow a whole new body from just a single limb!

Elizabeth and her family meet a seahorse for the first time

Zach meets a diver while remotely operating an underwater vehicle

Algae living in these coral fluoresce under ultraviolet light

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

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 4^th, 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 18^th, 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!

Human model brains, sheep brains, and gummy brains were all recently on hand at the Museum for the 3^rd annual Brain Fair!  In conjunction with the University of Miami, Barry University, St. Thomas University, Florida International University and Nova Southeastern University, the Museum offered a fun, free day of brain related activities. Visitors could find out if they were a “super taster,” dissect a sheep brain and compare it to a plastic model of a human brain, and lots more. Over 2,400 museum visitors enjoyed more than 15 interactive exhibits as well as various talks on sports-related concussions, sleeping disorders in children, and which foods super charge your brain.

“The Brain Fair is about bringing complicated neuroscience concepts to kids so that they can really understand and enjoy learning science.  Neuroscience is very complicated, but with the right educators and the right hands-on activities, we can make this difficult subject understandable to even a 5 year old.  Thanks to the over 250 volunteers… I think we have made a difference in some of the children’s lives.  I had one boy come up to me at the fair to share that he now wants to grow up to be a neuroscientist and solve Alzheimer’s disease.  Maybe he will, and maybe that will, one day, become part of the legacy of the Miami Brain Fair.” Coleen M. Atkins, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

The Brain Fair was sponsored by: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Pilot Club of Miami, Society for Neuroscience Miami Chapter, University of Miami Undergraduate Neuroscience Program, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Kidz Neuroscience Center, NOVA Southeastern University Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, St. Thomas University School of Science, Technology & Engineering Management, and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

You hear it all the time. Innovations in science and technology are making the world a smaller place and making it easier for all of us to learn and communicate with each other across great distances. Recently however, six representatives from South African museums and science centers traveled to Miami to learn more about engaging audiences in science. In this case, there was no substitute for being face to face to share ideas. This visit, hosted by the Miami Science Museum and the University of Miami, was arranged by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and funded by the South African Department of Science and Technology. The purpose was to provide a series of work learning experiences to help inform programming and development at the South African institutions. Making this long journey from South Africa to Miami were representatives from the Old Mutual-MTN ScienCentre (Durban), Nelson Mandela Bay Science Centre (Port Elizabeth), National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (Pretoria), SCI-ENZA Science Centre (Pretoria), the Giyani Science Centre (Limpopo), and SAASTA.

While at the Miami Science Museum, the group observed educational programs in action, attended special events, and met with key staff to learn about aspects of programming that were relevant to them and their audiences in South Africa. SAASTA visitors also spent time at the University of Miami to discuss the academic basis for science communication, and the importance of informal science education. And what trip to Miami would be complete without trips to other informal education institutions, like Biscayne Nature Center, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Zoo Miami, Everglades National Park, and the Miami Children’s Museum. It’s difficult to sum up such an experience, as the visitor or the host, but as Candice Potgieter, General Manager of the KwaZulu Natal ScienCentre, said: “The most important lesson learned was the engagement around all partners involved.” So what’s next? SAASTA is currently considering the possibility of a second, longer trip with additional visitors. Because there is nothing like learning from each other face to face.

At the Miami Science Museum; from left to right, Elize de Jager (National Zoological Gardens of South Africa), Norman Xiholovana Mthembi (Giyani Science Centre), Frank Steslow (Miami Science Museum), Candice Potgeier (Old Mutual-MTN Science Centre), Shadrack Mkansi (SAASTA), Karlissa Callwood (Miami Science Museum), Gillian Thomas (President, Miami Science Museum), Irene Schoeman (SCI-ENZA Science Centre), Wesley Johnson (Miami Science Museum), Nomkhita Mona (Nelson Mandela Bay Science Center)

At the University of Miami; from left to right, Elize, Irene, Shadrack, Dr. Donna Shalala (President, University of Miami), Candice, Nomkhita, Mike Gaines (University of Miami), Norman

The group visits the Biscayne Nature Center

We do our best to keep in touch with all the awesome students who participate in our programs here at the Museum. Some particularly exceptional students, like Barbara Escobar, make that easy for us. Barbara, a student at North Miami Senior High School, previously participated in the Digital WAVE Summer Academy, where she studied the effects of climate change on South Florida’s coral reefs. During the program, Dr. Andrew Baker, Associate Professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami, spoke to Digital WAVE participants about his research on corals and the impacts of the terrible Deepwater Horizon oil spill. After that talk, Barbara was inspired to start her own environmental science research. With help from Museum staff, Barbara got in touch with Dr. Baker and worked with graduate student mentors at the Coral Reef Conservation Research Laboratory. She concentrated on studying the use of dispersants, which are used to mitigate the effects of crude oil on corals. This past year, she entered her project in her school’s science fair and won first place. Congratulations Barbara!

Eighteen students in the Museum’s Upward Bound IMPACT program had the adventure of a lifetime, not to mention first-hand experience with nature’s food chain, when they went on an overnight expedition in August sponsored by the University of Miami’s Center for Latin American Studies. They joined the University’s R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation team at Broad Key research field station, and worked with world-renowned shark researcher Neil Hammerschlag, who studies local shark populations around South Florida. Students researched the habitats of smaller fish when large predators enter the area, learned about migration patterns of sharks and sea turtles throughout the waters off Florida and Latin America, and together they caught (just for temporary observation and tagging) hammerhead, lemon, and nurse sharks. Over the two days, students also spent time snorkeling and kayaking on the reef and along mangrove forests, collecting samples and observing natural marine habitats. As with any experience-of-a-lifetime though, especially in nature, some things are a trade-off. Just as students were observing sharks and marine habitats, all of the mosquitoes in the area were endlessly conducting their own experiments on the student researchers. But the lack of civilization and the soothing sounds and silence of the environment more than made up for it. It was an experience they’ll never forget. Check out what the students have to say about it:

- A research scientist called me up to go and pull in a bait line. I pull and pull and at the other end waiting was a hammerhead shark! I had just pulled in a hammerhead shark! As soon as the shark was secured aboard the boat the scientists went to work and quick. A hammerhead shark is rare and they want to work as quickly as possible as to not disturb it as much. The hammerhead shark was to recieve a satalite tag meaning that tag would allow the shark to be tracked by satellite. –Marlenni

- The nurse shark has rough skin which makes it easier to get shark burn which is when your skin rubs against a shark’s skin the wrong way creating a peeling and soreness of the area.  The first place where we caught a nurse shark was by the mangroves because it was a baby and still needed protection from large animals that could eat it. The shark trip was fun other than shark tagging too, because of all of the other marine animals that I was able to see. There was not anything I would say to improve the trip but a longer time period to stay. –Taylor

The R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program has now released a video from the IMPACT expedition. Get ready to join the adventure.

Upward Bound IMPACT at Broad Key with RJD from R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation on Vimeo.

Children are born to be scientists – both scientists and children spend a lot of their time asking, or wondering, “why?” So the Museum is collaborating with the University of Miami on a research study to understand the effectiveness of ECHOS (Early Childhood Hands-On Science). This project has been developed by the Museum, and includes early science readiness curricula and related teacher professional development. After initial piloting in preschools around Miami, ECHOS units have expanded to include math, language, and creative arts. Since the goal of ECHOS is to improve student achievement AND teacher practice at the preschool level, the Museum holds workshops for teachers to become more comfortable with the content and teaching strategies, and Museum staff visit classrooms to see ECHOS activities in practice. In the past month, teachers and teacher assistants attended workshops at the Museum to learn all about Feathered Friends. The Museum staff also visited their classrooms to see ECHOS activities in action. They observed teachers leading activities from the unit and saw how the classrooms’ “Science Areas” were developed. And they saw students using homemade binoculars to spot camouflaged paper birds around their classroom, and using plastic tweezers as pretend bird beaks to gather food. There are lots of questions out there for these young minds to answer. See you next month for Discovering Shells!

Students are using homemade binoculars to discover birds camouflaged around their classroom.

A great ECHOS Science Area at one of the ECHOS sites, with lots of tools for exploration and discovery.