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/wall-of-wind/ http://www.miamisci.org/blog/wall-of-wind/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2012 20:23:20 +0000 admin http://www.miamisci.org/blog/?p=2422 Continue reading →]]>

It’s been 20 years since Hurricane Andrew, and this summer the Museum is honoring the anniversary of the storm with a brand new Hurricane exhibit. Tragic and heroic stories from Andrew’s survivors are told, and now, the Museum is expanding the exhibit to include realistic interactive experiences that allow visitors to study hurricanes and their effects in the same way that scientists do. In the “Wall of Wind” activity, you can use a touchscreen to choose building materials and design strategies for a building, and then turn on virtual hurricane winds to test the strength of your structure. It’s just like what real scientists and engineers do at the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida International University. There, the real Wall of Wind consists of 12 fans, each 6 feet tall and with 700 horsepower, and can generate winds of up to 157 miles per hour – reaching category 5 hurricane strength. The goal is to see how buildings respond to “test hurricanes,” so that we can be as ready as possible for the real thing.

Future scientists test the strength of their building against a small-scale wall of wind

The real Wall of Wind at Florida International University