ROCHESTER, NY—Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) is proud to present Science + You—a groundbreaking, interactive children’s exhibit that explores how scientists impact health and wellness—beginning Thursday, May 17–Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018. This bilingual exhibit, which has traveled to museums in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, as well as internationally to Germany and Brazil, is presented in both English and Spanish.
Science + You is set up as a child-sized laboratory modeled after a working pharmaceutical lab. Through hands-on, interactive activities in eight distinct sections, children discover the role science plays in keeping the body healthy.
Entering the Lab: Children will enter the exhibit as if entering a real-life laboratory. At the first station they can pretend to wash their hands and wipe their feet on a special gel-like floor mat that changes colors to represent the dirt particles it is removing. Children can even walk through a pretend shower to be bathed in blue lights before they put on their white lab coat. Graphics will communicate how important it is for scientists to work in a clean environment.
Antibodies: Demonstrating how antibodies act in the body, this component of the exhibit offers children the opportunity to understand a complex process through play. A clear structure is filled with magnetic balls, which represent germs in the body, while four stations outside the structure include a moveable antibody that children can use to manipulate germs. Children use the antibodies to collect the germs and move them to the white blood cell tube, until all germs are removed and the body is deemed healthy.
Glove Box: Children can use a glovebox—a sealed container used by real-life scientists, with gloves built into the sides allowing one to manipulate objects safely. Demonstrating how scientists use a glovebox to contain materials as well as protect themselves, the children will wear thick gloves to measure substances using beakers, funnels and other lab equipment.
Mixing and Separating Test Lab: Exploring how scientists use machines to mix liquids and solids, this component of the exhibit demonstrates how different types of equipment function. Children can see the machines in action and can also manually mix and separate liquids and solids themselves.
Magnification Area: This exhibit features specialized video microscopes that magnify objects on a large video screen, allowing younger children to compare and contrast an array of natural and man-made items up close.
Healthy Lifestyle: Science has shown us that we need a balanced lifestyle to stay healthy. This component emphasizes the importance of nutrition, exercise, and rest with an interactive activity. The exhibit features an outline of a human body with a hollow center, and children place puzzle pieces representing various forms of nutrition, exercise, and rest in different areas of the body. When a healthy balance of all the components is achieved, children hear a congratulatory message.
Test Kitchen: In the test kitchen children will make a healthy soup by choosing their own combination of appropriate ingredients. Teaching children the importance of a balanced diet, this exhibit has stations with soup pots that can hold up to six ingredients. Children pick the ingredients from the five food groups. The burner under their soup pot lights up when they’ve selected the correct balance of healthy ingredients.
Science Reflection: Children can share their scientific thoughts and reflections after experiencing in the exhibit. A variety of images, drawings, and terminology from the exhibit is provided so that children can create their own collages and share them with the public.
Science + You and related programming are free with regular museum admission: $15 adults, $14 seniors and college students with ID, $13 ages 3 to 18, free for children under 3 and RMSC members. For group reservations and rates, call 585.697.1942. The bilingual exhibit is presented in both English and Spanish
Science + You was created by the Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago in conjunction with scientists at AbbVie, the global biopharmaceutical company, and with support from the AbbVie Foundation. RMSC’s media sponsor is Kids Out and About.
For high-resolution images and additional information, contact Mare Millow, Marketing Communications Manager, RMSC, 585.697.1944, mmillow@rmsc.org, or visit RMSC.org/press-news.
AbbVie is a global, research-based biopharmaceutical company formed in 2013 following separation from Abbott. The company’s mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to develop and market advanced therapies that address some of the world’s most complex and serious diseases. AbbVie employs approximately 21,000 people worldwide and markets medicines in more than 170 countries. The AbbVie Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation established in late 2012 to advance science and medical innovation, expand access to health care and promote science education around the globe. The Foundation engages in a wide range of partnerships designed to improve the state of health care and address unmet needs all over the world.
Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) includes the Science Museum, Strasenburgh Planetarium and Cumming Nature Center. Offering experiences at the Museum with more than 200 interactive exhibits, Planetarium with a 65-foot dome and Nature Center on 900 acres, the RMSC stimulates community
interest in exploration. In addition, the more than 1.2 million RMSC collection items tell the story of Rochester’s past and present, including its rich history of innovation and invention. RMSC receives major funding from Monroe County, where it is one of the top three most visited attractions serving children and families. For more information about RMSC, visit https://rmsc.org. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
