Museum & Science Center
Hours:
Monday–Saturday: 9am–5pm
Sunday: 11am–5pm
CLOSED Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018
Admission:
$15 adults, $14 seniors and college students with ID, $13 ages 3–18, free for children under 3 and RMSC members
Half-price admission after 3pm Monday–Friday
Strasenburgh Planetarium
CLOSED for renovations beginning Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018 until further notice
Check RMSC.org for updates
Cumming Nature Center
Hours:
Wednesday–Friday: 9am–3:30pm
Saturday–Sunday: 9am–4:30pm
CLOSED Monday, Nov. 12–Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018
Trail sweep begins 30 minutes before closing, weather permitting
Admission:
$3 per person, $10 per family; free for RMSC members
Café at RMSC
Hours:
Daily 11am–2pm
Check RMSC.org for details
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Museum & Science Center
657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
Unless otherwise noted, programs are located at RMSC and are free with museum admission
Show times subject to change. Call 585.697.1942 to confirm. To request an interpreter for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, please call at least two weeks in advance: 585.697.194
Global Soundscapes: Mission to Record the Earth | Saturday, Oct. 5 through Sunday, April 21 | Weekends and School Breaks at 1pm
Global Soundscapes takes you on a sound safari to explore the health of our planet with your ears. Travel the globe with scientists to investigate the spectacular soundscapes of Costa Rica’s rainforests, Hawaii’s coral reefs, and Mongolia’s vast grasslands. Learn how animals use sounds to survive and communicate in lush, but threatened environments. Experience basic acoustics through interactive activities and incredible slow-motion footage of pulsating musical instruments, vibrating vocal cords, and slobbering “raspberries.” With Global Soundscapes’ unique format—combining giant screen images, surround sound, and live presentation—you’ll hear the Earth in a whole new way.
Science on the Edge Lectures | Select Weeknights | 7:30pm-9pm
Science on the Edge sparks intelligent conversations throughout the community. Designed to engage those interested in broadening their scientific understanding, lectures promote the continuation of education and sharing of ideas. Enjoy a lecture, Museum exploration, and meeting with the speakers in a unique after-hours experience.
The Migration of Monarch Butterflies: Past and Future | Ernest H. Williams, The William R. Kenan Professor of Biology Emeritus, Hamilton College | Thursday, Oct. 25 | 7:30pm
The remarkable migration of monarch butterflies depends on milkweeds and nectar sources on their breeding grounds and undisturbed forest on their overwintering grounds, but changes in the landscape are leading to a long-term decline in their abundance. Discover the number of efforts that are underway to try to counter the downward trend of this iconic species.
*NEW* Why Rochester? A Conversation with Jack Garner, Jeff Spevak, and Brother Wease | Thursday, Nov. 8 | 7:30
Program support thanks to Rochester Music Hall of Fame
For more than 30 years they have been the eyes, ears, and mouth of the arts scene in Rochester, New York. Jeff Spevak is a seven-time Associated Press First Place Award Winner, Jack Garner was the National Film Critic for USA Today, and Brother Wease is considered one of the 15 most influential radio hosts in America. Why have they chosen Rochester as their home and, more importantly, why does Rochester have such a dynamic arts culture? Join us for a spirited conversation with three of the brightest minds in Rochester’s art scene!
New Frontiers in Surgery: 3D Printing Organs | Ahmed E. Ghazi, M.D., M.Sc, University of Rochester Medical Center | Wednesday, Nov. 28 | 7:30pm
Join us as University of Rochester Medical Center’s Ahmed E. Ghazi discusses creating 3D replicas of human organs for surgeons to practice on. He and his team have been 3D printing molds for model organs that mimic the real organs so closely, that they even bleed when cut.
*NEW* Almost Overnights | Select Fridays | 6:30pm-10pm
Experience the RMSC after dark, like you’ve never experienced it before for an evening full of family fun. Almost Overnights bring all of the fun and excitement of regularly offered school and scout group Overnights, but end right before bedtime (and before the museum comes to life!) so your family can enjoy the comfort of sleeping in your own bed. Kids of all ages and their families are welcome to join us for our newest family-friendly adventure and spend almost the whole night exploring your curiosity with us.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark! | Friday, Nov. 9 | 6:30-10pm (Member early entrance at 5:30pm)
Staying up late is all part of the fun as you and your family will explore to find the answers to many intriguing questions: Why is the nighttime dark? What happens when we sleep? How do animals adapt to life in the dark? Meet nocturnal creatures and try to recognize them by sound. The stars will align as you learn how to read the night sky, identify constellations and discover more about Earth’s place in space. Become a nighttime explorer and experiment with the science and technology that help us light up the night—and not be afraid of the dark!
Instrument Petting Zoo | Saturday, Oct. 27 | 11am-3pm
Program support thanks to Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Get hands-on with a menagerie of musical instruments! Budding musicians can toot, pluck, and blow as they discover how a variety of instruments make their sounds.
Haudenosaunee Day | Saturday, Nov. 10 | 11am-3pm
Sponsored by New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA), Humanities New York Vision/Action Grant
Celebrate Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) culture — past and present — with artisans from the community. Learn first-hand about the tradition of making cornhusk dolls, jewelry, bead work, and baskets from local Haudenosaunee artists as they bring the traditions of their culture to life through their art. Hear storytellers (at 11:30am and 1:30pm) and join RMSC educators to learn more through the Museum’s world-renowned collection.
The Good Mind | Saturday, Nov. 10 | 4pm
Gwendolen Cates’ film explores Onondaga and Haudenosaunee struggles for environmental stewardship of their lands and their philosophy that decisions are best made considering the next seven generations. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Cates and Onondaga clan mother, Freida Jacques.
RMSC STEM Awards presented by GW Lisk | Tuesday, Nov. 13 | 6–8pm
Join the RMSC as we highlight the bright minds of our area’s educators and organizations that are making a difference and exciting people about opportunities in STEM. You can help us celebrate the inspirational work that makes Rochester a hub for innovation and discovery and prepares students for exciting futures by attending the annual RMSC STEM Awards of Distinction Dinner.
Holiday Bazaar | Friday, Nov. 16-Sunday, Nov. 18
Wander into the mouth of Expedition Earth’s cave and emerge in a lively, arts and crafts festival milling at the base of a life-sized mastodon model. What better way to feel the magic of holiday shopping? The Women’s Council, a volunteer service organization that supports the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) presents its 48th annual Holiday Bazaar Arts & Crafts Sale featuring more than 200 elite fine artists and craftspeople filling the Museum galleries and Eisenhart Auditorium. Browse ceramics, jewelry, glass, woodwork, photography, paintings, prints, sculpture, fiber arts, floral crafts and other beautiful items. Food and beverages are available in the Cunningham House studio, an area not usually open to the general public. As one of the longest running arts and crafts festivals in the Rochester region, the Holiday Bazaar attracts thousands of shoppers annually. (NOTE: Museum exhibits will be unavailable during the run of the Holiday Bazaar Arts & Crafts Sale, as galleries will be filled with arts and crafts exhibitors.)
Presenting Sponsor: M&T Bank
Sponsored by Corning Incorporated Foundation
Fiery explosions, things falling from the Planetarium tower, live animals—it’s non-stop action all day, every day at RMSC this summer! Get hands-on with earth, space, and everything in between. There’s something new to experience every hour—from mastodon toothpaste to invisibility. See science come to life. Times subject to change.
Animal Shows with Wildlife Rockstars | Saturdays | 11:30am and 1:30pm
The Wildlife Rockstars are a wildlife education outreach group that is part of Bridges for Brain Injury, Inc. As part of their rehabilitation, members share details about live native and exotic animals, birds and reptiles.
Live Science Shows | Saturdays, Sundays, School Breaks | 1 and 3pm
The RMSC Players bring fiery explosions, extreme temperatures, amazing antics and entertaining education to live stage performances in the Bausch Auditorium. Enjoy Live Science Shows on pressure, energy, hydrogen, light, color, temperature, and physics, plus meet Wormie and Mother Nature.
Science Encounters | Saturdays, Sundays, School Breaks | 10:15am*, 11:15am, 12:15pm, 1:15pm, 2:15pm and 3:15pm (*On Sunday, the 10:15am encounter is during Members-only hours)
Science encounters in our exhibit galleries are your chance to check out everything from permeability to what makes something invisible. Discover over 20 different demos featuring Mastodon Toothpaste, Invisibility, DaVinci Dreams, Forces, Inside Incandesce, Smog & Frog, and Nano Rainbow.
Electricity Theater | Saturdays, Sundays, School Breaks | 12pm, 2pm and 4pm | Tuesdays and Thursdays | 4pm
Featuring two six-foot Tesla coils, this musical electricity show amazes as arcs of lightning light up the theater. Sing along to your favorite tune as pressure waves radiating from the coils are manipulated to create a tune. Tunes change daily. Our latest addition, the Faraday Cage, let’s you safely get between the coils to see the electricity up close.
Science On a Sphere | Facilitated Presentations: Saturdays, Sundays, School Breaks | 12:30 and 2:30pm
A 3-D projection system displays real-time Earth System and planetary science data onto our ‘floating’ five-foot sphere, which comes to life as animated weather patterns, atmospheric storms, and climate and seismic activity move across the globe. In between presentations, the sphere runs on an automated audio-loop. Check it out on the Museum’s 2nd Floor.
Featured Presenters
Exciting upcoming programs with featured scientists and science enthusiasts from across the community! Check RMSC.org for details.
Featured Exhibit: SoundSense
Supporting Sponsors: Dr. Dawn Lipson, M&T Bank
Media sponsors: Fox Rochester, WHAM-TV, CW Rochester, WRMM-FM
Segment sponsor: Southside Hearing Center
Program support thanks to Rochester Music Hall of Fame and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Special thanks to House of Guitars, Technical Advisory Group, Inclusion Advisory Group
Have you ever wondered how you hear, see, and feel sound? Why do some sounds annoy you while others are soothing? How do a few strings on a guitar create sounds that are so different? Sounds help us make sense of the world around us. We use them to communicate, to warn of danger, and as a form of entertainment. Discover how sound is made in hands-on exhibits that let you see the motion from sound waves. Feel sound move through you in the butt-kicker chair. Dance under sound domes, explore the history of sound recording and playback, discover how instruments make music, and relax in a sensory-friendly space. Groove to different genres of music and explore music’s roots around the world with one-of-a-kind items from RMSC’s collections. Plus, enjoy live performances by local musicians on select weekends. All ages
AdventureZone
Dive to the bottom of Lake Ontario in the Deep Submergence Vehicle simulator. Test your strength on the Genesee Gorge climbing wall. Explore Rochester weather. Experiment with wind currents, stream erosion and more.
At the Western Door
The hundreds of authentic objects show the Seneca’s and Haudenosaunee’s creative responses to new technologies and materials introduced following European contact. Clan and family continue to bind communities together and define who the Seneca and Haudenosaunee are.
Earth Tone
Created in 2012 by Living Lenses, a small group of creatives who make art out of diverse mediums
The public art piece in front of the Museum, Earth Tone represents our Earth in a spiraling orbit around the sun and the galaxy. Visitors can ring the bell on top of the sphere, which simulates the Earth’s fundamental vibration as it oscillates through space.
Electricity Theater
Made possible by the generous contributions of numerous donors at the RMSC’s “Big Bang” gala, celebrating the Museum’s 100th birthday in September 2012; JoEll and Patrick Cunningham matched every dollar raised at the centennial gala for the purchase and on-going operation of the Tesla coils
Featuring “singing” Tesla coils, Electricity Theater is a display of brilliant lightning zaps accompanied by popular music. Visitors watch the dark theater become splashed with light via twin solid-state Tesla coils, and allow their inner spark to ignite as they explore the excitement of electricity and all that goes with it.
Energy Trail
Support from: AVANGRID Foundation/RG&E
Built in-house by RMSC staff and volunteers, Energy Trail is a multi-sensory, highly physical experience where YOU hold the power. Compare types of energy. Cycle, push and pump to create power and discover the outcome. Complete the trail, which covers all three floors of the RMSC, and win a prize! Don’t forget to collect it at the front desk.
Erie Canal Lock
Crank open lock doors and operate a tugboat. Get hands-on insights into how canal locks work in the real world.
Expedition Earth
Explore your connections to the natural world in this spectacular, interactive natural science exhibition. Discover how our region’s landscape and life forms have changed over hundreds of millions of years. See a full-size mounted mastodon skeleton, uncover bones in the dig site, enter a glacial ice cave and much more. Look for a new full-sized muskox and caribou with special thanks to Alan and Sandy Stone for their generous support.
Face to Face: Encounters with Identity
Explore the ways in which individuals and groups express their identities to the world around them. Face to Face brings together more than 350 objects from the RMSC’s anthropology collection. You’ll encounter some of the ways that identity is expressed in societies ranging from the Haudenosaunee in the northeastern United States to the courts of Imperial China.
Flight to Freedom: Rochester’s Underground Railroad
Presented with support from the City of Rochester and the Underground Railroad Heritage Trail, a program of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Explore stories of courageous African Americans who traveled through Rochester on their way from slavery to freedom. Find out about local people who helped them.
Forces of Nature
It’s a wild world! Explore the power and unique traits of our natural world and get hands-on with concepts related to earth, air, fire and water.
How Things Work
Discover the science behind everyday devices. Through fun, hands-on investigation, find out how mechanisms such as light switches, thermostats and traffic signals work.
Illumination: The World of Light and Optics
Illuminations Sponsors: Germanow-Simon Corporation, G-S Plastic Optics, Tel-Tru Manufacturing
Luminary Sponsors: Optimax, Veluxsys by Precision Optical Transceivers
Light Sponsors: Apollo Optical, SPIE
Image Sponsors: Navitar, Sydor Optics, Vincent Associates
Experiment with lasers, lenses and mirrors as you explore the nature of light and optics. Immerse yourself in more than fifteen hands-on exhibits that demonstrate exciting scientific concepts including reflection and refraction, radio waves and color temperature. Crank, spin and illuminate to make light bend, sound emanate and shadows dance. Discover the best parts of working in optics and photonics at the new media installation featuring Andy Germanow from G-S Plastic Optics. Spark a passion for science within as you discover the true wonders of light.
Inventor Center
Made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services
Power cities, build cars, harness wind and fire catapults. Dive into a hands-on exploration of the inventive process. Participate in engineering and design challenges as you tinker with raw materials to create working inventions that can be tested and shared. Challenges change every 3-5 months.
Current challenge: Operation Vehicle
Build a vehicle that can climb over hills to deliver supplies to people trapped in the mountain pass.
KEVA Planks
Come build with us! Construct wooden masterpieces of all shapes and sizes with KEVA Planks, a building exhibit experience. Precision cut, identical construction blocks, KEVA Planks stack with surprising stability. Using only gravity, visitors dabble with physics in order to achieve balance, optimum proportion and strength.
Nano Mini-Exhibit
Created by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Network) with support from the National Science Foundation
Imagine and discover a world you can’t see! Get the family together and become engaged in the world of nanoscale science, engineering and technology. Hands-on exhibits present the basics of nano, introduce real-world applications and explore the implications of this new technology.
Native Peoples of the Americas
Discover the diversity of indigenous American lifestyles as expressed through material culture and the environment. Realistic dioramas and hundreds of artifacts showcase traditional life in regions as varied as the Eastern Woodlands, the Pacific Northwest, the Arctic, the American Southwest, and Central and South America.
Regional Green Infrastructure Showcase
Created with the help of Capstone students from RIT’s Environmental Science program
The Regional Green Infrastructure Showcase is an educational, outdoor space in process across from museum visitor entrance, where visitors can enjoy several green exhibits including rain gardens, interactive displays, and more.
The Rochester Business Hall of Fame
Presented by the RMSC in partnership with Junior Achievement of Rochester and the Rochester Business Journal
Sponsored by Bank of America
This interactive exhibit celebrates exemplary Rochester leaders who have made outstanding, enduring contributions to business and community in the greater Rochester region. Look for our new inductees!
Rochester in 1838: Young Lion of the West
Restoration project made possible by grants from the New York State Council on the Arts; the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor; and the Historic Preservation, Restoration and Literature Fund at the Rochester Area Community Foundation; as well as a donation from Arthur W. Schuster, Jr.
In this recently restored, iconic diorama, explore how Rochester became America’s first western “boomtown” as a result of the Erie Canal.
Science On a Sphere
Sponsored by Harris Beach PLLC and O’Connell Electric Company
Engage in the wonders of our planet and beyond as you experience scientific data in three dimensions on our giant globe. See Earth and the universe in a whole new way through stunning projections of atmospheric storms, climate change, planetary activity and ocean temperature.
Simulator Rides
Enjoy special limited-time only simulator rides throughout the year. Most special rides are $1 per person (members included).
HD Magic Carpet Ride | Daily (October)
Take a journey on a magic carpet.
HD Outpost 12 | Daily (November)
Take a wild ride on an alien roller coaster.
Hurricane Simulator | Daily
Experience the power of 75mph hurricane-force winds! Several people can experience at the same time for the price of one simulation. *$2 charge per simulation (members included).
Lake Ontario Dive
FREE – Dive to the bottom of Lake Ontario in the Deep Submergence Vehicle simulator.
Take it Down! Organizing Against Racism
Presented in partnership with the City of Rochester
View the “pickaninny” panel removed from Rochester’s Dentzel Carousel and explore the important lessons it provides on racism in our community.
Under Construction: Building Careers
Founding Supporters: Builders Exchange of Rochester; Max & Marian Farash Charitable Foundation; UNICON; John W. Danforth Company; LeChase Construction Services, LLC; Manning Squires Hennig Company, Inc;. and O’Connell Electric Company
Drill into an exciting hands-on exploration of construction trades. Built in-house by RMSC staff, the exhibition features the fascinating jobs of electricians, plumbers and other trade specialists. Maneuver a giant crane on the “job site,” install plumbing for a sink and much more. Also, learn from local trade professionals who built the Sustainability Institute Hall, home of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability on campus at RIT.
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Strasenburgh Planetarium
657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
SATURDAY NIGHT TELESCOPE VIEWING
View the heavens! The RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium offers free telescope viewing every Saturday night from dark until 10pm, weather permitting. Climb 60 steps at the back of the planetarium to view the sky through telescopes operated by knowledgeable volunteers from the Astronomy Section of the Rochester Academy of Science, the leading local astronomy club. Before coming, please call the Planetarium box office after 7:30 p.m. to confirm that the telescope is open: 585.697.1945.
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Cumming Nature Center
6472 Gulick Road, Naples, NY 14512
585.374.6160
Unless otherwise noted, hikes/programs are free with admission
Weekend Wild Walks | Saturday, Oct. 27-Sunday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 3-Sunday, Nov. 4 | 11am-12:30pm
Explore the Cumming Nature Center landscape with naturalist Shariee Edersheim and uncover the hidden gems and oft-overlooked magic of the forest and fields. These guided hikes are included in Nature Center admission, last about 90 minutes and traverse easy to moderate terrain. April and May hikes focus on wildflowers as they appear as the season progresses.
Food Preservation Heritage Maker Workshop | Saturday, Oct. 27 | 9am-2pm
Explore different ways to preserve food including: dehydrating, steam juicing, vacuum sealing, freezing, canning, and fermenting. Turn fruit into juice using a steam juicer and into snacks using the dehydrator. Add salt to cabbage to ferment into sauerkraut. Protect dry goods such as flour and rice using a vacuum sealer. Compare boiling water bath canning to pressure canning, and learn tips for freezing your bounty.
Thoreau & Me in the Finger Lakes: Discussion & Book Signing | Thursday, Nov. 15 | 6-7pm
There is an innate connection between humans and the natural world. It is timeless bond that is now more essential to our health and well-being than ever before. Henry David Thoreau believed that by immersing ourselves in nature we can lead healthier, happier lives. Thoreau and Me in the Finger Lakes by Mark Holdren awakens the reader’s spirit to a deepened awareness of nature and peaceful mindfulness with all of life. Meet Holdren as he discusses his book at the Cumming Nature Center, part of a year-long program being sponsored by The Rochester Regional Library Council (RRLC) Breakthrough Grant for the Naples Library.
The Great White Oak: A Photography Exhibit by Gale Karpel | Closes Nov. 11
Over the course of one year, local photographer Gale Karpel documented the effect of the changing seasons on a solitary oak, located in a field in Pittsford, New York.
Camouflage and Habitat
Who shares your habitat? Explore the plants and animals in our area in this new, permanent, interactive display and highly detailed mural by regional artist, Mary Mullard.
Leap Frog Pond | Outdoor Exhibit
Enjoy this permanent play space designed especially for preschoolers. Over-sized frogs, turtles, tadpoles, lily pads, and mushrooms fill a make-believe pond.
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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 www.rmsc.org. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
