Upcoming Exhibits
WHALES: WONDERS OF THE OCEAN
May 17, 2008 through September 21, 2008Castle Memorial Building
Learn all about the gentle giants of the sea in
this robotic traveling exhibition from WonderWorks.
This exhibit tells their 54-million-year-old story,
from early life on land to their journey back to
the sea. Life-size robotic whales illustrate the
major categories of whale origins, adaptions and
behavior from feeding and reproduction to swimming,
vocalization, respiration, and diving. The exhibit
will feature full-sized robotic versions of a Baby
Gray whale, a Humpback whale and an Orca, and animated
heads of a Northern Right whale and a Sperm whale.
Whales are the descendants of land living mammals of the Artiodactyl order. Whales are the closest living relatives of hippos! They both evolved from a common ancestor at around 54 million years ago. Whales entered the water roughly 50 million years ago. These cetaceans are divided into two suborders: Baleen whales which have a sieve-like structure in the upperj aw made of keratin that is used to filter plankton; and toothed whales which have teeth and prey on fish and squid.
Like all mammals, whales breathe air into lungs,
are warm-blooded, and feed their young milk from
mammary glands, and have some hair. Whales breathe
through blowholes located on the top of the head
so the animal can remain submerged. Baleen whales
have two blowholes, while toothed whales only have
one. Whales have a unique respiratory system that
lets them stay underwater for long periods of time
without taking in oxygen. Sperm whales are known
to stay underwater for up to two hours holding a
single breath!
Whales live from 40 to 200 years, depending on their species, but it is rare to find one that lives over a century. Whale flukes are often used to identify whales and they communicate with each other using lyrical sounds. Being so large and powerful, whales sounds are extremely loud and can be heard for many miles.
The exhibit features several participatory stations where visitors can learn to identify whales the way scientists do; by their songs, their markings, their fins and tails, and their behavior. The six large motorized creatures on exhibit operate on air pressure and were constructed in Los Angeles. Andrewsarchus will be the first motorized creature to greet visitors as they enter the show.
This hairy, ugly, land-dwelling
mammal with a snout is included in the exhibit
because it belongs to a group of primitive carnivorous
land mammals dating back 50 million years, which
scientists believe may have been the predecessors
of whales. The subsequent displays feature a tail-waving
orca, a lanky basilosaurus, and the gray whale with
a calf, among others. Inside each creature is an
aluminum and steel robotic skeleton.
The movements of the robotic whales are controlled by a computer mounted in the creature’s base. The computer regulates the flow of compressed air through a series of air lines and valves to various cylinders. As air is forced through the system, it causes the piston inside each cylinder to move in and out. Large cylinders are used for tail and flipper movements, while small cylinders are used for the eye and mouth movements. A sound system, controlled by the same computer, is mounted in the base and is used to create life-like whale sounds. The skin is made from thick foam with a flexible elastimer coating that shows all the bumps and folds of the full-size clay sculpture. The whales’ creators have gone to great lengths to make the exhibit as authentic as possible, including putting lice and barnacles on some of the whales and even the sounds of the thumping whale heartbeat.
Mahalo to our sponsors:
MEGALODON: LARGEST SHARK THAT EVER LIVED
Oct 11, 2008 - January 11, 2009Castle Memorial Building
The Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Florida, has created Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived, a new traveling exhibition that highlights the evolution, biology and misconceptions regarding giant prehistoric sharks. Related to the modern great white and mako sharks, the 60-foot-long Megalodon lived worldwide until it became extinct 2 million years ago. Megalodon’s beautiful fossil teeth are prized by collectors. This exhibit conveys current research findings of University of Florida paleontologists and showcases both fossil and modern shark specimens and full-scale models from several collections. Learn about the process of science and shark conservation. Walk through a sculpture of a 60-foot long Megalodon. Find out what they ate, its size and structure, how long it lived, who its neighbors were, how it evolved, and why it became extinct.
2009
ANIMATION
Feb 14 to May 10, 2009
Castle Memorial
Building (This is tentative)
This exhibit is created by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, Oregon in collaboration with the Cartoon Network. Animation is everywhere! Every time we turn on a TV set, go to a movie, or surf the Internet, we see animated segments. But how does animation really work? Get ready to explore the science behind the art when you visit Animation!
From concept to finished product, visitors will learn all about the intricacies of the art of animations. From storyboarding to character design and drawing techniques, to movement, timing, filming, and sound—come toAnimation and see how it all works. Larger than life graphics of popular Cartoon Network characters provide a colorful backdrop to the exhibit, which also explores the history of Animation and features a screening room and a cartoon museum.
To illustrate convincing movement, animators apply knowledge of the physics of motion, and the science of human perception. Animators plot out a character’s path of action on a grid before producing an animated sequence. The animator creates characters in scale with their environments through the use of basic geometry and spatial sense.
Several of the exhibit areas feature digital slide shows of real animators working in the studios at Cartoon Network. Visitors will learn about the skills and training needed to pursue a career in animation.
Six thematic areas are explored in the Animation exhibit:
History: Learn about early animation and apparent motion. Visitors can try using a praxinoscope, posing a three-dimensional figure and spinning it to se the figures morph into a single animation. At the penny Arcade, you can “crank” out animations with an old-fashioned mutoscope.
Animation Studio: Explore the process of animation, story creation, and animator techniques and tools. You can develop a storyboard from a series of picture cards, design objects with a pantograph, and create scenes using layered cels and moving backgrounds.
Art in Motion: With help from the characters of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, discover why art and math are important allies when it comes to creating characters, motion, and change. The illusion of movement will come alive as you magically “move” around a room without using your legs.
Animation Laboratory: In Dexter’s Laboratory, you can delve into the science and technology that make animation possible. Create the illusion of a bouncing ball with the technique of ”squash and stretch” and find out how the action slows down or speeds up with time-lapse videos. You can also see yourself hover while exploring visual effects in a full-body interactive experience.
Sound and Stage: Discover the principles of sound and phonetics with the Kids Next Door, while exploring the complexity of matching phrases to different mouth shapes. You can add your own voice to a silent animation, and set the mood of the film by selecting background music from a variety of soundtracks.
Cartoon Museum: Take a seat in an intimate theater setting and view clips of popular animations while learning the secrets behind their production. Examine important artifacts such as cels, models, and storyboard drawings from classic and favorite animations such as Scooby-Doo, The Powerpuff Girls, and The Flintstones.
