June 21, 2006
MEDIA CONTACT: Caroline Witherspoon
or Jocelyn Collado
Becker Communications
(808) 533-4165
BISHOP MUSEUM SCIENCE ADVENTURE CENTER EXHIBIT WINS NATIONAL INTERACTIVE DESIGN AWARDS
HONOLULU – The Hot Spot Conservation Lab at Bishop Museum’s Science Adventure Center has received two national design awards. The high-tech interactive exhibit won the Information Design Award in the 2006 Communication Arts’ Interactive Competition and received an honorable mention in the interactive category of I.D. Magazine’s Annual Design Review. As a result, the Hot Spot Conservation Lab will be featured in the August 2006 issue of I.D. Magazine and the September 2006 issue of Communication Arts.
“We are extremely pleased that the Science Adventure Center’s Hot Spot Conservation Lab design was recognized by two national magazines as being at the forefront of interactive museum exhibits,” said Bill Brown, president of Bishop Museum. “It is a testament to the quality of exhibits in our Science Adventure Center and an example of where Bishop Museum is headed in the future.”
Designed by Gyroscope Inc., the Hot Spot Conservation Lab uses radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and electronic technology to allow visitors to interact with collections in a way never before possible. The exhibit includes a wide range of insects, feathers, leaves, and other specimens embedded in resin and tagged with RFID chips. A computer system recognizes each specimen and provides customized information and activities.
Opened in November of 2005, the Bishop Museum Science Adventure Center is the only themed science center in the United States. At the core of the Center’s theme is Hawai‘i’s unique lands, surrounding oceans and skies which it highlights through highly interactive displays, creating a connection between the science and the wonders themselves.
A treasured resource of Hawaiian history and heritage Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop as a tribute to his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha dynasty. Located at 1525 Bernice Street , the Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $14.95 for adults; $11.95 for youth 4-12 years, special rates for kama ‘āina , seniors and military; children under 4 years and Bishop Museum Members are free. For information, call 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.