Arizona Science Center
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Stacey Lane
Adviser
About Me
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- I have taught Journalism, Creative Writing and advised Young Reporters throughout the Valley for the past 12 years. I am a freelance writer for the Education, Social and Community Pages with Independent Newspapers. My students write and submit stories to Independent Newspapers' Write to Report Program, Bear Essential News for Kids -Young Reporters Program, EduKid Newspapers and In the Zona. I enjoy teaching, photography and watching writers grow as they master their new found skills... Explore the Power of Personal Expression - visit, Write On! Creative Writing Workshops on Facebook
Learn All About You at All About Me
ReplyDeleteBy: Jack W.
The Arizona Science Center just opened its newest permanent exhibit called All About Me. I was fortunate to be given a tour on opening day by two helpful staff members. I was first greeted by Tam, who has resided at the Science Center for many years and is very thin-skinned. She actually is a Lucite mannequin with her skin peeled away so that you can see her insides. Tam is accompanied by an animation which explains her body parts. The next exhibit, my dad’s favorite, was Views Into You. It allows you to slide a view box over what looks like an MRI table to learn about the different body systems. You can choose to study the muscular, circulatory/respiratory, nervous, digestive, and skeletal systems. Jerry W. (my dad) stated, “I could spend all day on this exhibit alone.” Nearby, on a large screen, there is an interactive animation which demonstrates the scales of various objects. You rotate a knob to zoom in from a coffee bean (12.5 mm), to a bacterium, and all the way down to a carbon atom (340 pm).
You won’t want to miss the Body Depot. In that area, which is arranged like a science lab, they show movies on the body. I watched one on fractures. On the weekends, they have parent-child labs. You can look at bone marrow, bone and cartilage under microscopes. Because some labs are too advanced for younger kids, they have play areas for them, but they still relate to science. A favorite of most of the kids seemed to be the Monster Stomach. This stomach is so big that if it was put in a real person, they would be as tall as our Chase Field! The stomach has motion-activated sounds, and if you pull the scent cannon, watch out! It starts to smell just like a real stomach.
Another cool but scary exhibit is the Human Nose. You press a button and try to throw as many foam balls into the giant nostrils as possible. Once enough balls touch the nasal hairs, the nose shoots the balls out at you along with a huge sneeze. This shows how the nose protects us from debris. Now I realize why you must sneeze into your elbow!
One of the most technologically advanced exhibits, and my favorite, is the Heart Surgery Theatre. In the simulated operating room, a video of an actual open-heart surgery is projected on a mannequin positioned on a surgery table. They show the opening and main surgery on the heart. Susan W. (my mom) exclaimed, “It was amazing and thrilling to see a beating heart.” The eight-minute video is narrated by the surgeon who performed the surgery on a real patient.
The new exhibit covers much of the first floor and even has a mutli-media science stage where visitors can participate in live, interactive demonstrations. The exhibit is free with paid general admission. I’m going back to learn more about me!