February & March 2003 issue
Contents:
Letter From Lindy
Charlie Campbell Center
Redefined on Feb. 22
A 2003 Space Odyssey
A Heart For Children and
Science
Letter From Lindy
It’s February, and I feel like I can
claim my life again. With the birth of our son, Marc Frederick
Hoyer, this Dec. 4 and all the holiday family events, I
got to thinking about what it means to be a part of a family
and how the museum is part of a larger family, as well.
My own family has always seemed large, partly because there
are many of us and partly because our definition of family
includes close friends, co-workers and distant relatives.
A rule with us is, "Once you’ve been invited
to join our family events, you never need an invitation
to come again."
With the opening of Grossology and the second floor, the
Omaha Children’s Museum family has also been growing.
Our family includes you, our members, as well as friends,
donors, corporations, foundations, scouting groups and schools.
Memberships have increased greatly in the last few months.
Not only are new family members joining, but we are also
getting reacquainted with old family members who had drifted
away for awhile. It’s exciting to see the museum full
of people checking out the newest attractions.
Strengthening the family bonds of the museum will be one
of the goals of 2003. We are delighted to be working with
Cox Communications after having such a strong relationship
some years back. Our Sponsor of the Month program is taking
off thanks to First National Bank, the Kiewit Companies,
and Mutual of Omaha. Children’s Hospital also joined
our family by sponsoring the Vomit Center of Grossology,
and Waitt Radio has been collaborating with us to help promote
many special events.
I cannot possibly list all who make up the museum family,
but our family and sense of community involvement is growing
and flourishing. If you haven’t yet become a part
of this Museum family, the invitation is here. Step inside
our doors, enjoy yourself and, remember, you don’t
need an invitation to come back!
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Charlie Campbell Center
Redefined on Feb. 22
Super Gravitron adds super fun into the science center equation
Gravitron (n.)—an aparatus designed
to utilize the force of gravity to bring spherical objects
from a high state of potential kinetic energy to a lower
state.
Super Gravitron (n.)— four gravitrons in one; the
newest and coolest permanent exhibit at the Omaha Children's
Museum; SEE learning and fun.
So what’s a SuperGravitron, really? Only the most
impressive, delightful and interactive science exhibit ever
to find a permanent home at the Omaha Children’s Museum.
The Super Gravitron will be the centerpiece of the Charlie
Campbell Science and Technology Center when it reopens on
Feb. 22. An interactive ball machine with four separate
stations, the Super Gravitron combines scientific principles
with hands-on play. It also highlights the discoveries of
scientists throughout history. The piece is made possible
through the support of donors to the Charlie Campbell Center
with the endorsement of Sharen Campbell and her daughter
Ann Hofmann.
"If you'll excuse the pun, the Super Gravitron makes
physics phun," said Lindy Hoyer, executive director.
Hoyer and Tom Simons went to Columbus, OH, in mid-January
to see the Super Gravitron as it neared completion.
"My eyes could not keep track of all the balls that
were flying everywhere," said Simons.
Even when Hoyer proposed it Sharen Campbell and Ann Hofmann,
the mother and daughter could see its potential.
"We were very enthusiastic. We loved the colors and
the activity of it all," said Campbell. " Plus,
it required energy. I love to see children exert energy
in having a great time."
The Super Gravitron is the creation of Boss Display, located
in Ohio. For the past eight years, Boss has custom-built
the exhibits they call "gravitrons" for science
centers and children's museums. The Super Gravitron is the
largest they've built so far.
"A gravitron is simply a matter of air pressure and
gravity," said Bill Bennett, a co-owner and engineer
at Boss, "and the manipulation of simple machines,
like ramps, levers, pulleys and cams."
It sounds simple enough. Air pressure brings the balls up,
and gravity brings them down. Along the way, children can
determine where the balls go by turning a wheel, pulling
a lever or tipping a ramp. It is the sheer number of balls
and options that makes for the controlled chaos of the Super
Gravitron.
Plus, the Super Gravitron has a pay off. As children throw
in the balls and guide them along various tubes and paths,
they'll see the balls collecting in a hopper in the center
of the piece. When the hopper fills, an alarm goes off,
giving kids ten seconds to get to the middle before all
the balls dump out on top of them. Then, the process begins
again.
Bennett calls it an "intuitive machine," one that
doesn't need written instructions because children naturally
see what to do. The science lessons, too, are so much a
part of the play that children won't even realize that they're
learning, according to Bennett.
"The Super Gravitron makes the Charlie Campbell Center
really come alive, again," said Hoyer. "The possibilities
for play are practically limitless. Kids will come back
to this exhibit again and again, making new discoveries
every time they return."
Omaha Children's Museum (n.)—the only place with the
Super Gravitron.
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A 2003 Space Odyssey
Beware the Ides of March? Not at the Omaha
Children’s Museum. The stars portend a new exhibit
at the Omaha Children’s Museum, scheduled to open
March 15.
Thanks to sponsor Runza® Restaurants, STARLAB will bring
the night sky indoors during the day for visitors to enjoy.
"Anyone who steps into the STARLAB Dome will be amazed
by its unique ability to draw people into a wonderful and
magical world of astronomy," said Tom Simons, director
of education.
STARLAB is a portable planetarium, an inflatable dome capable
of holding up to 35 students or 25 adults. Much like a stationary
planetarium, a projector in the center creates a night sky
on the inside of the dome.
The STARLAB can take visitors from the farthest reaches
of the universe to the microscopic cell. With a number of
different projection cylinders, viewers can also go on a
journey from the South Pole to the Equator and up to the
North Pole. The STARLAB makes it possible to observe the
solar system and even the whole galaxy or to look beneath
the Earth’s surface as well as study weather patterns.
"Runza® recognized that the museum was set to grow
and wanted to get in on the ground level of that growth,"
said Becky Richter, Communications Manager at Runza®.
"STARLAB is not just a unique exhibit at the museum
but a great outreach to schools and the community."
STARLAB will be set up as a moveable exhibit in the museum
and will also be able to travel to schools and community
events.
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A Heart for Children
and Science
Lindsay Peterson talks about educating kids at the museum
You see her with Stuffee. You see her with the bearded dragon.
You even see her cleaning out the fish tanks. Now, meet
Lindsay Peterson, museum educator for nearly 2 1/2 years.
It was straight from graduation that Lindsay came to the
museum back in 2000. Since that time, she has been teaching
physics, chemistry and biology at the science shows, showing
off and explaining the museum’s animal collection
and conducting outreach activities at schools and throughout
the community.
“It seemed like the perfect combination of things
I loved—children, science and animals!” said
Lindsay.
Lindsay graduated from University of Nebraska–Omaha
with a bachelor’s in earth sciences. Her background
in sciences prepared her well for the many different science-related
shows that she does.
Lindsay believes that the children that come to the museum
really make the job fun, particularly when they come back
to a show and remember what they learned the last time.
“It gives me that nice, warm, fuzzy feeling inside
when I know I’m getting to those kids!” said
Lindsay. “I have also had children come up to me after
a show and say that they want to be me when they grow up!”
Even with the museum’s mission to children, Lindsay
sees part of her job as reaching out to the adults that
visit.
“After all, this is not just a museum for children—it
is for the entire family,” said Lindsay. ”I
just try to make everyone’s experience one that they
remember.”
And she certainly does that. Be sure to say, “hi,”
to Lindsay when you come in. (She’ll even give you
an autograph if you ask).
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