Summer Camps Registration Delayed

Due to technical issues beyond our control, all Summer Camp registration has been delayed. Registration for 2009 Camps For Curious Minds opens Monday, March 9. This includes online, mail-in and phone registration. We apologize for any inconvenience.

A Note To Our Subscribers

Hello! This is a note to those who subscribe to our RSS feed. First, we want to thank you for your interest in and support of Pacific Science Center. We value each and every one of you. That's why we wanted to let you know our feed address is changing next week. As many organizations do, we use Blogger for our blog and Feedburner to generate our RSS. Feedburner and Blogger are both now owned by Google and Google is forcing all Feedburner feeds to migrate to Google. So, we are moving. To make it simpler, our new address will be http://feeds2.feedburner.com/pacsci starting the week of March 2. So, please make note of it. And thanks again for your support. If there are any questions, comments or concerns please shoot us a note at feedback@pacsci.org.

Play A Game, Maybe Help Cure Cancer?

Researchers at the University of Washington have come up with a fascinating game that may help find cures for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, and Alzheimer's. The game is called Foldit, an interactive, 3D puzzle in which users try to match protein structures. By doing so, the resulting matches can be used by researchers to improve what's called the Rosetta algorithm. Developed at the UW, this tool is used to help design drugs to combat disease-related proteins. So, grab a free copy of Foldit, play it, and help develop the cutting edge tools used in solving some of science's most baffling medical mysteries. Fascinating stuff! →Learn More

Slough News: Wild B’earthdays Expanded

Looking for a very special birthday party for a child in your life? How about a Wild B’earthday Party at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center? Celebrate your birthday in the wild. Explore the wetlands, play ecology games, search for wetlands creatures and organize your party festivities in our classroom. Choose from a Bug Safari or Animal Mania theme. And our programs have just been expanded for larger parties. →Make plans now!

AstroInfo: March-April Skies

Planetarium Specialist Alice Enevoldsen is back with more great information for astronomy buffs. This time she outlines celestial events for march and April and explains some fascinating observation opportunities coming up during this International Year Of Astronomy. Check the latest edition of →AstroInfo!

Time Is Running Out For Oscar Winner

It is now one of the top 3 most popular films ever, it has won two Academy Awards, but it will soon be gone from the biggest screen in town. Be sure you see Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience before it closes this Sunday, March 1. →Check Our Schedule

Queen Anne Science Café

Mark your calendar now for our next Science Cafe event coming up next Tuesday, March 3. Dr. Adam Frank with the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester presents End of the Beginning: Before the Big Bang in Cosmology, Mythology and the Science vs. Religion Debate. It will be fascinating! →Learn More

Extended Hours For Lucy

As the historic exhibit, →Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures Of Ethiopia nears its end, we are extending our hours on a few select dates to allow even more visitors to see it. In addition to the standard extended hours on Thursday evenings, we will keep Lucy open until 9 p.m. February 27-28 and March 6-7.

Students Succeed In Quest To See Lucy

Pacific Science Center was very proud and pleased to host some students from a Moses Lake middle school this week. They traveled 200 miles to visit →Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures Of Ethiopia, but the way they got here is just amazing. It's a story of a devoted teacher, some very determined students, and an involved community. It's some serious discovery and what it's all about here under the arches. We hope you'll →read their story then come visit Lucy before she's history in Seattle.

Lucy And The Naked Mole-Rats

Members of our Life Sciences Team were working on our Naked Mole-Rats exhibit inside Building 2 awhile back and realized those bizarre looking little critters actually have a lot in common with the world's most famous fossil, →Lucy now residing in Building 4 until March 8. It took some research, but they put together a fact sheet you should find interesting. So, →check it out then come see them both together before Lucy moves on. The Mole-Rats will be staying.

Discover The Coolest Science Ever!

Starting this Thursday, Feb. 26, Pacific Science Center and the Polar Science Center at the UW's Applied Physics Lab are teaming up once again to bring you a weekend of exciting, highly-interactive science that's too cool to miss! We invite guests of all ages to join us for Polar Science Weekend! →Learn More

Icebreaker Crew Visits

Crewmembers from U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy will appear at Pacific Science Center's Polar Science Weekend. Come meet the men and women who crew one of the world's premier icebreakers and hear their stories of life in the arctic firsthand. These folks are all about some very cool science! →Learn More

PacSci-Doku: Space Pioneer

Our latest bi-weekly science word puzzle goes back to space, yet is all about finding your way down here on planet Earth. Can you solve the "Space Pioneer" edition of →PacSci-Doku?

Get Ready For GPS Adventures!

The next big exhibit coming to Pacific Science Center arrives at the end of March and it will be outstanding. It involves one of the most popular activities anywhere on the entire planet, with millions of devotees. If you are one of the many geocachers out there, then please join our →GPS Adventures Facebook group and get ready for a fun and enlightening exhibit. And if you don't have a GPS device or know nothing about the technology, don't worry. All that's needed is a desire to learn. We'll supply the rest. And for those already members of the geocaching community, or for those just interested in learning what this is all about, make plans now to attend our big →kick-off event set for March 28. Hope to see you here! →Learn More

Slough News: Start At The Visitor Center

If you're a regular reader of this blog then you've seen many stories about our classes at the →Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue. Students come in from all over the area to experience this fascinating learning environment. But this wonderful facility isn't just for young people. Everyone is welcome to make their own discoveries here. When you arrive, your first stop should be the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center's Visitor Center. From this unique building you get a view of the forest canopy and swampy wetlands below. The Visitor Center is open daily to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a Park Ranger available to help. Inside, interpretive displays allow visitors to discover the hidden history of Mercer Slough Nature Park from 15,000 years ago to the present. We also offer an interpretive library, a perfect retreat on rainy days or for visitors wishing to learn from a variety of environmental books and games. While you're there, don't forget to check out (and add to) our log of wildlife observations! Monthly Art in Nature Exhibits display artists' interpretation and expression of nature in a variety of art forms. Available for viewing from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ranger programs are a wonderful way to get involved and learn about the environment, including Sit, Sip & Stroll for adults and seniors, family focused Guided Tours & Wetland Walks, and much more! Pick up trail maps, brochures, and program information at the Visitor Center today. For more information check our →Web site, contact us at mseec@bellevuewa.gov or (425) 452-2565.

Queen Anne Science Café

Mark your calendar now for our next Queen Anne Science Café event coming up March 3. Dr. Adam Frank with the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester presents End of the Beginning: Before the Big Bang in Cosmology, Mythology and the Science vs. Religion Debate. It will be fascinating! →Learn More

Lecture: The Pluto Files

Ever since the planet Pluto was demoted, many people have been obsessed with the little guy on the edge of our solar system. Next up in the →Seattle Science Lecture Series is author, astrophysicist and Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson. This popular scientist, who you've probably seen on →KCTS 9, takes a lighthearted look at why Pluto is so entrenched in America's cultural and patriotic view of the cosmos in The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet. Tyson is the bestselling author of Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries and has hosted several PBS NOVA programs. Make plans now for a lively evening at Seattle Town Hall. That's Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. →Learn More

'Isle Of Lucy' And Other Musings

If you keep an eye on the blogosphere as we do, you'll find many people writing about →Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures Of Ethiopia. Here's a recent example titled, →"Isle Of Lucy." Many praise the exhibit, some don't. But we appreciate all of those who take the time to talk about our exhibits because it means people are thinking about and discussing science. That's part of our mission, to facilitate such discussions. One thing just about everybody agrees on: this is a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit. You will never get another chance to see this important piece of science and history in Seattle. And remember, these are the real fossils. Not replicas. This is the real Lucy! So, come see her yourself before she's gone forever. This critically important exhibition closes March 8.

Extended Hours For Lucy
As this historic exhibit nears its end, we are extending our hours on a few select dates to allow even more visitors to see it. In addition to the standard extended hours on Thursday evenings, we will keep Lucy open until 9 p.m. February 27-28 and March 6-7.

Science Center Leader Honored, Again

It's becoming routine around Pacific Science Center - every few years we report that Dennis Schatz, Senior Vice President for Strategic Programs, is being honored once again. This March, Dennis will have to take time out of his busy schedule to clear room on his fireplace mantle for yet another award -- the Faraday Science Communicator Award, presented annually by the National Science Teachers Association. Congratulations, Dennis! →Learn More

Slough News: Teen Intern Adventures

What did you do last weekend? While many of us went shopping or watched TV or whatever, our →Lake Washington Watershed interns took a field trip to →Pack Forest near Eatonville and Mount Rainier. The teens learned how to use instruments that measure the size and age of trees, how modern forestry practices are protecting the land and wildlife, and how human waste water is used to actually help trees grow faster. The trip included a hike through some old growth timber including some Douglas Firs that were more than 500 years old. This is just the latest example of some very exciting activities that our interns participate in and then teach about to the broader community. It's a great program.

Spend The Summer With Us
A great way for high school students to get involved with our Lake Washington Watershed internship is to start with our →Naturalist in Training program. This summer volunteer opportunity gives young people invaluable skills and helps them meet school service learning requirements. Teens participate in two Saturday trainings in May and assist with at least two weeks of our camp programs; which run for 10 weeks over the summer. The Naturalist in Training program is a great lead in for the year-round Lake Washington Watershed Internship program that begins recruitment in September. If you know of a high school student who enjoys working with youth and being outdoors, we encourage you to point them our way!

Get Ready For A Treasure Hunt Like None Other

Our next exhibit coming in late March is all about exploring our favorite planet by means of GPS technology. If you know all about geocaching and how to use GPS technology, or even if you don't, we think you will be just as excited as we are about GPS Adventures coming March 28. Think treasure hunt, think puzzles, think maze, and plenty of discovery. It will be fun and enlightening for young and old alike! →Learn More

Go Under The Sea In 3D

Our newest IMAX film is spectacular! For young and old, Under The Sea 3D will take you into the deep with breathtaking cinematography. Come discover the world beneath the waves as you’ve never seen it before. →Watch the Trailer!

Lucy In The News

The world's most famous fossil continues to be a hot topic: scientists in Texas have →scanned Lucy, which could help answer some of the many questions about how she walked. Some students in →Moses Lake will be coming to see Lucy, thanks to some hard work and a generous community. →MSNBC's Alan Boyle and →KZOK Radio's Arik Korman have both published insightful interviews with Dr. Donald Johanson, the man who discovered Lucy. Then there's the →National Geographic blog post that compares Lucy with those who stood and watched the Mt. St. Helens eruption! Come see for yourself what everyone's talking about before she leaves March 8.

Discover Some Serious, Enlightening Science

Pacific Science Center is committed to advancing the public's understanding of science and contributing to the development of a scientifically literate society. As part of that commitment, our Science and Society initiative, we support and sponsor a number of lectures in the Seattle area. We have some thought provoking speakers lined up in the coming weeks. We invite you to peruse our →schedule and make plans to make some serious scientific discovery of your own!

Who Watches The Watchmen?

One of the most eagerly anticipated sci-fi films of the year opens March 6 at Pacific Science Center's Boeing IMAX Theater. Buy your tickets now and prepare for an incredible film event. Get ready for Watchmen: The IMAX Experience on the biggest screen in town! →Learn More

Community Comes Together So Students Can Meet Lucy

We invite you to take a minute or two and read a heartwarming story of how a community pulled together to make sure some students in Moses Lake get the chance to meet one of their oldest relatives. Hats off to everyone who helped make this happen. →Learn More

Special Offer From Seattle Children's Theater

One of our neighbors, Seattle Children's Theater is extending a special offer for supporters of Pacific Science Center. You and your children can see a terrific new play and save! Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire is now playing through March 7. This thrilling adventure, set in Ancient Egypt, will have you on the edge of your seat, eager to find what secrets lie in the deserts. The mysterious Zalira and sneeze-afflicted palace scribe, Bakneb, must aid the young and spoiled Pharaoh Serket if he is to escape death at the hands of his ever-present enemies. Together they journey deep into the desert to find the Lost Stone of Fire, a gem so mystical it is believed to grant its owner immortality. However, Serket's quest brings him a treasure even greater. Get $2.00 off one adult admission and $1.00 off one child admission to Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire at Seattle Children's Theatre, January 30 - March 7. Recommended for ages 8 and up. To receive this discount, call (206) 441-3322, and mention this offer to the ticket office when ordering your tickets. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. This offer may not be combined with any other discount. Not valid for school or other group admissions. Expires March 7, 2009. →Learn More

Celebrate Darwin Day

In honor of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birthday, Darwin Day Celebrations are being held all over the world in recognition of Darwin's contribution in scientifically describing biological evolution via natural selection, and of the benefits of scientific knowledge generally in the advancement of humanity. Here is one opportunity for local Seattle-area citizens to join in the celebration. Dr. Leroy Hood will speak at Pacific Science Center on Darwin's role and modern-day expansions and ramifications of scientific thought. Dr. Hood has played a crucial role in the technological foundation for contemporary molecular biology. He is currently involved in pioneering systems medicine and the systems approach to disease. That’s Thursday, Feb. 12, 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door or →online. FREE for Pacific Science Center members. Seating is limited. Come early and be sure to visit →Lucy's Legacy while you're here.

Arches Go Red

Once again this year, the sky above Pacific Science Center will be red for the month of February as the historic arches "Go Red" to commemorate the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" program. Over 200 buildings around the country will "Go Red" and you're encouraged to wear red to show your support this Friday, Feb. 6. →Learn More

Slough News: Winter Survival

The Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue offers a very exciting winter break camp this month: Winter Survival. This is for students in grades 2-5. They'll learn how to build snow cave shelters, avoid avalanches, navigate during a snowshoe trek, and much more. Register now. Space is limited! →Learn More

Winter Break Camps In Seattle
The Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center isn't the only place offering a week of discovery and fun during winter break. Our main campus adjacent to Seattle Center has two camps this winter. Students in grades 1-5 will learn how to design their own amusement park and explore the science behind trains, trucks, tractors and all of your favorite heavy machinery. Shift your student’s discovery into high gear during winter break camps! →Learn More

PacSci-Doku: Keeping Up

Our latest bi-weekly science word puzzle is all about reducing energy consumption. It centers on a new tactic being used by power companies to convince customers to cut back. Can you solve the "Keeping Up" edition of →PacSci-Doku?

AstroInfo: Getting Heat Right

The latest edition of Planetarium Specialist Alice Enevoldsen’s AstroInfo is really aimed at Pacific Science Center teachers, but we decided to make it available to all teachers and anyone who has an interest in things that fall from the sky. It’s a clarification of how we talk about meteors and how and why they burn up in our atmosphere. So, for anyone who enjoys looking at shooting stars, we recommend reading the latest →AstroInfo.

Tots Area Refurbished

One of the most popular exhibits at Pacific Science Center is the Tots Area inside Building 2. Our exhibit technicians and artists have been busy working on it for the past weeks. They've replaced many of the fixtures, updated plumbing and electrical, and made it better than ever. So, stop by this Saturday when the new and improved Tots Area opens. Entry is included with the price of general admission. FREE for Pacific Science Center members.

Headed For Astronaut Hall Of Fame

A local college administrator is being honored for his work, both on our planet and high above it. Western Washington University's George "Pinky" Nelson, director of the University's Science, Math and Technology Education program, will be inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on May 2. Along with all his university work and space endeavors, we're very proud and grateful that this scientist is also a member of Pacific Science Center's Board of Directors. Congratulations! →Learn More

Did Lucy Like Butterflies?

The world's most famous fossil, →Lucy is now visiting Pacific Science Center and that got our Life Sciences crew wondering: did early homonids like Lucy enjoy watching butterflies in flight as we modern humans do? So, that is the focus of February's Butterfly of the Month. →Check it out!