Earth Science
Earth Science students dig into the composition and history of our planet.
To help students better understand Earth’s rich history, our recommended
adventure examines resources, weather and climate.
F E AT U R E D A D V E N T U R E
A D D TO YO U R VI S IT
LIVE SCIENCE PROGRAM
LIVE SCIENCE PROGRAMS
Science on a Sphere Demonstration:
Earth Science
Choose any of these engaging programs to add to your
®
visit! Hands-on labs are approximately 45 minutes in length
Discover how plate tectonics have shaped the world in which we
live. View volcanic locations and see earthquakes happening in
near real-time! What is a tsunami? Track natural disasters from
the past before taking a closer look at more recent occurrences
that have affected the world.
and stunning demonstrations are approximately 30 minutes
in length.
Renewable Resources Challenge Lab
What are renewable and nonrenewable resources?
Investigate the advantages and disadvantages of each as
you design and construct your own ecofriendly creation.
DOME FEATURE
Forces of Nature
Learn how natural disasters occur and what scientists and
engineers are doing to predict and prepare for events and to
minimize damage in the future. Combining striking archive
footage with computer-created reenactments, the movie
examines the elemental power of earthquakes, tornadoes and
volcanoes. Follow a group of storm chasers led by Dr. Joshua
Wurman and explore the monumental damage caused by the
forces of nature.
Science on a Sphere® Demonstration:
Weather vs. Climate
What is the Earth’s ultimate energy source? What is the
difference between weather and climate? Follow the
distribution of heat around the planet, learn why storms
spin in one direction and see recent hurricanes, typhoons
and cyclones.
EXHIBITION
SOLS: ES–2 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13
Speed
Unearth the speed of Virginia’s geological change by examining
pre-historic fossils, explore a variety of surprising machine
speeds, use the speed of light to instantly measure distances
with amazing accuracy and uncover man’s journey to the Moon
and beyond in this engaging gallery experience!
Make your reservation today!
19
804.864.1400 www.smv.org
Biology
Biology students conduct experiments to examine life forms.
To help students better understand life processes and cellular organization,
our recommended adventure features anatomy and epidemiology.
F E AT U R E D A D V E N T U R E
A D D TO YO U R VI S IT
LIVE SCIENCE PROGRAM
LIVE SCIENCE PROGRAM
Cow Eye Dissection
Add this incredible 30-minute demonstration to your visit!
Let anatomy amaze you! Observe as an educator dissects a cow
eye while explaining its different parts and functions. Can cows
see color? Do our eyes change over time? Learn about the eye
brain system by comparing the difference between human eyes
and cow eyes.
Food Makes Cents! Demonstration
Visit our state-of-the-art Boost! Kitchen to delve into the
science behind the everyday foods that we love to eat.
Learn how to prepare a healthy meal in this tasty
demonstration sponsored by Suntrust.
DOME FEATURE
Pandas: The Journey Home
Meet the pandas at China’s Wolong Panda Center and
learn more about the team dedicated to securing the future
population of pandas. Uncover the extraordinary efforts to save
these gentle giants, observe a group of wild pandas in their
mountain habitat and follow Tao Tao’s release into the wild.
EXHIBITION
Speed
©SEAN DEWITT PHOTOGRAPHY
Are you vaccinated? Explore the speed with which a contagion
can spread and the factors that affect the speed of contagion!
Count the rings of a tree to find out its age, calculate the speed
and rate of growth for trees, witness the speed of plant and
animal growth in real-time and get a feel for how environmental
factors increase the speed of erosion.
SOLS: BIO–1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Make your reservation today!
21
804.864.1400 www.smv.org
Chemistry
Chemistry students explore the fascinating world of molecular science.
To help students better understand chemical change, our recommended
adventure explores exothermic and endothermic reactions.
F E AT U R E D A D V E N T U R E
A D D TO YO U R VI S IT
LIVE SCIENCE PROGRAM
LIVE SCIENCE PROGRAM
Radical Reactions Demonstration
Add this incredible 30-minute demonstration to your visit!
Chemistry is at its coolest when put to action! Witness four
different types of chemical reactions. See colorful flames, a foam
fountain and a rainbow in a tube! Learn the difference between
exothermic and endothermic reactions and watch as a colorless
liquid solution changes blue once shaken.
DOME FEATURE
Live Universe Exploration
Food Makes Cents! Demonstration
Visit our state-of-the-art Boost! Kitchen to delve into the
science behind the everyday foods that we love to eat.
Learn how to prepare a healthy meal in this tasty
demonstration sponsored by Suntrust.
CUSTOMIZE THIS ALL-LIVE
ASTRONOMY SHOW!
Embark on a spectacular tour of space as you take a custom
all-live adventure through the universe! Interested in learning
about the latest space discoveries, planets, moons, asteroids or
comets? Pick your cosmic destinations and let our astronomer
be your guide in a personalized out-of-this-world experience.
Live Universe Exploration is an all-live presentation led by an
astronomer that allows you explore the stars like never before!
EXHIBITION
Speed
©SEAN DEWITT PHOTOGRAPHY
©SEAN DEWITT PHOTOGRAPHY
Take a glimpse into the hidden world around you – see the
tracks left by fast-moving, invisible particles, compare relative
speeds of change over long periods of time, check out our
Eons in Inches timeline to uncover significant milestones in
Earth’s history and get an amazing perspective on time and
human history.
SOLS: CH–1 3 4
Make your reservation today!
23
804.864.1400 www.smv.org
Physics
Physics students take an in-depth look at the characteristics of energy and its
dynamic interaction with matter. To help students understand physical science principles,
our recommended programs investigate energy transformation and force and motion.
F E AT U R E D A D V E N T U R E
A D D TO YO U R VI S IT
LIVE SCIENCE PROGRAM
LIVE SCIENCE PROGRAMS
Robots Galore!
Choose any of these engaging programs to add to your visit!
Collaborate to create robots using Hummingbird Robotics boards.
This interdisciplinary project will have students learning about
sensors and electronics as they build and design their own robot.
Hands-on labs are approximately 45 minutes in length.
Mass and Motion Lab
Work in groups to build a bobsled! Time how long it takes to
travel down the track. What variables can you change to make
it go faster or slower?
DOME FEATURE FEATURING A LIVE PRESENTATION
Dark Universe
WITH AN ASTRONOMER
Unearth enigmatic cosmic phenomena and spectacular scenes
in deep space as you travel the universe with astrophysicist Neil
deGrasse Tyson as your guide. Go into deep space to find out
how discoveries have led us to two great cosmic mysteries: dark
matter and dark energy. See the web of dark matter that holds
galaxies together and watch the universe’s beginnings unfold.
Video Controllers for Humanity!
Learn about circuitry and the design process through the
creation of video game controllers. Using Makey Makeys,
students will create their own controllers based on socially
impactful and challenging parameters. No controller is
complete until it’s been tested, so buckle down to evaluate
your creation – all in the name of science!
EXHIBITION
Speed
Egg Drop Challenge Lab
Watch falling water’s hidden pattern revealed using modern
camera technology, use your referee and umpire skills to make
split second decisions, put on your running shoes and test your
sprinting skills against a friend, an Olympic athlete or an animal!
Design a structure that can protect an egg from a two-story
drop while exploring kinetic and potential energy as well as
energy transfer.
©SEAN DEWITT PHOTOGRAPHY
SOLS: PH–1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Make your reservation today!
25
804.864.1400 www.smv.org