FORT WORTH MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY FW Museum of Science and History - New Cutting-Edge Exhibit with $255,000 Facebook Grant Brand-new exhibit will be open Spring 2021. ANNOUNCING A TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF OUR PUBLIC HOURS For the safety of your family, our staff, and in response to local health officials' continued caution around indoor activities this winter, we are temporarily suspending our open hours, which previously were weekends-only. During this time, the Museum will be moving forward developing 'hybrid programming': In-person learning opportunities Special events Innovative digital experiences Please visit the Museum website at www.fwmuseum.org for the most up-to-date information about our 2021 programming. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History will open an exciting high-tech exhibit in Spring 2021 linking science with current events like the upcoming Mars rover landing, tracking hurricanes, or marking Covid-19 cases worldwide. The Current Science Studio will include an array of low-touch interactives and cutting-edge media, including a dozen holograms and a giant orb floating from the ceiling that can display content from NASA and NOAA. Facebook sponsored the new 2,500-square-foot studio with a generous $255,000 grant. "It's important we partner with organizations with a forward-thinking view on the use of technology," said Doug Roberts, Ph.D., an astrophysicist and Chief Public Engagement Officer at the Museum. "This makes science relevant and accessible whether you are looking at big data or a physical object. And it aligns with what Facebook is doing to connect people around the world." Facebook's investment in these innovations will impact thousands of children who come to the Museum annually for field trips, as well as the hundreds of thousands of Museum visitors. "Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is an incredible community resource. Facebook is proud to continue our strong partnership with the Museum and support this new, marquee technology, which will directly impact STEM education in Tarrant County," said Holli Davies, Facebook Community Development Regional Manager. "Facebook has been part of the Fort Worth community since opening our data center in 2017, and we're committed to playing a positive role in Tarrant County and supporting its students. We can't wait to see the exhibit come to life in 2021." Anchoring the new exhibit space will be Science On a Sphere®(SOS), a giant global display system suspended from the ceiling developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The large, interactive sphere will be among the highest-resolution anywhere in the world. SOS uses computers and video projectors to display around 1,500 views of Earth, planetary systems, and other animations. Science On a Sphere® presents images of Earth's atmospheric storms, climate change, ocean temperatures, and outer space phenomena in a way that is both intuitive and captivating. "Our goal is to connect guests to relevant discoveries and news happening right now," said Morgan Rehnberg, Ph.D., a planetary scientist and Chief Scientist at the Museum. "We could conceptualize an exhibit on the science of vaccinations, for instance, and how the new Covid-19 vaccine compares to other vaccines throughout history. Or we could track a hurricane or wildfires on Earth or space events like the rover landing on Mars next year." Rehnberg said the exhibit will react quickly to news events and change with the flip of a switch. All studio elements, including a dozen holograms, will be connected to one theme for either self-exploration or a tour with a Museum guide. Museum staff has technical and creative experience producing interactive, immersive visual experiences for galleries, virtual reality, and 360 display systems. Another goal is to share the technology and stories created for the Current Science Studio with other museums, Rehnberg added. Universities and colleges in the area also are interested in the exhibit's potential for research and exploration. Roberts said the exhibit will also show history, acting like a time machine. The Museum will display some artifacts as holographic images, enabling visitors to superimpose holographic projection onto physical objects, enabling guests to make a deeper connection. "We're trying to create fun, new ways to engage our guests inside the Museum," Roberts said. "Post COVID, people are going to want to get away from Zoom calls and engage in social learning." The Current Science Studio continues the Museum's tradition of engaging guests in immersive learning and exploring how we all will learn in the future.   FW Museum of Science and History - CHANGEMAKERS: LOCAL WOMEN, GLOBAL IMPACT Brand-new exhibit will be open through January 31. From pioneering doctors, to groundbreaking astronomers, to record-setting pilots, Texas has been home to some extraordinary women. In Changemakers: Local Women, Global Impact, you'll learn about the women, past and present, who helped make Texas and the Southwest a hub for innovation and inspiration. This exhibit is brought to you in partnership with the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and Lyda Hill Philanthropies as a part of their IF/THEN Initiative. The goal of the IF/THEN Initiative is to empower current STEM innovators and inspire the next generation of pioneers. We believe that IF we can empower a woman in STEM, THEN she can change the world. Do you have a woman in your life you'd like to see featured in our exhibit? Let us know at submissions@fwmsh.org   FW Museum of Science and History - Energy Blast ANNOUNCING NEW HOURS AND REOPENED ENERGY BLAST Energy Blast lets you explore the ways we power-up Fort Worth today and what that might look like in the future. As you make your way through the new, touchless Energy Blast exhibit, you'll discover several different types of renewable and non-renewable sources of energy, learn about the pros and cons of each, and get the chance to see them in action in our innovative "Model City" experience. Please note that only the "Energy Library" and "Model City" portions of Energy Blast are currently open. The 4D ride remains closed. This exhibit is recommended for 3rd Grade and up. For a full list of all available exhibits and recommended age ranges, please visit our What's Open page. To reflect our partial reopening, Museum admission is temporarily priced at the reduced rate of $9 for guests. Purchasing tickets online is strongly encouraged, which enables touchless entry for guests and timed ticketing to meet Tarrant County occupancy guidelines. Want to enhance your Museum experience? Use our Web App for access to more information and extra features! NEW HOURS Alongside the reopening of most of the first floor, we are announcing new hours. Starting the week of October 5, the Museum's hours of operation will be: Monday - Friday: Closed Saturday: 11 AM - 4 PM, with a Members-only hour from 10 AM - 11 AM Sunday: Noon - 4 PM   About the Museum Our Mission Dedicated to lifelong learning and anchored by our rich collections, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History engages our diverse community through creative, vibrant programs and exhibits interpreting science and the stories of Texas and the Southwest. History of the Museum On May 21, 1941, a charter to establish a Fort Worth Children's Museum was filed with the State of Texas. The purposes of the new museum were listed as: "The maintenance of a place where geological, biological, and zoological collections may be housed; to increase and diffuse knowledge and appreciation of history, art, and science; to preserve objects of historic, artistic, and scientific interests; and to offer popular instruction and opportunities for aesthetic enjoyment." The museum's history actually began in 1939 when the local council of Administrative Women in Education began a study of children's museums, with the idea of starting one in Fort Worth. Two years later the charter was filed, but it would be almost four years before the museum would find a physical home. With the help of the city's school board, the museum opened in early 1945 in two rooms in De Zavala Elementary School. In 1947 the museum moved into the large R.E. Harding House at 1306 Summit, where it kept growing in size and popularity. Three years later two significant entities appeared: The Ladies Auxiliary of the Fort Worth Children's Museum (now the Museum Guild), and "The Frisky and Blossom Club," the forerunner of Museum School®. Soon it became apparent that a much larger facility was needed to serve the growing needs of the community. The ground was broken for a new facility in 1952. On January 25, 1954, the museum opened the building at 1501 Montgomery Street. The following year the Charlie Mary Noble Planetarium, the first public planetarium in the region, opened. In 1968 the name was changed to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History so that adults even without children could enjoy the Museum. It worked! Today more than half the Museum's visitors are adults. Much of that is due to the addition of the Omni Theater in 1983. The Omni was the first IMAX® dome theater in the Southwest and soon became one of the most successful in the world. During its first 40 years, the Museum was a quiet place where one could dream of the past or contemplate the future in relative solitude. Permanent exhibits included the History of Medicine, Your Body, IBM Calculators and Computers, Rocks and Fossils, Texas History, and Man and His Possessions. In collaboration with other museums and science centers, the Museum has offered large, world-class traveling exhibits that open visitors to new worlds of learning. In May 2006, the Museum unveiled plans for its new building: an innovative work of architecture that blends with neighboring institutions and features a sweeping plaza and campus-like environment at the south end of the Cultural District. Construction was completed in the fall of 2009 and the Museum now faces the Will Rogers Memorial Center to the east and opens onto a broad plaza that connects the museum more closely to its neighbors, both the Will Rogers Center and, in particular, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. The new facility, designed by famed architects Legoretta + Legoretta of Mexico City, is 166,000 sq. ft. of engaging gallery space. The Museum holds DinoLabs and DinoDig, Innovation Studios, the Children's Museum, Energy Blast, and the CattleRaiser's Museum. The Havener Gallery provides a space for changing exhibits and attendance has grown to over 500,000 guests annually since construction. Although its name, location, size, and scope have changed dramatically since 1941, the Museum still serves a similar purpose: to provide an extraordinary learning environment to the community.   Fort Worth Museum of Science and History WEBSITE