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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
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