Out and About the Midwest: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

It's a Small World: "Amazing Nano Worlds!" Exhibit Comes to the St. Louis Science Center June 1

St. Louis Science Center Press Release:

SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER PREMIERS AMAZING NANO WORLDS!

St. LOUIS – Beginning June 1, the Saint Louis Science Center will present Amazing Nano Worlds!, a new exhibition that delves into the science of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, to small to be visible by the naked human eye. Visitors to the exhibit can explore the world of nanotechnology by becoming part of it, by being immersed in molecules enlarged 100 million times their actual size. Children can also plunge into the “Giant Blood Drop.”

Nanoscale objects are very small, and often behave differently than larger things do. Some nanoscale objects are better at conducting electricity or heat, some are stronger, some have different magnetic properties, and some change color as their size changes. At the nanoscale, aluminum is explosive, silver kills germs, and water is sticky.

First Fridays at the Saint Louis Science Center will continue on June 1, with the Festival of Nano Products. From 6-9pm, guests can check out the newest nano products, learn about their properties, and also work with tools used by nanoscientists at activity stations.

Here is a sneak preview:

For ticket information, please visit http://www.slsc.org/WhatToDo/AmazingNanoWorlds.aspx.

Must See: "Rocky Mountain Express" Rolls Into the St. Louis Science Center's OMNIMAX Theater June 1

Starting June 1, "Rocky Mountain Express" rolls in to the St. Louis Science Center's OMNIMAX Theater. You will want to be waiting at the station, as this is one of the most spectacular IMAX movies to date. Using hi-fidelity filming with breathtaking aerial views, producer Stephen Low brings you into the story of the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway through the torturous Rocky Mountain passes as you ride aboard a restored 1930 steam locomotive. Low uses modern technology to allow the audience to experience the journey aboard the "Empress" (CPR 2816) as well as the hardships of the construction workers as they carved their way through the unforgiving Canadian Rocky Mountains. It is not an overstatement that the viewer will feel the exhilaration of riding aboard the steam locomotive, feel the suffering and exhaustion of the work gangs, and feel the triumph of Railway Superintendent William Cornelius Van Horne upon its completion. One does not have to be a train aficionado to thoroughly enjoy the IMAX film, "Rocky Mountain Express."

For times and admission information, please visit http://www.slsc.org/WhatToDo/OMNIMAXTheater/RockyMountainExpress.aspx.