Back by popular demand, Celebra la Ciencia, a nationwide project organized by the Self Reliance Foundation and funded by the National Science Foundation, brings an afternoon of fun, physics, natural wonders and experimentation to budding astronomers, physicists, naturalists and engineers of the Albuquerque community. On Saturday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., join Celebra la Ciencia at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (NMMNHS), 1801 Mountain Rd. NW. The museum will be open all day with no admission fee required.
"UNM has been a major contributor to the efforts of the Celebra la Ciencia coalition, which hosts family festivals with a focus on science. The coalition that plans these family days in Albuquerque includes all the major local science institutions. This coalition has served as a national model for other Celebra la Ciencia locations, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington D.C.," said Maddie Correa Zeigler, from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science who serves as the Celebra La Ciencia project coordinator.
UNM participants in the festival of family-friendly bilingual science activities and experiments held between noon and 4 p.m. include the Chemistry Department, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Diversity Programs in the School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Health Sciences Center's Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Maxwell Museum, Recruitment Services and the Family Development Program's Weimagination Center.
In addition to engaging children in a variety of hands-on, informal science activities, Celebra la Ciencia's coalition of museums and educational institutions will also be distributing giveaways throughout the event and families can enjoy free planetarium shows at 10 a.m., noon, 2 and 4 p.m. In addition, there will be free admission to the DynaTheater for “A Rainforest Adventure, Bugs!” showing at 10 a.m., noon, and 1, 2, 3 and 5 p.m. and “Ocean Oasis” showing at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Celebra la Ciencia's will fund the day's events to generate greater interest in the sciences.
The LodeStar Astronomy Center, a community outreach project of UNM located inside the NMMNHS, will also present free double-feature planetarium shows in Spanish at 10 a.m., 12 noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. The double feature will be "Infinity Express", produced for the Smithsonian Institution, and "The Search for Life: Are We Alone?", produced by the Hayden Planetarium.
The Center will also debut its new Spanish-language guide to its astronomy exhibits, which has been developed by UNM LodeStar student employee, Emmanuel Flores. Beginning on May 22, the guide will be available to all Spanish-speaking visitors who come to LodeStar.
“All organizations involved in the Celebra la Ciencia initiative are committed to reaching out to children and families from our many communities to provide them a glimpse of how much fun science can be and inform them of ongoing opportunities for science-learning experiences,” said Zeigler.
In addition to activities provided by the University of New Mexico the Albuquerque event will include activities from the NM Museum of Natural History & Science, Lodestar Astronomy Center, Explora Science Center and Children's Museum, National Atomic Museum, Albuquerque BioPark, Rio Grande Nature Center, Balloon Explorium, and the University of New Mexico.
For additional information on Celebra la Ciencia and activities for children, visit the program website at www.celebralaciencia.org and www.Nmnaturalhistory.org
Contacts: Lawrence Roybal, (505) 277-1804; Eleanor Sanchez, (505) 277-1813
Posted by scarr at May 18, 2004 08:22 AM