Register Now for Summer Fun Science Camp

Catawba Science Center, a nonprofit science and technology museum in Hickory, is taking registrations for its annual Summer Fun Science Camp, June 11 through August 24, offering 11 weeks of hands-on science learning for youth in grades pre-K through rising ninth grade.

Summer Fun science classes will be held Mondays through Fridays, from 10 a.m. until noon. atCatawbaScienceCenter. Extended day options are available for busy schedules.

 Pre-K through Sixth Grade

Participants can choose from 11 weeks of hands-on, fun-filled science classes designed for specific age groups in grades Pre-K to rising sixth-graders. Each week features a different class theme.

New classes include: Fish Tales and Diggin’ Dinosaurs (Pre-K & K), Rainforest Romp and A Buggy Lunch (first & second grade), Cretaceous Creatures and Body Language (third & fourth grade) Dino Discoveries and On the Brink (fifth & sixth grade).

Seventh through Ninth Grade

Summer Fun Science Camp also includes offerings for youth in grades seventh through ninth. Weeklong classes include: Chemistry Basics (June 11 – 15), Aqua Marine (July 16 – 20), Monkey Jr. Naturalist For a Week (July 23 – 27) and You Are What You Eat (August 6 – 10).

A full list of science classes, fees and registration forms are available for download at www.CatawbaScience.org on the Science Camps page. Registration is first-come, first-served by pre-payment.

For busy parents, CSC offers early arrival (7:30 to 10 a.m.) and Afternoon Adventures (noon to 5:30 p.m.) options for an additional cost.

Classes are filling up quickly. For more information, or to register, call (828) 322-8169 or visit www.CatawbaScience.org.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and North Carolina’s only marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Learn about modern day dinosaurs during ‘Dino Family Day’

Are birds just modern day dinosaurs? Is Archaeopteryx no longer the oldest bird? Learn the answers to these and other questions during a special program Saturday, June 9 at Catawba Science Center (CSC) with Dr. Andy Heckert, associate professor of paleontology at Appalachian State University. The program Birds or Modern Dinosaurs will start at 2 p.m. in the Arts & Science Center choral room, and is included in general admission.

Dr. Heckert’s program is being held in conjunction with the second of CSC’s Dino Family Days, with activities from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. that Saturday. Walk in the tracks of dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles, and see how your family measures up when compared to actual sizes and lengths of these prehistoric giants. Families will also have the opportunity to make model fossils, create dinosaur crayon rubbings and a “Sculptasaurus” using colorful modeling clay.

Dino Family Day activities are free for CSC members and included in general admission, which is $7 for adults, and $5 for youth (3 to 18), seniors, college students and active military with current ID. Admission is free for children younger than 3.

 Another Dino Family Day is scheduled for August 18, where families will have the opportunity to participate in additional hands-on activities and programs related to CSC’s Dinosaurs exhibit.  

Dinosaurs features roaring, robotic dinosaurs and interactive opportunities for visitors to learn about the lives of dinosaurs and dig for fossils. The exhibit will be on display at CSC through Sept. 2. Dinosaurs is sponsored locally by George Foundation, Beaver Family Foundation, Catawba Valley Medical Center, Corning and Frye Regional Medical Center. WFAE 90.3 fm, WBTV-3, WNC Magazine and Kicks 103.3 fm are media sponsors.

For more information visit www.CatawbaScience.org or call (828) 322-8169.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder.

Discuss renewable fuel production during Science Café on May 14

Catawba Science Center (CSC) presents the Science Café  Farm to Fuel: A Decentralized Approach to Renewable Fuel Production at Crescent Moon Café on May 14. Enjoy dinner, drinks and discussion with biomass energy researcher Jeremy Ferrell. Learn about Catawba County’s EcoComplex biodiesel facility and operations to manufacture biodiesel from local resources in a closed-loop system. Ferrell will also discuss project goals for local economic development.

Ferrell researches biomass energy at ASU Energy Center and is Operations and Outreach Manager of the Biodiesel Research and Production Facility located at the Catawba County EcoComplex, the result of a partnership between Catawba County and Appalachian State University. Ferrell is also a Ph.D. candidate at North Carolina A&T State University, focusing on Distributed Biorefining Systems through Industrial Ecology Exchanges.

The Science Café is free, open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. Crescent Moon Café is located at 256 1^st Avenue NW in Hickory. Plan to come early, as seating is limited to 60. Patrons buy dinner and drinks.

Science Cafés are part of Science After Dark, a series of social, thought-provoking and curiosity-seeking programs for adults. Science After Dark is sponsored locally byFocus Newspaper, The Best of Beers, LLC and Crescent Moon Café.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Explore active fossil dig site in Tennessee

Join Catawba Science Center (CSC) Naturalist Bruce Beerbower for a behind-the-scenes tour of an active paleontological dig site and fossil museum in Gray, TN on June 16, from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Discoveries at the Gray Fossil Site include early mammals, such as tapirs, red pandas, short-nosed bears, shovel tusked elephants and a newly discovered badger, as well as the fossilized remains of alligators, snakes, turtles and lizards. The trip will also give participants the opportunity to observe paleontologists and their assistants at work excavating fossils.

The CSC van departs from the Arts & Science Center parking lot at 8 a.m. and will return at 6 p.m. Participants are asked to bring a lunch, drink and raincoat or poncho.

The trip costs $35 for CSC members and $50 for non-members. Cost includes van transportation and a special tour. Register by calling (828) 322-8169.

The day trip to the Gray fossil site will be followed by a weeklong excursion June 24 – 30, where participants will accompany Beerbower and chief paleontologist Dr. John Foster to explore the sites of the Great American West including Colorado National Monuments with canyons, buttes and mesas, Dead Horse Point and Arches National Park inUtah.

For program details, trip fees and registration information call Beerbower at (828) 322-8169 ext. 308, or e-mail naturalist@catawbascience.org.

These trips are special programs tied to the Dinosaurs exhibit, featuring roaring, robotic dinosaurs and interactive opportunities for visitors to learn about prehistoric life and dig for fossils. Dinosaurs will be on display at CSC through Sept. 2 and is sponsored locally by George Foundation, Beaver Family Foundation, CatawbaValley Medical Center, Corning and Frye Regional Medical Center. Media sponsors are WFAE 90.3 fm, WBTV-3, WNC Magazine and Kicks 103.3.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

 

CSC invites you to enjoy a night of suds & science

Catawba Science Center (CSC) invites you to the Science After Dark event Intro to Beer on Thursday, April 5 at 7 p.m.

Beer enthusiast, home brewer and owner of Hops & Grapes, Bobby Bush will give participants a tutored beer tasting. Participants will learn about the different styles of beer from lagers and pilsners to ales, while sampling craft brews and enjoying light hors d’oeuvres.

This Science After Dark event is sponsored by FOCUS newspaper and The Best of Beers, LLC in Hickory. The event is for adults 21 years and older.

Tickets are $10 for CSC members and $15 for nonmembers. Space is limited. Purchase tickets now by calling (828) 322-8169.

Dinosaurs: a crash-course for grown-ups

Catawba Science Center (CSC) presents the science café “Dinosaurs: A crash-course for grown-ups” Monday, March 19 at Crescent Moon Café in Hickory.

Join a conversation with Dr. Andy Heckert, associate professor of geology at Appalachian State University, while enjoying dinner and drinks. Impress your kids, neighbors, family and friends. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about dinosaurs and the field of paleontology.

Heckert is a vertebrate paleontologist, who has excavated and published on Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaurs from the American southwest. He will also discuss his research on Triassic fossils originating here in North Carolina, and have some fossils on hand for patrons to get an up-close look.

The Science Café is free, open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. Crescent Moon Café is located at 256 1^st Avenue NW in Hickory. Plan to come early, as seating is limited to 60.

Science Cafés are part of Science After Dark, a series of social, thought-provoking and curiosity-seeking programs for adults. Science After Dark is sponsored locally by Focus Newspaper, The Best of Beers, LLC and Crescent Moon Café.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Special unveiling during Dino Family Day March 17

Be among the first to see a clutch of real fossilized dinosaur eggs during a special unveiling at Catawba Science Center (CSC) on March 17. The unveiling is being held in conjunction with the first of several Dino Family Days, with activities at CSC from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. that Saturday.

Walk in the tracks of dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles, and see how your family measures up when compared to actual sizes and lengths of these prehistoric giants. Families will also have the opportunity to make model fossils, create dinosaur crayon rubbings and color dinosaur drawings.

CSC Naturalist Bruce Beerbower will present a Dino Dig slideshow at 2 p.m. in the Arts & Science Choral Room. The slideshow will detail CSC’s upcoming Dinosaur Dig trip to Western Colorado and Utah from June 24 – 30.

Dino Family Day activities are free for CSC members and included in general admission, which is $7 for adults, and $5 for youth (3 to 18), seniors, college students and active military with current ID. Admission is free for children younger than 3.

 Other Dino Family Days are scheduled for June 9 and August 18, where families will have the opportunity to participate in additional hands-on activities and programs related to the Dinosaurs exhibit.  

Dinosaurs features roaring, robotic dinosaurs and interactive opportunities for visitors to learn about the lives of dinosaurs and dig for fossils. The exhibit will be on display at CSC through Sept. 2.

Dinosaurs is sponsored locally by George Foundation, Beaver Family Foundation, Catawba Valley Medical Center, Corning and Frye Regional Medical Center. WFAE 90.3 fm, WBTV-3, WNC Magazine and Kicks 103.3 fm are media sponsors.

For more information visit www.CatawbaScience.org or call (828) 322-8169.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Dig for Dinos in the Great American West

Join Catawba Science Center (CSC) Naturalist Bruce Beerbower and chief paleontologist Dr. John Foster at the  Museum of  Western Colorado for a Dinosaur Dig June 24 – 30.

Be a paleontologist and explore the sites of the Great American West including, Colorado National  Monuments with canyons, buttes and mesas, and Dead Horse Point National Park in Utah.

Begin your journey through time in Colorado digging for early horses and other mammals, then continue on to Utah to study dinosaur tracks, gain hands-on experience at a dinosaur dig site and view Native American Rock Art. The week will conclude with a rafting trip on the Colorado  River and work in a paleontology lab to learn how technicians prepare dinosaur bones and fossils. Alternate field trips will be planned, in the event of inclement weather.

“This trip is an excellent opportunity to tour part of the west seeing natural sites, as well as learning about paleontology and the life of dinosaurs,” said Bruce Beerbower, CSC Naturalist. “Participants will gain a better understanding of how fossils are formed, as well as learn about the human history of the area. The Dinosaur Dig is a great bonding trip for grandparents to take with their grandchildren.”

Adults and youth (ages 12 and up with a guardian) are urged to attend this week-long dinosaur expedition. Register at the CSC’s office, located on the third floor by April 4. An equipment/clothing list and health form will be available for participants upon registration. Participants will gather for an orientation meeting in early June.

Cost details for the trip can be found at www.CatawbaScience.org. Cost includes naturalist guide service, airfare at current prices, ground transportation, six night motel lodging, three breakfasts, five field lunches, one dinner and park/museum admission fees. A deposit is due upon registering. The total balance is due May 4.

The Dinosaur Dig is sponsored by CSC in cooperation with the Museum of Western Colorado Dinosaur Journey. The trip is a special program tied to the Dinosaurs exhibit, featuring six half-sized robotic dinosaurs and interactive opportunities for visitors to learn about the lives of dinosaurs and dig for fossils. The exhibit will be on display at CSC through Sept. 2.

Visit www.CatawbaScience.org for program details, trip fees and registration information. Call or email Bruce Beerbower for additional details at (828) 322-8169 ext. 308 or email naturalist@catawbascience.org.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Dinosaurs invade Catawba Science Center Jan. 28

Dinosaurs – they’re monstrous, glamorous and have long been the subject of Hollywood blockbusters. New research emerges almost daily in the field of paleontology, causing the scientific community to rethink the way we’ve perceived these titanic creatures that once ruled the Earth.

Beginning Jan. 28, visitors to Catawba Science Center (CSC) in Hickory can slip back in time and walk among the Dinosaurs in a lush, prehistoric setting.    

Dinosaurs features six half-sized roaring, robotic dinosaurs including the king of dinosaurs – Tyrannosaurus rex – Triceratops, Pachycephalosaurus, Dimetrodon, Stegosaurus and a mother Apatosaurus protecting her newly hatched babies. Go beyond the bones and see how these prehistoric creatures may have looked and sounded when they roamed the Earth millions of years ago.

 The exhibit offers interactive opportunities to learn about the lives of dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles. Learn about late Permian, late Jurassic and late Cretaceous periods, as well as where these prehistoric creatures lived and what their diet included.

Visit the exhibit’s paleo-research camp, dig for fossils and participate in Weekly Dino Demos: Wednesday and Friday afternoons at 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m.

Dinosaurs will also feature a number of special events and activities for families throughout the exhibit, which will be on display at Catawba Science Center through Sept. 2.

 

Here’s a look at what’s coming up, starting Feb. 1:

Digging up the Past

Wednesdays, 4 p.m.

Saturdays/Sundays 2 p.m.

Learn about tools used by paleontologists to uncover fossils that shed light on prehistoric plants and animals. Use various tools to dig for fossils and identify them according to geologic time period.

 

Fossil Features

Fridays, 4 p.m.

Saturdays/Sundays, 2 p.m.

What is a fossil? Learn what an object a fossil, different types of fossils and how they are formed. See authentic fossil finds, as well as reproductions and casts. Participants will make their own fossils molds using shell or bone and modeling clay.

 

Fossil Fair Trip

February 4

9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Join CSC Naturalist Bruce Beerbower for a field trip to the Fossil Fair at the Schiele Museum of Natural History. See fossils, minerals and gemstones on display from area clubs, paleontologists and private collectors. Participate in hands-on activities, see a T. rex skeleton and more. CSC provides transportation. Cost: $15 members, $25 nonmembers. Call (828) 322-8169 to register.

 

Dino Family Day

March 17

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Activities included with general admission include dino rubbings, fossil-making and a Dino Dig slide show presented by CSC Naturalist Bruce Beerbower at 2 p.m. Learn about his adventures digging for dinosaurs, as well as an upcoming trip to Utah and Colorado, June 24 – 30.

 

Learn more about Dinosaurs, as well as exhibit-related programs, events and trips at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Dinosaurs is sponsored by George Foundation, Beaver Family Foundation,Catawba Valley Medical Center,Corning and Frye Regional Medical Center. Media sponsors are WFAE 90.3 fm, WBTV-3, WNC Magazine and Foothills Radio Group are media sponsors.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory. 

Families can explore night sky with Big Bird, Elmo

Explore the night sky with your favorite friends from Sesame Street in One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure, premiering Jan. 6 in Catawba Science Center’s Millholland Planetarium.

Based on the popular children’s show Sesame Street, One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure features Big Bird, Elmo and their friend from China, Hu Hu Zhu, and is aimed at children ages 4 to 6.

Together, Big Bird, Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu locate the Big Dipper, the North Star and the Moon in the night sky. Using their imagination, they travel to the moon where they learn it has a very different environment than Earth. The friends also learn that while they live in different countries, they share the same sky.

One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure was created as part of a global partnership between the Adler Planetarium, Sesame Workshop, Beijing Planetarium and Liberty Science Center.

“People of all ages are fascinated by the night sky,” said Adler Planetarium President Paul H. Knappenberger Jr., PhD. “This experience will encourage children and their families to explore, ask questions and continue valuable learning at home.”

One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure is sponsored locally by the United Arts Council of Catawba County through the North Carolina Arts Council, with funding from the state of North Carolina and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, and Paramount Automotive.

Visit www.CatawbaScience.org for show times and ticket information, or call (828) 322-8169.

Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum in the Western Piedmont with traveling exhibits, a digital planetarium theater and a marine touch pool with live sharks and stingrays. A community asset and regional destination, Catawba Science Center is dedicated to changing lives and inspiring learning through science and wonder. Learn more at www.CatawbaScience.org.

CSC is funded in part by the United Arts Fund of Catawba County and is located in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley, on the SALT Block, 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory.