Listen to the Universe

Explore the science of “listening” to supernovas, colliding black holes and other awe-inspiring explosions during Ripples in Space-Time: Beyond Einstein, beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2 at Catawba Science Center (CSC) in Hickory.

Part of CSC’s Science After Dark series of programs for adults, this special evening offers a chance to get a sneak peak at a new interactive exhibit – Astronomy’s New Messengers: Listening to the Universe with Gravitational Waves – and learn about LIGO and the culmination of research among astronomers and physicists worldwide.

Short for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, LIGO is a revolutionary new kind of telescope designed and built to observe, for the first time, ripples in the fabric of space-time believed to be caused by massive cosmic events. Guest speaker is Dr. Marco Cavaglia, LIGO researcher and associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Mississippi.

Cost is $8 for CSC members and $10 for nonmembers. Includes one drink token (ages 21+) and light hors d’oeuvres. Beer and wine are available with donation. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Come early to explore exhibits in the planetarium building and socialize.

Tickets must be purchased in advance. Call (828) 322-8169 to register today.

Science After Dark is sponsored by The Best of Beers, LLC and Focus Newspaper. Learn more about LIGO and its research endeavors at http://www.LIGO.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. 

Spooktacular Evening Awaits

Catawba Science Center (CSC) invites children ages five to 10 and their families to participate in a spooktacular evening of hands-on science classes, scary snacks and a Halloween costume contest, complete with prizes, from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22.

CSC Science Spooktacular classes include:

• Attack of the Bloodsuckers — Enjoy your very own “Blood Buffet” and popcorn snack. Play a round of Bloodsucker Bingo.

• Mad Scientist — See creepy science demonstrations from a mad scientist. Learn about matter and make your own slime to take home.

• Monsters in the Sky — Hear stories about monsters in the night sky and get a sneak peak of the Fright Light laser show in CSC’s Millholland Planetarium theater.

Cost to participate in CSC’s Science Spooktacular is just $15 per family group for CSC members and $30 per family group for nonmembers. Check-in is at 6:15 p.m., followed by a brief orientation. Program starts at 7 p.m. and concludes at 10 p.m. with a Halloween costume contest with prizes for the most creative, cutest and scariest costumes.

Space is limited and registrations are first come, first served based upon when payment is received. Call (828) 322-8169 to reserve your space and register today.

Learn more about CSC’s new exhibit – Attack of the Bloodsuckers!, Fright Light laser show and other programs in October at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Explore mythic legends of Orion

Catawba Science Center in Hickory features a new animated planetarium show for families starting Friday, Oct. 1.

Legends of the Night Sky: Orion offers audiences an imaginative look at the stories of Orion, great hunter of the winter sky.

Ideal for family audiences and younger viewers, Orion pairs well with Catawba Sky, a live astronomy talk featuring constellations in the night sky over the Catawba Valley, also showing in Millholland Planetarium.

Orion premieres at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Additional show times are 11:30 a.m.  and 2 p.m. Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are just $2 for CSC members and $3 for nonmembers.

Additional planetarium shows and schedule are at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Stinky feet make you more attractive

 

Stinky feet can make you more attractive — to a hungry mosquito, that is. Explore the science of what’s eating you when Attack of the Bloodsuckers! invades Catawba Science Center (CSC) in Hickory, Sept. 18, 2010 — Jan 2, 2011.

Discover the biological wonders of sanguinivores — creatures that eat blood — through encounters with live species and interactive exhibits.

Humans need food to survive, and animals that eat blood are no different. In fact, most of them manage to leave their prey alive — which is more than most people can say. With about 20 grams of protein in every drop, human blood is high-energy fuel for the animals who’ve adapted to eating it — and they have adapted in some pretty amazing ways.

Beyond the Western Piedmont, there are a myriad of other sanguinivorous species — from the Amazon Basin to the mountains of Czechoslovakia — each one adapted to feeding in its own unique way. The Espanola mockingbird, endemic to the Galapagos Islands, feeds on other birds, iguanas, sea lions and the occasional researcher. Brazil boasts the teeny-tiny, but very persistent, vampire fish. Even certain butterflies have a taste for blood.

This unusual exhibit features live animals, including some of the most common bloodsuckers — mosquitoes and leeches — as well as other creepy critters, such as vampire tetras, vampire crabs and sabertooth tetras, on display in Expedition Amazon, located in the freshwater aquarium gallery.

The incredible biodiversity of bloodsuckers is sure to amaze and impress. While CSC can’t guarantee visitors will want to make friends with these critters, you’re sure to respect them after experiencing Attack of the Bloodsuckers!

Admission is $4 for youth (3 to 18), seniors (62+), college students and active military with ID, $6 for adults and free for children younger than 3. Admission is free for CSC members. More information at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Attack of the Bloodsuckers! is sponsored locally by Northwest Area Health Education Center (AHEC) of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and part of the NC AHEC Program, von Drehle Corporation, Catawba Valley Medical Center, Frye Regional Medical Center, John & Eileen Leach, Pepsi, Sarstedt and Greer Labs.

Monarch Watch

See monarch butterflies as they wing their way to Mexico for winter along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

CSC Naturalist Bruce Beerbower will lead this amazing mountain day trip. Bring binoculars, picnic lunch, drink and a lawn chair or blanket to relax on a beautiful hillside, overlooking the Blue Ridge Parkway and mountain scenery.

Help band Monarch butterflies to track along their migration route. Keep an eye out for a variety of… hawks, also migrating along the Blue Ridge.

Cost: $10 CSC members, $20 nonmembers
Includes transportation from CSC via van to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Or, drive your own vehicle and join the group for just $5 to partipate (members) and $10 (nonmembers).

Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Call (828) 322-8169 to register today.

More about CSC programs and exhibits at www.CatawbaScience.org.

 

Moms & Preschoolers Explore Butterfly Beauties

Catawba Science Center (CSC), a nonprofit science and technology museum in Hickory, presents the preschool science program – Mommy & Me: Butterfly Beauties on Saturday, August 7, from 9 to 11 a.m.

Moms and preschoolers ages 3 to 5 can explore the beauty of butterflies together during a special visit in CSC’s Flutter-By Butterfly Habitat, featuring hundreds of live butterflies and moths in an outdoor flower garden.

Feed butterflies and learn about metamorphosis. Activities include a colorful butterfly craft to make and take home.

Cost is $10 per child for CSC members and $20 per child for nonmembers. Accompanying adults are free. Cost includes admission to CSC exhibits following the morning’s program.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Call (828) 322-8169 to reserve your space today. Learn more about Flutter-By related programs and new butterfly birthday party theme at 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 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 http://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. 

Bugs & Mini-Beasts

Discover the many species of insects and often unseen creatures that live in the woodlands- on trees, in the soil and even in the lake. Join CSC Naturalist Bruce Beerbower on this field trip and learn proper methods for capture and study, while understanding an insect’s environmental role.

July 21
3 to 5 p.m.
Bud Geitner – Rotary Park, Hickory

Cost: $5 members, $8 nonmembers
Space is limited and pre-registration is required
Call (828) 322-8169 to register today

More about CSC program offerings at www.CatawbaScience.org

Laser Floyd Rocks

A new season of Science After Dark programs for adults kicks off with a Laser Floyd double feature night Friday, July 23 at Catawba Science Center (CSC) in Hickory.

A must for Pink Floyd fans, Laser Floyd offers mesmerizing laser lights on the dome and two iconic rock albums in surround sound – Dark Side of the Moon (shows at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.) and The Wall (shows at 8 and 11 p.m.)

Tickets per laser show are $5 for CSC members and $8 for nonmembers, and must be purchased in advance.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Come early to socialize, explore Expedition Amazon and the interactive exhibit Stopping Time. Beer and wine will be available with donation.

Call (828) 32208169 to purchase seats today.

Science After Dark, a series of social and educational programs for adults, is sponsored by The Best of Beers, LLC, Focus Newspaper and 95.7 The Ride.

Upcoming program topics include cultivating backyard butterfly gardens and wildlife habitats, tutored beer tastings, alternative medicine, science of dreams and more. Learn more  about exhibits, programs and offerings at www.CatawbaScience.org.

Cool off with ICE WORLDS

Opening Friday, June 18 in Millholland Planetarium, Ice Worlds takes audiences on a tour over and above icy landscapes throughout the solar system. Explore the critical relationship between ice and life—a tale of friend and foe, enabling, challenging, supporting and adapting—that has developed over millions of years.

The Earth is a dynamic planet with a global climate that is always changing. One of the most dramatic changes occurs each year as ice turns to water and returns to ice again. The amount of ice trapped over land in the polar regions also determines sea level and the amount of solar energy absorbed by the planet as bright reflective ice transforms into dark absorbing oceans.

This stunning digital feature showcases worlds sculpted and transformed by ice throughout the solar system, including our ice planet, Earth.

Ice Worlds tickets are just $2 for CSC members and $3 for nonmembers. Visit www.CatawbaScience.org for show times.

Join the Club

The moth club, that is …

Bruce BeerBower, naturalist at Catawba Science Center in Hickory, will lead an evening field trip to Riverbend Park from 7:30 until 10 p.m. Tuesday, June 22.

See a rare sampling of moths and learn about native species as Catawba County park rangers use special attractants to lure nocturnal residents and other seldom seen park residents during Riverbend’s Moth Club meeting.

Last season, more than 70 different species of moths were discovered. What will this outing reveal?

Cost is $3 for CSC members and $6 for nonmembers, and covers transportation to Riverbend Park.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Call (828) 322-8169 to reserve space today.

For more information on CSC exhibits, summer programs and planetarium shows, visit www.CatawbaScience.org or call (828) 322-8169.