To get some suggestions about the best exhibits for each age/grade click here.

Orlando Science Center's exhibit halls feature a vast array of exciting interactive experiences! Learning has never been so fun with these hands on educational exhibits. From down to earth explorations in natural science to the high-tech world of simulation technology, everywhere you look, you'll find educational and entertaining opportunities to explore, experiment, and discover.

Traveling Exhibits

The Orlando Science Center is home to some of the most exciting traveling exhibits in the country. Upcoming traveling exhibits at the Science Center include Blue Man Group – Making Waves and Adventures With Clifford: The Big Red Dog. When these exhibits are in town they are only here for a limited time; so don’t miss the opportunity to see them!

Exhibit Halls

As great as our traveling exhibits are, there are some exhibits that are the staple of the Orlando Science Center. NatureWorks will have you up close and personal with some of nature’s most fascinating reptiles. At DinoDigs, you’ll step back into the prehistoric age. Discover the dynamic forces and systems that shape our Earth, as well as other planets in Our Planet, Our Universe. Explore such concepts as electricity and magnetism, lasers, soundwaves, and nature’s forces in Science Park. No visit to the Science Center is complete without a trip to KidsTown, an interactive world dedicated to our smaller explorers.

Science Live! Programs

What’s the difference between a great visit to a Science Center and a memorable visit? Live programs. Our exhibits are designed to inspire curiosity and exploration, our Science Live! programs are designed to bring the exhibits to life. Whether it’s a show in the Digital Adventure Theater or a one-to-one interaction with a volunteer at the Crosby Observatory, our live programs create the kind of impact that can last a lifetime.

Science Stations

Looking for little more “hard science” in your next Science Center visit? Look no further than the Science Stations located throughout the facility. Science Stations are a cross between exhibits and live programs in that they’re exhibits that typically include a live program to truly bring the experience to life. Science Stations provide an in-depth look at their respective subject matter in an entertaining way. Be sure to check your program schedule to see which Science Stations are conducting demonstrations on the day of your next visit.

Crosby Observatory

The aluminum-domed Crosby Observatory atop Orlando Science Center houses Florida's largest publicly accessible refractor telescope. This one-of-a-kind custom-built telescope, along with several smaller scopes, are available at selected times for solar and night sky viewing.

FIRST Robotics Competition

18 January 2011
Posted in Science Park

This past year over 300 High School teams competed in a competition involving obstacles, not by the use of physical actions, but by the use of robots. How would you like to be involved in a revolutionary science competition? The FIRST Robotics Championship takes a year of preparation concluding with a 3-day competition event. At the beginning of the year, each team receives all the necessary tools including strings, wires, gears and metal pieces to begin the production of their own robots. They then compete in a regional competition in anticipation to make it to the finals. During the finals, the teams break into groups where they vigorously compete in a game called “breakaway” which is similar to soccer with added obstacles, until one team is crowned the champion.

FIRST_1

This mission of the FIRST Robotics competition is getting students involved in science and technology. The highest honor is the Chairman’s Award, and the team named Miss Daisy, from Wissahickon won this past year. Although they were not in the final round, they have been competing for the past 11 years and always engage their entire community in the process.

FIRST_2

The FIRST Robotics competition is a great way for students to excel in science using a hands-on approach. Using only the materials received in a box, these students can create functional robots, something they can be very proud of. If you would like a chance to become a science inventor, this website provides all the information necessary to start your own team!

The Kepler Mission

13 January 2011
Posted in Our Planet, Our Universe

NASA’s Kepler Mission is a space observatory built to discover Earth like-planets. The Kepler Mission is to explore the structure and diversity of planetary systems beyond our Galaxy, the Milky Way.

On January 10^th, NASA confirmed the discovery of its first rocky planet, named Kepler-10b. Not only was it the first rocky planet, but also the smallest planet ever found outside of our solar system. Data collected on the “exoplanet” was collected from May 2009 through January 2010. This discovery has provided evidence of a rocky planet orbiting a star, besides our sun. Although this planet is not in a habitable zone, it is still an exciting discovery for NASA’s Kepler Mission, which results in a promising outcome for more discoveries to come. In the quest to find a planet similar to Earth that enables life form, NASA is on the right path.

To find out more information about the Kepler Mission or their new discovery, click here.

Kepler

Spectroscopy Demonstration

Written by Jim White | 12 January 2011
Posted in Scanning Electron Microscope

Hello from “SEM Jim”. I will be giving demonstrations using the Scanning Electron Microscope on Monday, January 17. This time we will be looking at the capability of the SEM to determine the elemental composition of samples (what things are made of). The SEM uses a technique called energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy to do this.

Come see me on January 17 for a cool demonstration. Check your program guide for demonstration times or come by the SEM lab on Level 4 at the back of DinoDigs anytime between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Hope to see you there!

New Animals Coming to NatureWorks

Written by Tim Walsh | 11 January 2011
Posted in NatureWorks

NatureWorks staff and the exhibits department are in the process of renovating a portion of the former Trading Center. The new theme for the room will be - Adaptation Station. Animals housed in this exhibit will be chosen for their interesting adaptations such as camouflage, defense mechanisms, types of reproduction, and ways for finding and consuming food. The first phase of this renovation will be constructed soon and the following species are planned for exhibit.

Tentacled snake, Erpeton tentaculatum

This snake is found in Thailand, Cambodia and South Vietnam. It inhabits ponds and sluggish bodies of water with heavy vegetation and cover. They are fully aquatic and are so camouflaged they look like a submerged stick. They are unique among snakes in they have two scaly, projections on the tip of their nose. These are thought to be sensory in nature and allow them to sense the position of their fish prey in murky water. Their entire feeding mechanism is fascinating and more information will be coming soon.

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