The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) is located in
Raleigh, North Carolina. This
museum is the oldest established museum in
North Carolina and the largest museum of its kind in the
Southeast. It has about 1.2 million visitors annually.[1][2] As of 2013, it was the state's most popular museum or historic destination among visitors.[3]
The museum's campus consists of four facets: the Nature Exploration Center (NEC; formerly the "Main Building") and the Nature Research Center on Jones Street in Downtown Raleigh, the Prairie Ridge Ecostation satellite facility and outdoor classroom in northwest Raleigh near
William B. Umstead State Park, and the North Carolina Museum of Forestry located in
Whiteville, North Carolina.
Nature Exploration Center - exhibits
First floor
Natural Treasures of North Carolina contains dioramas of various wildlife and artifacts pertaining to nature in North Carolina, including 25
megalodon teeth displayed in a life-sized model jaw, a mounted specimen of the extinct
Carolina Parakeet, and part of a trunk of a 700-year-old
Bald Cypress tree.
Coastal North Carolina includes exhibits of fish native to North Carolina's coast and inland waterways and a live
sea horse exhibit. Here visitors will find five of the museum's seven
whaleskeletons, including the massive 55-ton
sperm whale (nicknamed "Trouble") which was a symbol of the museum.
WRAL 3-D Theater -
3-D films are shown in this 250-seat venue daily. Films have included Titans of the Ice Age,
Dinosaurs Alive!, and The Last Reef.
Second floor
The North Carolina: Mountains to the Sea exhibit displays North Carolina's natural habitats from the western mountains through the central
Piedmont and on to the
Coastal Plain highlighting the interrelationships between them. A two-story, 20-foot (6.1 m)
waterfall, live
freshwater turtles, and native live
fishes are on display here also.
The Nature's Explorers exhibit covers the museum's beginnings, showing the tools and techniques naturalists used 100 years ago to collect and preserve specimens.
The Discovery Room is a
family-oriented hands-on exhibit where visitors of all ages can explore the
natural world using a combination of natural, live, and human-made objects.
Third floor
Prehistoric North Carolina chronicles prehistoric life in the state and throughout the southeastern United States. This section also features the fossilized remains of a remarkably well-preserved Thescelosaurus (nicknamed "
Willo").
The Terror of the South exhibit features a one-of-a-kind Acrocanthosaurus fossil skeleton in a three-story glass-enclosed dome, displayed as if it were hunting a life-sized Pleurocoelus model, as re-creations of winged Anhanguera (
pterosaurs) circle the domed ceiling on wires.
The Tropical Connections section of the museum is anchored by a large interactive globe which allows visitors to highlight the climate regions of the Earth. This exhibit focuses on
environmental issues and includes live
emerald tree boas,
tree frogs, and
mata mata turtles.
In the Windows on the World theater, museum volunteers and employees give frequent demonstrations and talks, and share live animal visits with museum visitors as well as remotely to classrooms throughout the state.
Curiosity Classrooms - These two classroom spaces allow the museum to further its educational mission to foster a deeper experience with the
natural world through
observation,
discovery, live animal presentations, and hands-on experiences by providing school programs, birthday parties, workshops, and
summer camps. Access to the classroom spaces is limited to scheduled participants.
Birds of Paradise:
Amazing Avian Evolution,[4] a display of
imagery,
video,
soundscapes, artifacts, and educational activities for all ages, is on exhibit October 13, 2013 – March 23, 2014.
Cornell University scientist Edwin Scholes[5] and
National Geographic photographer Tim Laman[6] set out to complete the first comprehensive study of all birds-of-paradise. After 8 years and 18 expeditions they have amassed photographic and video coverage of all 39 known species and documented several new behaviors.[7][8]
Genghis Khan: The Exhibition - (November 19, 2011 - January 22, 2012)[11]
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition - (September 29, 2012 - April 28, 2013)[12]
Dinosaurs in Motion - (May 18, 2013 - September 12, 2013)[13][14]
Nature Research Center - exhibits
The Nature Research Center (NRC) is an 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2), four-story wing next to the Nature Exploration Center, across Salisbury Street, connected by a breezeway named the Betsy M. Bennett Bridge to Discovery.[15][16] The $54 million addition allows visitors to play a hands-on role in new research. The April 20, 2012 opening lasted 24 hours and drew 70,000 visitors.[17]
In addition to hands-on activities and visitor viewing of scientists working in the NRC's four research laboratories, the museum makes use of distance learning to broadcast lessons and virtual field trips to classrooms around the state.[18][19]
First floor
SECUDaily Planet Theater - Inside the iconic
globe, this three-story
theater with a 45 x 45-foot HD screen and multi-channel
surround sound plays host to cutting-edge science presentations and scenes from nature.[20]
Our Changing Ocean - This 10,000 US gal (38,000 L)
aquarium replicates a typical hardbottom habitat off the North Carolina coast. The exhibit features an
artificial reef ball to encourage
sustainability of North Carolina’s
reef systems and
fisheries. Inhabitants include a diverse assemblage of native
fishes and invasive
lionfish.
Investigating
Right Whales - Visitors can see and touch the skeleton of "
Stumpy",[21] a
North Atlantic right whale whose death[22] led to laws that require slower cargo ship speeds in whale migration routes.
Citizen Science Center - Exhibits how to get involved in scientific research and experience being a citizen scientist. Visitors can watch the
birdfeeders at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation via live video feed and record which
species they see.
North Carolina’s Green Gems - This exhibit displays four of the largest
emeralds ever found in North America, including three uncut specimens discovered in western North Carolina in 2011. The collection also includes North America’s largest cut emerald, the famed 64.8-carat Carolina Emperor.[23][24]
Window on
Animal Health - Provides visitors with an opportunity to peer into the world of veterinary medicine and to interact with vet staff, students, and interns working on real medical cases and performing real procedures including physical exams and surgeries. The Window is equipped with 2-way audio between visitors and staff and offers video for visitors to view close-ups of microscopic images and medical procedures. Patients include species such as
reptiles,
amphibians,
fish,
birds, small
mammals and
invertebrates.[25]
Naturalist Center - Features some of the museum's 20,000 education specimens ranging from
fossils and bones to preserved
reptiles and birds. This exhibit also showcases audio and video of certain specimens at two
interactive tabletops.
From Dinosaurs to DNA - Focuses on new tools and techniques that are helping scientists change humankind's understanding of the natural world and everything in it, from dinosaurs to DNA.
Postcards from Space - A rare collection of
meteorites, comprising relics from the
Solar System’s formation, including a piece of the planet
Mars.
Ice Age Giants - An exhibit showing that although
glaciers never reached North Carolina, climate changes may have spelled doom for the mammoths, saber-toothed cats, giant wolves and other Ice Age Giants that roamed the state.
Early Life Explosion - Displays of
Ediacaranfossils represent some of the earliest complex life on Earth (542-635 million years ago). Here, visitors find out more about these unusually shaped, soft-bodied, ocean-dwelling animals.
Investigate labs
The Nature Research Center's three investigate labs are open-to-the-public hands-on educational spaces.
Second floor
Natural World Investigate Lab - In this hands-on lab, visitors can use a variety of tools to observe and study the natural world – from
plants and
animals to the world – and even themselves.
Third floor
Micro World Investigate Lab - Museum visitors enter the world of the future in this
biotechnology and
microbiology-focused education lab. From
genetic engineering to
protozoa, visitors perform and learn the techniques that create tomorrow’s breakthrough discoveries.
Visual World Investigate Lab - Visitors learn about and try out some of the latest modeling and simulation technologies scientists are using to help them visualize nature in new ways. Learn how a
robot works or sign up for classes in
electronics or
programming.
Research labs
The Nature Research Center's four research labs are part of the museum's Research and Collections department. These spaces (normally reserved for behind-the-scenes work) have transparent glass walls through which the public can observe firsthand as research scientists do their work.
Second floor
Biodiversity and
Earth Observation Research Laboratory - This laboratory is the center for exploration of the
flora and
fauna of the community, state and planet. Studies focus on such areas as
mammalian movement ecology.
The facility opened a Nature PlaySpace Saturday, September 28, 2013.[27]
North Carolina Museum of Forestry
The North Carolina
Museum of Forestry is a satellite facility of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences located in
Whiteville, North Carolina. Its mission is to celebrate the
natural history and
cultural heritage of North Carolina's
forests through interpretive exhibits, educational programming and the preservation of natural and man-made materials that demonstrate the ongoing relationship of forests and people.
Displays and interactive exhibits include an outdoor Tree Trail and Fossil Dig Pit, and the museum offers educational program experiences and special events.
Special events
The museum sponsors numerous events drawing thousands.
January
Astronomy Days is a 2-day event, usually held in January, which includes exhibits from area astronomy clubs as well as talks and exhibits by
NASA educators.[28][29] The event typically draws over 14,000 over the weekend.[30]
February
Groundhog Day - The Museum hosts a Shadow Ceremony and crowds can witness whether the
groundhog "Sir Walter Wally", sees his shadow.
Triangle SciTech Expo - Previously Biotechnology Day and BEST Fest, this event celebrates science, technology, and engineering research across North Carolina. This event is part of the North Carolina Science Festival.
Planet Earth Celebration - Celebrate the Earth and learn how to
live sustainably.
September
BugFest - The Museum’s largest annual event, BugFest draws over 35,000 visitors for a celebration of
arthropods. The event extends outside the museum along the Bicentennial Mall. Visitors can taste bug-filled dishes, enjoy special exhibits, activities and shows throughout the museum.[31] The main stage offers family entertainment into the evening hours. The event became part of the
North Carolina Science Festival in 2010.[32]
October
Chemistry Day - The Museum partners with the NC Chapter of the
American Chemical Society to celebrate
Chemistry and its importance in our daily lives.
Natural History
Halloween - This event, hosted by the Museum’s Junior Curators, is a fun way to learn about some animals that may be considered spooky and creepy. Children can also participate in a costume contest.
November
Fossil Fair - The Museum partners with the
NC Fossil Club so that visitors can learn all about dinosaurs and other creatures from the prehistoric past.
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