FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 03, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—September 28, 2016 (Albuquerque, NM): The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science announces the presentation of two special programs designed to expand access to the Museum and Tuesday closures designed to provide more flexibility in after hour access. The first special program "Afternoon Science Adventures" celebrating National Fossil Day will be held on October 12, 2016 from 3pm to 6pm. The second special program "Startup Sendoff" will be held on Friday, November 4, 2016 from 5:30pm to 9:00pm to bid farewell to "StartUp," the Museum’s computer revolution exhibition. The Museum will be closed every Tuesday beginning on Tuesday, October 11, 2016.
"Closing on Tuesdays allows our small staff more flexibility to stay open after school and, occasionally, in the evening. We’ll be able to increase staff support on the weekends to provide better service to our customers," Margie Marino, Museum Director, said. "We’ll be able to use this day for construction projects, changing exhibitions, and other renovation efforts that are difficult to do when we are open."
With greater access in mind, the Museum is announcing the first of what will be many "Afternoon Science Adventures" that will take place on Wednesday, October 12 from 3pm to 6pm. This first Afternoon Science Adventure will celebrate National Fossil Day and include hands-on fossil activities, a fossil identification station, Museum scientists sharing their fossil discoveries, and a special feature in Fossilworks where staff and volunteers will be able to show off their progress in preparing a recently-discovered baby Pentaceratops dinosaur. Admission to the National Fossil Day Adventure is free with paid museum admission.
National Fossil Day is a celebration organized by the National Park Service to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils, as well as to foster a greater appreciation of their scientific and educational value. This day is an opportunity to remember that the Museum was founded to preserve fossil materials for the educational benefit of the people of New Mexico and to reflect on the Museum’s achievement in acquiring and preserving more than 100,000 scientific objects in its collections.
In addition, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science is delighted to announce that the entire Museum will be open on select First Fridays and will include activities and lower prices for families, beginning Friday, November 4. The next First Friday, "StartUp Sendoff," occurs on November 4 from 5:30pm to 9 pm, and features a final fling with the Exhibition "StartUp" the first museum exhibition dedicated to the microcomputer. Several institutions from around the state will host activities which explain how computers work and are used in modern technology.
Fractal Planetarium programs are available for the regular price of $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $5 for children. And the DynaTheater will also be open with a 6:30pm program, Mummies: Secrets of the Pharoahs for only $5. If the sky is clear, the museum observatory will be open 7pm to 10pm with an astronomy preview talk offered in the Museum’s new STEM Auditorium at 6pm.
So, for this special "Startup Sendoff" you can tour the entire Museum and see a DynaTheater presentation on the large screen for what it normally cost to see just a movie. Admission to the Museum, Planetarium for Fractal Friday, and DynaTheater are all sold separately.
CALENDAR EDITORS
Afternoon Science Adventures- National Fossil Day
WHAT: Activities to celebrate National Fossil Day to include hands-on fossil activities, fossil identification station, museum scientists sharing their fossil finds, Fossilworks showing off the progress made on the baby Pentaceratops fossil
WHEN: October 12 from 3pm - 6pm (note open an hour later than normal hours)
WHERE: The Atrium and Fossil works area at New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road NW in Albuquerque, New Mexico
COST: Free with paid museum admission
Startup Sendoff
WHAT: "Startup Sendoff" is an opportunity to bid farewell to the Museum’s computer revolution exhibition, StartUp.
WHEN: November 4, 2016 from 5:30pm – 9pm. At 6pm, the Museum’s space science department will present a brief talk about the night sky in the new STEM auditorium. Weather-permitting, the Museum’s observatory will also be open from 7-10pm that evening.
WHERE: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road NW in Albuquerque, New Mexico
COST: Admission to the entire Museum after 5pm is only $5.
Media contact:
Jennifer Padilla
505-577-1347
jennpadilla@newmexico.com
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science preserves and interprets the distinctive natural and scientific heritage of our state through our extraordinary collections, research, exhibits and programs designed to ignite a passion for lifelong learning. For more information visit: www.nmnaturalhistory.org
