Girls Exploring Math and Science 2015

Published by Kelsey on February 28, 2015 at 7:00 am in STEM & GEMS

Last Saturday, we celebrated our 10th year of hosting Girls Exploring Math and Science (GEMS) at HMNS! Despite the questionable weather, we had a spectacular turnout! From underwater robots to photobooths, we had it all.

The GEMS event includes two sections – community booths and student booths. Our community booths are hosted by local STEM organizations. They present STEM activities or demonstrations to young students and they talk about how they got their STEM careers. This year, the Subsea Tiebeck Foundation brought an exhibit called SEATIGER. It’s a giant tank containing an underwater ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) for students to learn about how STEM is involved with the offshore and subsea industries. GEMS also included fault line activities, polymer demonstrations, and astronaut dexterity challenges from some of our other community booths!

In addition, GEMS hosts student booths. As a student booth, students present a project relating to science, technology, engineering or math to peers as well as adults. Every year we award the top three projects with prize money for their school, club or Girl Scout troop. This year we had some exceptional projects! Third place went to Girl Scout Troop 17492 for their project, The Human Battery. Like true scientists, these fourth grade girls had to reconstruct their experiment after their first attempt failed. Luckily, they reconstructed their experiment, and found an alternative way to power a battery using lemons instead! The second place team was another group of Girl Scouts, Troop 126005. Their project, POP! The Power of Programming, examined the intricacies of computer programming and each of the girls designed their own small program too! First place went to Jersey Voltage, the Jersey Village High School Robotics team. The team built a robot that could throw a ball, and they demonstrated their robots talent by playing catch with some GEMS participants! They plan to use their winnings to take their robot to a robotics competition in Texas or Louisiana!

We hope that everyone that joined us at GEMS 2015 had a great time! If you took some photos in our smilebooth, you can see them here!

Join us at GEMS next year on Saturday, February 20, 2016!!

“On the Trail” Children’s Heritage Excursion

Published by Kelly on February 27, 2015 at 7:00 am in HMNS Happenings

Just in time for the rodeo, little cowboys and cowgirls can learn how the American cowboy shares ways of life with the Bedouin and the Native American. These nomadic cultures are featured when the Archaeological Institute of America, Houston, presents a “Children’s Heritage Excursion” on Feb. 28 and March 1, 2015 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on the opening weekend of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

“Heritage Excursions” developed by the Archaeological Institute features tours to cultural sites around Houston. We wanted to include children! We devised this particular tour so that families can visit three cultures under one roof at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

As you enter the Museum, Saluki dogs will greet you to acquaint you with an ancient breed beloved by the Bedouin. Hands-on activities for children will compare the nomadic life of the Bedouin people to the Native American tribe of the Comanche and the Texas cowboy – two of the nomadic cultures of Texas. All three groups share similar needs of nomadic people such as portability of their belongings, tent shelters as protection from the natural elements, a need to hunt for food, and a reliance on animals for transportation and companionship. iStock_000001796814web

Be sure to arrive early! Early arrivals will have the chance to see a team erect the Bedouin tent at 9:00 a.m., the covered wagon being brought into the Museum at 9:30 and then watch as a Native American group erects the tipi beginning around 10 a.m. Attendees will really have an understanding of how nomadic groups traveled and what was involved in the creation of encampments.

Celebrate the rodeo at the Museum!

Tour a Bedouin tent outfitted by the Saudi Consulate, a Native American tipi, and a cowboy covered wagon from the American Cowboy Museum to discover shelters.
Excavate at prepared archaeological digs to discover how archaeologists learn about the past
Participate in crafts and science activities
Visit ‘cultural corners’ to see demonstrations of horse gear, cowboy roping, and Native American arrow head construction and drumming.
Discover animals used by nomadic groups for hunting and protection. See a raptor and pet Saluki dogs, a ancient breed and a living antiquity

Dr. Carolyn Willekes director of the event is a renowned expert on the archaeology of the horse, particularly the Arabian horse. Dr. Willekes is in charge of educational outreach at Spruce Meadows in Alberta, Canada, one of the world’s largest horse shows and also participates in educational activities at the Calgary Stampede, one of the world’s largest rodeos.

This event is generously underwritten by Aramco Services Company
with additional assistance from the Royal Consulate of Saudi Arabia and the
American Cowboy Museum.

12 Perks of Presenting HMNS Outreach

Published by Sahil on February 26, 2015 at 7:00 am in Outreach

After bringing live animals, exotic insects, chemistry demos, and more to over 500 area schools and community organizations last year, the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Outreach Programs are ready to hit the road in 2015! It takes quite a village to bring science to almost 100,000 students in a year, and we are lucky to have an incredible, multi-talented group of presenters who work tirelessly to bring the wonders of HMNS to greater Houston and beyond.

While members of Team Outreach play a variety of roles all over the Museum, presenting Outreach Programs is one of the most exciting, fun, and rewarding jobs of all. Here are twelve of the best, most unique perks of being an Outreach presenter at the Houston Museum of Natural Science!

1. Getting to know all the neighborhoods and exploring the entire Houston area.

Whether a school is 175 miles away in Temple, TX or down the street, HMNS Outreach Programs are committed to giving students a high-quality educational experience that they are sure to remember.

2. Hearing the “oohs” and “aahs” as Lycopodium ignites in front of a crowd.

Lycopodium is a type of clubmoss, but its spores have a remarkable flammable quality often displayed in the opening act in the ConocoPhillips Science On Stage Cool Chemistry presentation!

3. Seeing the expression on a child’s face when you tell them they just touched fossilized poop.

Scientifically known as coprolite, fossilized poop is one of the highlights of the Chevron Earth Science On Wheels program!

4. Leading a group on a tour of the night’s sky.

The Discovery Dome brings the wonders of the Burke Baker Planetarium to you, including a live show detailing the celestial bodies visible in that very night’s sky!

5. Seeing that “a-ha!” moment when kids discover something new or solve a problem.

All of our programs, such as Exploring Energy from the ConocoPhillips Science On Stage family pictured above, are interactive and hands-on to help promote learning and retention.

6. Seeing one child learning and then helping a friend understand the concept.

Each program, including the LyondellBasell Bugs On Wheels Monarchs program shown above, comes with free TEKS-aligned curriculum to extend learning beyond the presentation.

7. Rolling through a drive thru with one hand on the wheel and the other holding a ferret.

Programs like TOTAL Wildlife On Wheels and LyondellBasell Bugs On Wheels travel with live animals, and on a hot Houston summer day, warm-blooded animals like Mina the ferret above need some air conditioning and refreshment, just like our presenters!

8. Returning to a school and getting recognized as “that science guy” or “the dinosaur lady.”

It’s always great to see classes year-after-year at a school or at HMNS on a field trip, and being remembered lets us know they learned something during the previous visit!

9. Watching students touch specimens.

The hands-on nature of many of our presentations, as in TOTAL Wildlife On Wheels pictured above, makes for a memorable experience for all kids, allowing them to touch many things they have only ever seen in photos.

10. Watching kids encourage their friends to touch bugs because, “See? It’s not scary!” And seeing those apprehensive kids get just as excited by the end.

Our LyondellBasell Bugs On Wheels critters, like Rosie the tarantula above, are great ambassadors for arthropods everywhere!

11. Getting asked for an autograph or a photo with a class after a show.

Getting mobbed by kids after a presentation makes us feel like rock stars and really shows us they paid attention and enjoyed the show!

12. Thank you cards from appreciative students and teachers.

A thank you card with a hand-drawn picture can make a great day even better! We keep as many as we can as a priceless, one-of-a-kind reward for a job-well-done.

To make the day of one of our terrific presenters, book an Outreach Program by calling Greta Brannan at (713) 639-4758 or emailing outreach@hmns.org!