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Article for: The Davis Enterprise
Date: September 5, 2003
Author: Vanessa Gregory
Contact: Tom Wickersham

Explorit Science Center is pleased to unveil its 2003-2004 changing exhibition season. Each year, Explorit's signature rotating exhibits give visitors the chance to explore a variety of science topics. This season's exhibitions cover everything from natural resources to forensics and each is infused with Explorit's innovative and casual approach to science.

Crafting fresh, interesting exhibits every year instead of relying on a permanent collection demands a lot of creativity and planning from Explorit's staff. But according to Exhibit Coordinator Karen Cebra, the results are worth the extra work.

"Changing exhibits just give people a reason to come back," says Cebra. "I want kids to find something to pique their curiosity every time they visit Explorit. All scientists share that curiosity trait, and kids need to feel the excitement of making a discovery."

Explorit exhibitions are all hands-on so that visitors can conduct simple experiments and draw their own conclusions from the results. The exhibition activities are geared toward elementary children and their parents, but open to inquisitive minds of all ages.

This year, visitors will have even more opportunities to explore each exhibit thanks to the Center's expanded weekend hours. The extra hours should please many longtime Explorit fans.

"People always tell me how much they wished we were open longer on Sunday," says Exhibit Interpreter Dave Roser. "Saturday's a busy day for a lot of families - soccer games for some, church or synagogue for others. Our new hours are going to be more convenient for folks."

Explorit's new weekend hours begin September 2. The Center will be open every Sunday from 11 am to 4:30 pm, just like Saturdays. Weekday hours remain unchanged. In addition to the extra hours, Explorit's retail store has been restocked with new items for science investigation and fun. It's a great place to find unique gifts and toys.

Outside of the store, on the exhibit floor, kids and adults should find plenty to satisfy their curiosity with this year's captivating exhibitions.

2003-04 Exhibition Season

"Earth Elements: Discovering Natural Resources," Oct. 4-Dec. 7: Water, air, soil and sunlight are the cornerstones of all life on Earth. Explore their physical properties and examine some of the many ways that humans use and reuse these important elements.
"Get a Clue! Solving Mysteries with Science," Dec. 13-March 7: What may seem mysterious becomes clear when viewed through the magnifying lens of science. Discover and use an array of forensic tools to detect clues, decipher meanings, and deduce solutions.
"Networks in Nature: The Original World Wide Web," March 13-June 6: The interconnections within the natural world have been around long before the arrival of the internet. Plants and animals network with one another in many complex ways. Investigate some of their relationships in the great web of life.
"From A to Z: Spanning the Science Spectrum," June 12-Sept. 5: Ready or not, science is part of our everyday lives. Discover the ABCs of our world through science from astronomy to zoology. Become a scientist and try all kinds of experiments in this summer sampler.

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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is "Count on It: Numbers in Nature," which continues through Sept. 27. Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.explorit.org or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.