One day soon, Tabatha Bruce will shellac a doughnut.

If it holds up, the result can be examined this fall in “Holes: An Opening Into the Sciences.” It’s the first exhibition at Explorit Science Center’s new building, which opens Sept. 23 at 2801 Second St. in Davis.

“Holes” will run Sept. 23-Dec. 10. Explorit’s two other Changing Exhibitions for 2006-07 are “From Codes to Crystals: Patterns All Around,” Dec. 16-March 11; and “Looking Up: The World Above Us,” March 17-June 10.

The three exhibitions represent a new approach to science discovery at Explorit. Usually, the science center’s exhibitions focus on a single scientific discipline. The coming season’s exhibitions are going interdisciplinary, reflecting what’s happening in the larger world of science.

“In science centers and universities everywhere, interesting collaborations between departments are increasingly being encouraged, and they are usually very fruitful,” says Bruce, an exhibition developer and education specialist at Explorit. “Some of our most innovative discoveries come when two fields get together.”

At Explorit, the interdisciplinary approach makes for a fresh perspective. It also allows the exhibition creators to have a little fun and craft themes they know will spark visitors’ interest.

Which leads us back to doughnuts. Bruce and Anna Grace, also an exhibition developer, see doughnuts and, of course, Swiss cheese as a natural part of the “Holes” exhibition. In fact, the whole theme is a natural for Explorit’s question-driven discovery, according to Bruce.

“Everyone’s always fascinated by holes,” she says. “Holes are intriguing. What’s inside it? Where does it go? How big is it?”

Bruce knows how fascinating they are to children in particular. When she leads nature walks, the young visitors become distracted by every squirrel hole, wanting to poke sticks down them or otherwise investigate the find.

That’s just the kind of exploration Explorit hopes to elicit in “Holes,” which will feature holes as small as pores and as large as craters and black holes, plus guitar holes, surgical openings and holes in the ozone layer. Older visitors can look for holes in logic or data. Everyone should come away with some new awareness of our “holey” world, Bruce and Grace say.

Opening in December, the “Patterns” exhibition is based on the idea that recognizing patterns allows us to better understand our world, Grace says.

“Patterns are everywhere,” she says. “Cycles are patterns that occur over time. There are patterns in math, patterns in history.”

Sudoku fans will find samples of the popular puzzle to solve – it’s based on patterns. Other activities will include listening to heartbeats with a stethoscope (the rhythm is a pattern) and contributing a patch to a patterned quilt.

“I’m fired up about people making connections. These are common, everyday things, and you usually don’t see the science in them. But it’s there,” Grace says.

The third exhibition of the season, “Looking Up,” is a follow-up to a popular exhibit a few years ago on going underground. This time, visitors will find activities relating to the Earth’s atmosphere and beyond, flight, weather, skyscrapers, cell phone towers and more. Look for details next spring.

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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 Fifth St. in East Davis. The current exhibition “Way To Grow: Health and the Human Body” runs through Sept. 10. 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: 756-0191 or www.explorit.org.