Explorit opens second floor as overflow‚ exhibit space

Explorit will introduce a new exhibit, "Go With the Flow: From Delta to Sea" at 11 a.m. Saturday. It will open on the second floor of the science center and will run concurrently with "Field to Fridge to Fork: Following Food", which is showing downstairs.

At "Go With the Flow" visitors will explore the science behind water. Water covers nearly three-fourths of the Earth's surface. It is part of our daily lives and world, and all living organisms depend on it for survival. Come and learn about some of processes occurring in the ever-evolving landscape and watersheds of California.

"Go With the Flow" will offer activities enjoyable for all ages. Some examples:

• A stream table where visitors can experiment with varying gradients and materials to observe how water creates streams in the landscape.
• An indoor pond for small sailboats. Try out different sails using a wind source.
• A baleen activity comparing baleen and teeth. Examine baleen close up to learn how some of the world's largest mammals eat.
• See how submarines dive and rise. Then check out the swim bladder activity and learn how fish move up and down in the water column.

Jonathan Bell, an Explorit exhibit developer, has been working for several months on "Go With the Flow"  "I'm really excited about this exhibit. We're going to have a model of a watershed so visitors can experiment with the effects of point and non-point source pollution," he says."There will be activities that explore surface tension, water density (and how it can change) and buoyancy."

Bell gives credit and thanks to interns who assisted in some of the exhibit construction. "We've also had some really great help from interns who built a really cool stream table and helped set up a stream tank stocked full of aquatic invertebrates. Also, a beautiful fresh-water tank was designed and installed thanks to the volunteered time of Jay Ingram of Aquatic Box."

"Go With The Flow" will be the first exhibition in the Gumerlock Gallery on the museum's second floor. From now on, the gallery will be the home to Explorit's Changing Exhibions, which offer a fresh topic several times a year. On March 7, Explorit will open its first long-term exhibit, "Move It! Science In Action," downstairs in the Jonsson Gallery.
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Along with the opening of the exhibit, Explorit will offer a Family Exploration program from 1-4 p.m. Saturday. "Water World" will explore the science behind drinking water. Learn how much drinking water there is in the world as well as how much your body needs on a daily basis. "Water World" is free with paid admission to the museum.

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Explorit Science Center is open to school groups by reservation and to the general public from 2-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m. ˆ 4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission is $4 general, free for teachers and ages 3 and under. Explorit is at 2801 Second Street, Davis. For more information: (530) 756-0191 or <http://www.explorit.org/>www.explorit.org.