“Communication: Coming in Loud and Clear,”
By Karen Adams
 
By one count, at least 82 million people text regularly on their cell phones. In Davis, just try to find a teenager – or a parent of a teen – who’s texting-illiterate.
 
Before our thumbs got so busy tapping out messages, how did we communicate? That’s answered in the upcoming exhibition “Communication: Coming in Loud and Clear,” set to open Saturday, Sept. 19 at Explorit Science Center, 2801 Second St.
 
“There’s science surrounding every form of communication,” says Anna Grace, exhibit coordinator. “We had a ball unearthing some ‘old technology’ that was once cutting-edge: a cell phone almost the size of a brick, a desktop computer with a postcard-sized screen and, of course, the eight-track tape.”
 
All those will be on display in a parade of technology. But the real fun comes, as always, in the hands-on activities. Here’s a sample of what’s in store:
 
• Tap out a message in Morse code – or receive one sent to you via a telegraph machine.
• Do the “waggle dance.” It’s the intricate set of movements performed by bees to communicate the location of nectar. We’ll teach you how!
• Type your name on a Braille machine (you can take the sample home).
• Similarly, you can spell out your name using stamps of American Sign Language’s manual alphabet.
• Write your own secret. Or try to crack one of our codes.
• Sniff to see if you can match several different scents with the flowers that produced them.
 
  “We sometimes forget that communication isn’t limited to humans or even primates,” Grace says. “Every exchange of information between organisms can be considered communication. Plants communicate through scent to attract pollinators and ward off pests. The study of communication has many intriguing facets.”
 
Grace and Explorit’s program planners chose this topic because of its importance in our daily lives.
 
“Communication is fundamental to our existence,” she said. “It’s as necessary to survival as sunlight and water. Our hope is that people come away from this exhibition with a greater appreciation for its many fascinating forms.”
 
It will continue through Nov. 29 in Explorit’s Gumerlock Gallery. In the Jonsson Family Gallery, the exhibit “Move It! Science in Action” continues indefinitely.
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Explorit will get a new neighbor on Sept. 8. That’s the day the Yolo County Public Library opens its temporary Davis branch adjoining our museum at 2801 Second St.
 
Both organizations will celebrate the event with a Community Open House from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. The free event will feature refreshments, live music, a clown, balloons, storytime and tours of both Explorit and the new library.
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Explorit Science Center is open from 2-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays at 2801 Second St. in Davis. For more information: http:www.explorit.org or (530) 756-0191.