Science Center of Iowa

[DMRyan]

The Da Vinci the Genius exhibit has been extended until March 2nd. I went this past weekend and had a mixed experience. I definitely learned some things, but the place was so crowded, I couldn't get up close to some exhibits and couldn't get into the theater to see the documentary about Da Vinci because it filled to capacity so quickly. The SCI folks really need to stagger the amount of people they let into the exhibit on the weekends.

Going through the rest of the science center, I was a little dissapointed. None of the exhibits seemed to have substantially changed since the place was first opened up. It now seems kind of stale. They really need to work on bringing in more of the traveling exhibitions and freshening up their more permenant ones. Otherwise, this place may start looking like the State Historical Building in a few years...

[dogbo]

I suggest doing what we did and take an afternoon off from work and go during the week if possible. We spent approx 3 hours in the exhibit and thought it was great. No problems with crowds. I do recommend spending the extra $3 to get the little handheld device that provides additional details on many of the items.

I found this well worth the money and am excited about the rumored next exhibit.

[DMRyan]

Kudos to the Science Center of Iowa for having their biggest year ever, thanks to great new exhibitions. The new Bodies Vital exhibit will bring 200 human specimens of preserved, plastinated human bodies and organs on display. Projected attendance could exceed 70,000 people and be the biggest exhibit yet.

I wonder how this Body Worlds Vital exhibit differs from the already popular traveling exhibit simply called Bodies (other than the controversy of supposedly using Chinese prisoners as the specimens)?



http://www.thetech.org/bodyworlds_vital/

[Sveestunov]

Going through the rest of the science center, I was a little dissapointed. None of the exhibits seemed to have substantially changed since the place was first opened up. It now seems kind of stale. They really need to work on bringing in more of the traveling exhibitions and freshening up their more permenant ones. Otherwise, this place may start looking like the State Historical Building in a few years...

I agree, I went to the Science Center last Tuesday after signing my lease. Ten Bucks seemed really steep for what you got, I didn't realise that the Da Vinci exhibit had been taken down , ( banners still up ) Perhaps the special exhibits make up for the sparseness of the regular exhibits.

Looking forward to finally getting to live in DSM in two weeks!

[Philby]

I wonder how this Body Worlds Vital exhibit differs from the already popular traveling exhibit simply called Bodies (other than the controversy of supposedly using Chinese prisoners as the specimens)?

I think they refresh the theme every so often (the exhibit has been touring since '95) and this one seems to contrast healthy bodies with those who have been consumed by disease.

[hawk61401]

Remember the eight offbeat ways to improve Des Moines? http://bit.ly/A5qMtq
Here's a Hawk offbeat ...

Take this big ol' cylinder at the Science Center: http://bit.ly/GZ1ka7 and turn it into an outdoor, night time, multimedia spectacle like they did at the Hirshborn Museum. http://wapo.st/GFRrzu

[DMRyan]

That would be awesome and play into the funky idea for a multi-colored IMAX dome that never happened.



I would like to see some multi-media artwork in the sculpture garden someday too. While not sculpture works, I feel that this could really be a memorable arts experience similar to the example you gave hawk. I also think it would neat to take a vacant storefront or two in the core and make multi-media visual displays in the windows. I saw this being done with the once vacant commercial tenant bay at the Gateway Lofts during one of the art crawl events.

[hawk61401]

I would like to see some multi-media artwork in the sculpture garden someday too. While not sculpture works, I feel that this could really be a memorable arts experience similar to the example you gave hawk. I also think it would neat to take a vacant storefront or two in the core and make multi-media visual displays in the windows. I saw this being done with the once vacant commercial tenant bay at the Gateway Lofts during one of the art crawl events.

RDG Design of Des Moines is helping to make downtown Columbus, Ohio more fun. Last month, Columbus did a survey about it's downtown. Most said that their downtown had a lack of liveliness and it doesn't feel like it's a lot of fun. Columbus wants to install interactive water fountains or jets such as those that RDG designed for downtown Council Bluffs. http://bit.ly/H4j8QC I would love to see RDG and the Jets at Nollen Plaza. Right now it's a slab of concrete that is about as much fun as a surface parking lot.

Ryan, those are great ideas about the sculpture garden and multi-media visual displays for vacant storefronts. These are the kinds of fun things that bring people downtown and want to live downtown. They attract people like bees to honey.

People literally line up to experience an interactive storefront ...

[DMRyan]

The next traveling exhibit at the Science Center is called "Facing Mars". This is only a traveling exhibit, but it reinforces that they need to permenantly keep space as a primary topic for interactive museum exhibits, and I'm not talking about that joke of an exhibit they've had near the Star Theater since it's opened. Everything seems much more neat when you're a kid, but I recall the old science center having a great space exhibit.

The Science Center of Iowa & Blank IMAX Dome Theater will present the traveling exhibition "Facing Mars" starting June 2 and running through Jan. 6. "Facing Mars" is an interactive exhibition that examines the physical, psychological, technological and ethical challenges involved in preparing for a voyage to the Red Planet.

Also, after seeing the Science Center about 4 or 5 times now, I can't help but think Des Moines needs a better children's museum with more hands on exhibits. The Science Center has some cool stuff, but the non-traveling exhibits are starting to get pretty tired looking. There's a little bit of room to expand SCI southward if a building addition housing new exhibits could ever get traction.

[casbern]

The Science Center has some cool stuff, but the non-traveling exhibits are starting to get pretty tired looking. There's a little bit of room to expand SCI southward if a building addition housing new exhibits could ever get traction.

IMO, SCI hasn't done enough to keep up the property itself. During the past storm that blew over the trees in Nollen Plaza, it blew off another sign which now matches the one that's been broken for the past two years. The grass takes forever to be mowed and the planters around the facility are rarely paid attention to.

[DMRyan]

The Science Center has some cool stuff, but the non-traveling exhibits are starting to get pretty tired looking. There's a little bit of room to expand SCI southward if a building addition housing new exhibits could ever get traction.

IMO, SCI hasn't done enough to keep up the property itself. During the past storm that blew over the trees in Nollen Plaza, it blew off another sign which now matches the one that's been broken for the past two years. The grass takes forever to be mowed and the planters around the facility are rarely paid attention to.

I see what you mean. I sometimes wonder if there's major money problems at SCI that prevent proper upkeep of the grounds. Aside from what you've mentioned, there's weeds growing through the cracks in the sidewalk and the water pool around the IMAX theater hasn't been filled this year. They need to work on a maintenance endowment.

[conquistador2]

Since there has been some talk about the exhibits at Sci Iowa, I thought this might be a good time to talk about my impressions of another, midwestern science center. My family (of 5) just got back from a trip to Sioux Falls, and we had a chance to tour the Kirby Science Discovery Center, which is part of the Washington Pavilion downtown.

As most of you know, Sioux Falls is quite a bit smaller than the DSM metro, but I have to say that they have a VERY nice facility that rivals ours. The building itself is in an older, historic structure that is used for other events and organizations. Because of this, the science center is actually split up between multiple floors, but it's still very easy to navigate. They have a very wide range of exhibits, but some of the highlights include; a complete T-Rex skeleton (that had been excavated elsewhere in S. Dak); a wing dedicated to space exploration (with a REALLY cool space shuttle simulator that my wife & I couldn't stop using ); and a set of sports-related exhibits that gave you a chance to try everything from wheelchair racing to virtual basketball, and much more.

We only plugged the meter for 2 hours, but we probably could have stayed for another 30-60 minutes. Some of the exhibits were fairly simple, but presented in such a way that really got my kids' attention. One of their favorite things was actually just outside the building, where they have a very large lever that can be used to lift a brand new car (which had been donated by a local auto dealership.)

A couple of downsides to the Sioux Falls facility: they do have an attached theatre, but it is not a proper IMAX. Also, it didn't seem like they had as many live presentations as you might find in Des Moines.

We have a family membership for the DSM Science Center, and we really like our own facility. It can get a little stale, though, if you go fairly often. The traveling exhibits definitely help to mix things up, but I wonder if they should do some reconfiguring to spruce things up a bit. I think this could be done at a reasonable expense, and without having to expand the building.

[casbern]

The Science Center has some cool stuff, but the non-traveling exhibits are starting to get pretty tired looking. There's a little bit of room to expand SCI southward if a building addition housing new exhibits could ever get traction.

IMO, SCI hasn't done enough to keep up the property itself. During the past storm that blew over the trees in Nollen Plaza, it blew off another sign which now matches the one that's been broken for the past two years. The grass takes forever to be mowed and the planters around the facility are rarely paid attention to.

I see what you mean. I sometimes wonder if there's major money problems at SCI that prevent proper upkeep of the grounds. Aside from what you've mentioned, there's weeds growing through the cracks in the sidewalk and the water pool around the IMAX theater hasn't been filled this year. They need to work on a maintenance endowment.

Good news.. I had asked if there was anyway that money could be donated to SCI and earmarked especially for land/facility maintenance. I got this reply, "Yes, definitely! Contact development@sciowa.org to arrange it."

[Mastermind]

Nationwide donates $65,000
http://www.businessrecord.com/main.asp? ... tionID=133

[casbern]

Nationwide donates $65,000
http://www.businessrecord.com/main.asp? ... tionID=133

I hope a fraction of that can now be spent on property maintenance.

[wmjindsm]

I hope a fraction of that can now be spent on property maintenance.

No

to help it continue educational programs and IMAX films.

[dsmspence]

No

That's really disappointing. I went for a run and passing SCI couldn't help but notice that it's beginning to look seriously beat up. The curb all along where 4th runs into the entrance isn't just busted up, but looks like its disintegrating... It's a great building, but its starting to look awfully tough on the outside.

[casbern]

No

That's really disappointing. I went for a run and passing SCI couldn't help but notice that it's beginning to look seriously beat up. The curb all along where 4th runs into the entrance isn't just busted up, but looks like its disintegrating... It's a great building, but its starting to look awfully tough on the outside.

Agreed. It's on my walk to work and back home everyday, it's terribly frustrating.

[Emil]

I understand that funding is an issue with both, but the two downtown museums (Historical Building + Science Center) are both terribly disappointing. I haven't been in the main museum portion in several years, but the exterior does look awful, and my sister was there recently and was rather appalled at how grungy the interior was, not to mention a general failure to rotate displays that don't cost extra to experience.

It generally seems to be a missed opportunity.

[DMRyan]

The Historical Building is in major need of an overhaul, which would obviously dramatically improve the attendance. Everything in there reeks of 1987.

Back to the science center, I think they have a good thing going bringing in marquee exhibits that increase attendance (and hopefully revenues!). They desperately need to reinvest in keeping their exhibits fresh and in working order. I still maintain that future fundraising for the facility should strive for the buildout of more space that could accomodate more of a children's museum type feel. There's that one whole room on the 2nd floor of SCI that's nothing but kids interactive exhibits. Having different space dedicated to this kind of thing could free up major room for an improved space exhibit. Bring back the space shuttle simulator, that thing rocked when I used to go to the old science center as a kid.

[dsmspence]

The Historical Building is in major need of an overhaul, which would obviously dramatically improve the attendance. Everything in there reeks of 1987.

Plus you have crazy irony in the fact that 1/4 of the (historic) East Village was leveled to build the... Historical Building...?

[SFO2DSM]

The wife and I just visited the New York Hall of Science on an extended layover at LGA. I know it's New York, but they had over 300 interactive activities. Amazing. The best part was a 9 hole mini-golf course. It was $6 for adults, $5 for kids, and each hole demonstrated a different space physics concept. One of the coolest mini-golf courses ever. How amazing would that be for SCIowa! http://www.nysci.org/explore/exhibitions/rpmg