Science Chicago: Life’s a Lab is a year-long celebration of science and learning that will appeal to people of all ages. More than 100 public and private institutions are hosting events where Chicagoans can explore and discover how the world around them works. After all, science isn’t just in a textbook; it’s in action every day.

The festival covers everything from physics to ecology to medicine. Science Saturdays provide behind-the-scenes tours at internationally known research facilities. Science Conversations are forums of discussion with specialists about environmental issues, disease prevention, ethics, and more. Prefer a hands-on approach? LabFest! at the Museum of Science and Industry includes more than 50 interactive exhibits and experiments that are just as educational as they are entertaining.

Teachers are encouraged to use the resources that Science Chicago provides. Several scientists and experts are ready to visit classrooms; and the website provides lots of information on lesson plans, field trips, classroom materials, and more.

So if you know someone, whether 6 years old or 60 years old, who is always asking “Why?”, Chicago will have a year’s worth of demonstrations, exhibits, and forums that may help answer all his/her questions.

For more information, visit http://www.sciencechicago.com/

Photo credit: Science Chicago, (c/o SXC) Dan MacDonald, lcs9

Post from: The Chicago Traveler

And the marvels don’t end there. We are constantly learning and adapting, and our gadgets are getting more and more advanced. If you want a glimpse into the future today, the Museum of Science and Industry has a new exhibit, Fast Forward.

The exhibit explores what the future may bring us, from text-message hugs you can feel to using fog as advertising space. Fast Forward invites visitors to think creatively and ask “What if?” The innovative concepts cover serious issues like alternative fuels and urban farming, but they’re also fun, including the table-top computerized music maker. Change the position of the blocks, and you change the sound.

Creativity and technology come together here in awesome, groundbreaking ways. The exhibit, located on the main floor of the museum, is open to visitors of all ages. The incredible inventions may even inspire your own ideas for the future.

Photo credit: (c/o Flickr) polomex

http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/fast-forward/

Post from: The Chicago Traveler

• The Las Vegas male revue Thunder from Down Under is coming to Chicago for a 75-minute performance at Crobar. Meet and greet the hunky hotties after the show. (May 23)

• Grab your tent and your sleeping bags and head down to Three Sisters Park for Summer Camp 2008. The weekend event features over 60 bands, including moe., the Flaming Lips, and OAR. (May 23-25)

• The R-rated, Tony Award-winning musical comedy Avenue Q is in town for a limited time at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. A college graduate with big dreams and small funds moves to New York City, where he and some interesting neighbors (including a few foul-mouthed puppets) struggle with jobs, love, and what to do with a B.A. in English. (through Jun 7)

• With over 10,000 participants, the Memorial Day Parade through downtown is one of the largest in the country. The parade begins at 12 noon and proceeds south on State Street from Wacker Drive to Van Buren Street. (May 24)

• Donna Summer discusses her music career during a live interview with Dedry Jones, owner of The Music Experience. The event celebrates the release of her new album, Crayons. (May 24)

• At Pimprov, five actors portray pimps attempting to perform an improv comedy show at the Chemically Imbalanced Theatre. (through Jun 28)

• Lake Shore Drive is shut down for five hours for the Seventh Annual Bike the Drive. From 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., the course runs between Hollywood Avenue and 57^th Street. Hit up the after-party at Butler Field in Grant Park. (May 25)

• The Blue Bayou throws its Fifth Annual Rockin’ Crawfish Boil, a weekend-long party including all-you-can-eat jambalaya, gumbo, and seafood straight from the French Quarter. (May 24-25)

• The indoor/outdoor Fifth Annual Randolph Street Market Festival features antiques and vintage collectibles from over 200 dealers. (May 24-25)

Photo credit: (c/o Flickr): jshyun, swanksalot

Post from: The Chicago Traveler

If you need a moment away from the hustle and bustle of the Windy City, but you can’t make it to one of Illinois’ natural wonders, visit the urban oasis that is the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Covering 4.5 acres (18,211 m²) of the north end of Garfield Park, the conservatory is one of the largest and most remarkable in the country. This humongous garden contains trees, flowers, cacti, and exotic plants from all over the world. Visitors can experience various climates via six interconnected greenhouses and two grand exhibition halls, offering everything from a wet and warm atmosphere to dry desert air. Curious little ones will be amazed by oversized hands-on exhibits and plant life.

Opened to the public in April 1908, the Garfield Park Conservatory always has something new to see. Flower shows change with the season, and several informative displays and activities are available. There are also numerous demonstrations and workshops where attendees can learn about gardening, cooking, and plant identification.

Best of all, admission to the Conservatory is free! There is also free parking available just south of the main entrance. Open every day of the year, it’s always a good time to stop and smell the roses… and the daffodils, and the tulips, and the hyacinths…

Photo credit (c/o Flickr): puroticorico, -Lori-, kudzuplanet, paul goyette, nipplerings72, James Jordan, ElDave

Garfield Park Conservatory: 300 N Central Park Ave; 312-746-5100
Sun – Weds, Fri – Sat: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thurs: 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 pm.
Free parking lot
Public trans: Bus # 82 or Green Line train (Conservatory)
http://www.garfield-conservatory.org/

Post from: The Chicago Traveler

Tremors from the initial quake could be felt even here in Chicago for about 20 seconds. Several people reported being awakened by rattling windows and shaking furniture. Downtown skyscrapers quivered, and bricks shook loose from buildings in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and Louisville.

If that weren’t enough, the U.S. Geological Survey reported at least six aftershocks, including registered magnitudes of 2.2, 2.5, and 4.6.

Seem impossible? The quake is believed to have involved an extension of the New Madrid fault, the center of the most active seismic zone east of the Rockies. To be honest, most of us Midwesterners know about this fault, but we forget about it. That’s because serious quakes usually only occur every 10-20 years. (The last “severe” earthquake in the region was a 5.0 magnitude in 2002.)

Although they may be infrequent, the earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S. are typically felt over a much broader region. In fact, an earthquake can be felt over an area ten times larger than one of the same magnitude on the West Coast.

As you can imagine, the earthquake has been the top news for cities throughout the Midwest. State crews investigated roads and bridges but only reported minor damage. Here in Chicago, it was a busy day for building inspectors, contractors, building owners, and CTA officials. There were emergency inspections of high-rises and construction sites throughout the city, as well as inspections on subway tunnels and ‘eL’ tracks.

Chicagoans had mixed reactions to the whole thing. Some were frightened, not understanding what was going on. Many woke up to the shaking, but in their grogginess, they simply rolled over and went back to sleep, assuming they had been dreaming.

And me? I slept right through it all!

Photo credit: USGS

Post from: The Chicago Traveler

The most popular cultural attraction in Chicago is the Field Museum of Natural History. Sitting along Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan, it is part of the Museum Campus along with the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium.

After the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, people wanted to create a permanent museum to hold many of the scientific and technological exhibits that had been on display. The Columbian Museum of Chicago was built in Jackson Park with the purpose of “accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, and the preservation and exhibition of objects illustrating art, archaeology, science and history.” (–FieldMuseum.org) In honor of Marshall Field, the Museum’s first major benefactor (donating one million dollars), it was renamed the “Field Columbian Museum” in 1894. In 1905, the museum was renamed again to the “Field Museum of Natural History.”

In 1921, the contents of the Field Museum were transferred to its current building, which was much closer to the city’s center. Its neighbors, the planetarium and aquarium, would open just nine years later.

The Museum’s claim to fame is Sue, the most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil yet discovered. She is 42 feet (13 m) long, stands 13 feet (4 m) high (at the hips), and is 67 million years old. Her body sits on the main floor in the center of the museum, while her skull is on display on the second floor. (It was too heavy to mount on the skeleton, so a replica skull sits in its place.) Visitors can watch videos of the skeleton’s restoration as well as animated CAT scans of her skull.

The ground floor is also home to the “Underground Adventure,” where visitors get to feel what it would be like to be the size of a penny and live in soil. Insects and dirt look a lot different when you’re only an inch tall!

The Field Museum hosts a Native American exhibit, complete with totem poles, traditional outfits, and a Pawnee Earth Lodge. Several animals are on display in Mammals of Asia, Mammals of Africa, and others. Sections of the museum are dedicated to Tibet, China, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Inside Ancient Egypt glimpses into the life of ancient Egyptians with 23 mummies on display, 5,000-year-old hieroglyphs, and a recreation of the tomb of Unis-Ankh, the son of Pharaoh Unas. Finally the Museum always has several temporary exhibits on display, usually open for 6 to 11 months.

General Admission is $14 for adults, $9 for children (ages 4-11), and $11 for students and seniors. Chicago residents pay $12, $8, and $10, respectively. Special shows and exhibits may cost extra. The Field Museum is also one of over 25 attractions whose admission is included with the Go Chicago Card. Parking is $15 per car on non-event days, higher on days when the Chicago Park District holds special events nearby. Important note: Only cash payments will be accepted in the parking lot. For directions, admission prices, and other general information, check out the website.

Photo credit (via Flickr): espelina, abmiller99, Atelier Teee, geekoftheweek, birdfarm, karmablue, hibino, Deltasly

Field Museum of Natural History: 1400 S Lake Shore Dr; 312-922-9410
Daily: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Pay lot available
Public trans: Bus # 12, 146
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/

Post from: The Chicago Traveler

The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum opened in 1930 and was the first planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere. It is home to two full-size theaters, including the world’s first all-digital projection StarRider Theater. It stands on Northerly Island (next to Charter One Pavilion), which was initially meant to be the first of several man-made islands along the lakeshore.

In 1923, Dr. Walther Bauersfeld of the Carl Zeiss Corporation in Germany designed a projector fully capable of accurately reproducing the night sky. Placed in the center of a hemispherical room, the machine produced a precise celestial map onto the inner surface of a dome.

In 1928, Max Adler, a philanthropist and early stockholder of Sears, Roebuck and Company, was so impressed by the mechanism that he donated funds to construct the first modern planetarium in the Western Hemisphere.

“Chicago has been striving to create, and in large measure has succeeded in creating, facilities for its citizens of today to live a life richer and more full of meaning than was available for the citizens of yesterday. Toward the creation of such opportunities I have desired to contribute. The popular conception of the Universe is too meager; the Planets and the stars are too far removed from general knowledge. In our reflections, we dwell too little upon the concept that the world and all human endeavor within it are governed by established order and too infrequently upon the truth that under the heavens everything is inter-related, even as each of us to each other.” –Max Adler (Adler Planetarium)

The historic landmark building was designed by architect Ernest Grunsfeld, whose grandson is now a NASA astronaut. Each of the 12 corners is decorated with a bronze plaque, each representing a sign of the zodiac. The dedication plaque in the Rainbow Lobby depicts the gods and goddesses for which the planets are named, but Pluto is missing because it had not been discovered yet. (However, according to the IAU redefinition of a ‘planet’ in 2006, its absence may be considered appropriate.)

Both then and now, the museum contains an impressive collection of artifacts in navigation, engineering, timekeeping, and astronomy. Some of the oldest artifacts date back to 12^th-century Persia. Displays include:

• a reproduction of Stonehenge
• the world’s oldest-known sundial
• pages from Alan Guth’s notebook
• a telescope by William Herschel
• a view of the Chicago night sky without light pollution
• the Dearborn telescope (at one point the largest telescope in the world)

In 1999, the Adler opened the 60,000 ft² (5,574 m²) Sky Pavilion, which features a telescope terrace, a lakefront restaurant, and the StarRider Theater, a completely digital, immersive, dome-based, video-projection environment powered by simulator technology.

Our understanding of the Universe changes constantly, and the Adler Planetarium helps visitors of all ages keep pace with the times and learn about old and new discoveries.

General Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for kids (ages 4-17), and $8 for seniors (65 and over). Chicago residents pay $8, $5, and $6, respectively. Special shows and exhibits may cost extra. Adler Planetarium is also one of over 25 attractions whose admission is included with the Go Chicago Card. Parking is $15 per car on non-event days, higher on days when the Chicago Park District holds special events nearby. Important note: The parking lot is cash only. For directions, admission prices, and other general information, check out the website.

Photo credit (via Flickr): Go Card USA, buriednexttoyou, Atelier Teee, Scutter, MountainBread, iheartspam, Terryfic5, David Paul Ohmer

Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum: 1300 S Lake Shore Dr; 312-922-STAR (7827)
Daily: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(Summer: 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.)
First Fri of every month: 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Pay lot available
Public trans: Bus # 12, 146
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/

Post from: The Chicago Traveler

• Shane Salois of Cream Wine Company and sommelier Rashed Islam lead a tasting of more than 12 champagnes with appetizer pairings at the Leap Year Champagne Seminar at Viet Bistro. (Feb 29)

• At the Leap Year Celebration at Zocalo, get a flan dessert for $2.29 (in honor of the day 2/29) plus half-price appetizers and live music in the bar. (Feb 29)

• The Leap Year Celebration at Café Penelope features buffalo frog legs, “frog’s leap” martinis, and $1.99 margaritas. (Feb 29)

• Habit, a collective only for emerging designers, is holding a Leap Day Sale with 30% off all winter merchandise. (Feb 29)

• Imperial Motors of Jaguar is holding a First Leap for Charity Gala, including wine, appetizers, live jazz, a silent auction, and a fashion show. (Feb 29)

• Enjoy appetizers, cocktails, dancing, and live music by Toast and Jam at Café Brauer as part of their Leap into Hot Winter Night. (Feb 29)

• For their Leap Year Celebration, Vong’s Thai Kitchen offers specially-priced ($29.08) four-course lunch and dinner menus. (Feb 29)

• Whoo Hoo! Free admission to the Museum of Science and Industry in honor of Leap Day.

Photo credit: nutmeg66, jeffbalke

Post from: The Chicago Traveler

The exterior alone is quite impressive, as the building dates back to 1893, when it was used for two World’s Fairs (the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and The Century of Progress Exposition in 1933). It then housed the Columbian Museum, which evolved into the Field Museum of Natural History. When a new Field Museum building opened downtown in 1920, the museum organization moved, and the former site was left vacant. After a few years, the building was selected as the site for a new science museum.

Favorites at the MSI include the genetic exhibit “Chick Hatchery,” where visitors can look in on chicks slowly pecking their way into the world from their shells, and the U-505 Submarine, one of just two German submarines captured during World War II. The “Coal Mine” seems to go hundreds of feet down to demonstrate (in a 25-minute tour) how miners work. “Take Flight” recreates a San Francisco to Chicago flight using a real Boeing 727 jet plane. Silent film star Colleen Moore’s “Fairy Castle” doll house, one of the world’s most famous miniature masterpieces, has also fascinated children and adults for generations. Other popular exhibits include the 3,500-square-foot (325-square-meter) Great Train Story, Yesterday’s Main Street (a mock-up of a common street from the early 1900s complete with a cobblestone road, old-fashioned light fixtures, fire hydrants, and several shops), and Toymaker 3000 (a working assembly line that lets visitors watch as a toy top is made). Finally, the OmniMax Theatre, with its domed, five-story screen and booming sound system, is the centerpiece of the Henry Crown Space Center and a popular attraction.

Underground parking is $12 (all-day), payable by cash or credit card. Museum amenities include coat check, stroller rental, and wheelchairs.

General admission is $11 for adults ($10 for Chicago residents), $7 for kids 3-11 ($6.25), and $9.50 for seniors over 65 ($8.75). OmniMax and special exhibits cost extra. Take note: the museum will be closed Jan 9-11, 2008, in preparation for its 75^th Anniversary. MSI will offer FREE general admission for the remainder of the month of January. Check the website for the schedule of other “free days.”

Photo credit: (c/o Flickr) Casino Jones, adriangonsalves, rpongsaj, hibino, egvvnd, yuan2003

The Museum of Science and Industry: 5700 S Lake Shore Dr; 773-684-1414
Mon – Sat: 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sun: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Underground parking $12 per vehicle
Public trans: Bus # 2, 6, 10, X28, 55, X55
http://www.msichicago.org/

Post from: The Chicago Traveler

Got an idea for a creative costume? Not military-related? Maybe you should stop at American Science & Surplus in Jefferson Park, just down the street from Andy’s Deli.

There really is no adequate way of describing American Science. It’s a bit of an oversized junk drawer, with all kinds of odds, ends, doodads, and thingamajigs. The store carries a large collection of old science-fair things (chemistry sets, ant farms, etc) as well as home repair items (paintbrushes, small engines, wrenches, etc). But that doesn’t even begin to describe the kinds of things you can find in the numerous aisles of this treasure chest. Just to give you an idea…

• a giant Fresnel lens
• lab coats
• blue beads
• telephone bells
• medical supplies
• paint for model boats
• caution tape
• telescopes, microscopes, and gyroscopes
• blank papier-mâché masks
• scented modeling clay
• glass beakers
• seatbelt buckles
• oversized kitchen utensils
• antique radiation detector
• bird-shaped kites
• roll-up keyboard
• giant fly swatter
• sewing thread
• foam body parts
• aluminum suitcase
• infant-sized gas mask
• magnets and motors
• LED displays

With knick-knacks like these, sparks will be flying in the creative part of your brain, making American Science & Surplus a great place to visit all year round.

Photo credit: American Science & Surplus

American Science & Surplus: 5316 N Milwaukee Ave; 773-763-0313
Mon – Wed: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Thurs: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Fri: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sat: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sun: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Free parking lot
Public trans: Bus # 56, 85, 85A, 225, 226, 270
Blue Line train (Jefferson Park)
http://www.sciplus.com/

Post from: The Chicago Traveler