Scientists and students are invited to see a life-sized saber-toothed tiger in downtown Hilo starting today in a new upcoming exhibit hall at the Hawaii Science & Technology Museum.
Located on the second floor of the Kaikodo Building at 64 Keawe St., the exhibit will feature several natural history artifacts including marine and dinosaur fossils and the saber-toothed tiger, acquired by the La Brea Tar Pits in California.
“This is the grand opening of our new exhibit where we will have fossils, an interactive digital exhibit and many different things available for children,” said Christian Wong, executive director of HSTM. “But the most noteworthy is the saber-toothed tiger. It is a life-size specimen, suitable for research.
Founded in 2015, the non-profit organization HSTM prioritized hands-on experiences for visitors and students to engage in the educational process.
“The space is really meant to be a fun and comfortable place for families to come and spend quality time together,” said Wong. “Our exhibits always focus on that practical aspect of learning. They’re learning the science and they don’t even realize it, because they’re having so much fun. “
This approach will continue with the next museum exhibition.
“We will have microscopes that children can use to observe marine life and marine fossils,” Wong said. “We also have a lot of other fossils from that era, including cave lions, a short-faced bear, and a couple of dinosaur fossils, including a Mosasaurus and a baby (Tyrannosaurus rex).”
The exhibit will also feature an interactive pirate ship, awaiting installation.
“We hope to have it by this weekend and if not, it will definitely be done by the next time we open,” he said. “It is a deceived pirate ship that contains all kinds of electronics and is an interactive space where children can explore.”
The exhibits promote STEAM subjects, i.e. science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
“Our organization has been conducting STEAM education for the community for the past seven years, managing activities such as science camps, after-school programs and mentoring,” said Wong. “This is a really great moment for us. It took a lot of work and determination to get to this point ”.
Future events planned for the year include a science night for teens and an annual rocket competition.
“We always have a lot to do,” said Wong, who suggested people follow HSTM’s social media accounts and mailing list to stay informed.
“In addition to the opening of our brand new exhibition hall, this is also the reopening of our Kenyan K. Beals Community Robotics Center,” he said.
Located on the third floor of the Mokupapapa Discovery Center, this collaboration offers students the chance to learn engineering.
“Every Saturday for the whole summer from 10am to 2pm, we will have a robotic education there,” Wong said. “We want to encourage parents, students and teachers who want to get involved in robotics and provide them with the tools, knowledge and experience to build their teams and really get into it.”
Robotics will also be at the center of HSTM’s next fall exhibition.
“We will create a track in our museum and we will have a space where children can build their own remote controlled cars using electronics,” he said.
Today’s grand opening will coincide with World Ocean Day events to be held at Kalakaua Park from 10:00 to 14:00
“We will have a lot of different activities and educational information about protecting our oceans,” Wong said.
The Ocean Day event is the inaugural collaboration between HSTM, the Mokupapapa Discovery Center, the Eastern Hawaii Cultural Center and the Pacific Tsunami Museum, collectively known as Museum Square.
“It’s a collaboration between our museums and local businesses in the area,” said Wong. “We will publish traditional Hawaiian canoe sculpture information along with a life-size canoe.”
The event is the first of many scheduled for next year.
“We are planning to make a fantastic haunted house involving all four museums for the fall,” he said. “We will do something like this every quarter.”
The new natural history exhibition for HSTM will continue in the fall.
“I think those natural history fossils will be a big draw for this exhibit. We will also have arts and crafts activities, ”Wong said. “But of course, our saber-toothed tiger is the star of the show. This is what people have been really eager to come and see ”.
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