Denver Museum of Nature and Science
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The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe.
The Museum provides programming in six main areas. The exhibitions, IMAX films, lectures, classes, and programs pertain to one or more of the following core competencies:
The 500,000-square-foot building houses more than a million objects in its collections including natural history and anthropological materials, and archival and library resources.
Education Programs
More than 178,000 students and teachers visit the Museum with school groups each year. In addition, the Museum has science outreach programs and distance–learning opportunities for families, schools and surrounding communities. The Museum also offers teachers ongoing professional training workshops.
Accreditation
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has been awarded accreditation by the American Association of Museums. Accreditation certifies a museum operates according to standards set forth by the museum profession, manages its collections responsibly, and provides quality service to the public.
Staff and Volunteers
The Museum is an independent, nonprofit institution with approximately 350 full-time and part-time staff, more than 1,600 volunteers, and a 25-member Board of Trustees.
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[edit] Museum History
Founded in 1900, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is located in Denver’s City Park and has views of Denver and the Rocky Mountains. The Museum has had three different names since it first opened: The Colorado Museum of Natural History, The Denver Museum of Natural History, and now the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
The Museum traces its origins back to the efforts of one man, a pioneer naturalist named Edwin Carter who devoted his life to his true love: the scientific study of Colorado birds, mammals and fauna. Since 1900, the Museum collection has grown from Carter’s collection, housed in a log cabin, to the largest natural history museum in the western United States, housing more than a million objects in its collections. Its facilities and the broad range of research conducted by Museum scientists continue to make this institution a vibrant work in progress.
Today at the Museum, visitors are invited to participate in science learning and become more engaged with what they see, feel and hear. They also learn about current science topics in the news, such as the latest discovery in space or significant fossil finds.
The Museum is known for its children’s discovery areas, the Space Odyssey exhibition, Gates Planetarium, the Prehistoric Journey exhibition, IMAX films, Egyptian mummies, wildlife exhibits, colorful gems and minerals, the Hall of Life health center, dynamic temporary exhibitions, and visionary education programs. Visitors can also experience the “best view in Denver” from the Anschutz Family Sky Terrace and Leprino Family Atrium on the west side of the building. Here, visitors enjoy views of the Front Range—from Longs Peak in the north to Pikes Peak in the south.
Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible by funds from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), created by area voters in 1988. The SCFD is a 0.1 percent sales tax that helps fund institutions like the Museum.
[edit] Permanent Exhibitions
- Discovery Zone, interactive educational center geared toward children and families who like fun, hands-on activities.
- Egyptian Mummies, teaching how the ancient civilization of Egypt regarded its living and preserved its dead.
- Expedition Health, about the constantly changing and adapting of the human body.
- Gems & Minerals, a re-created mine for examining a host of colorful crystals and minerals found both locally and globally.
- North American Indian Cultures, demonstrating the diversity among Native American groups and the practicality and artistry of their everyday objects.
- Prehistoric Journey, tracing the evolution of life on Earth, from single-celled organisms to dinosaurs to the inhabitants of today’s world.
- Space Odyssey, about the Universe and your place in it.
- Wildlife Exhibits, animals big and small come to life in dioramas.
[edit] Temporary Exhibitions
- October 16, 2009 through February 7, 2010 - Genghis Khan
- February 3, 2009 through May 3, 2009 - Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters
- September 26, 2008 through January 4, 2009 - Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries
- February 15, 2008 through June 6, 2008 - GOLD
- June 22, 2007 through January 6, 2008 - Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition
- March 2 through May 20, 2007- Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World
- September 29 through January 1, 2007- Engineer It!
- March 10 through July 23, 2006 - Body Worlds 2: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies
- September 10, 2004 through January 23, 2005 - The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt
- February 13 through May 9, 2004 - Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas
[edit] Planned Exhibitions
- Earth Science Hall
- Human Journey Hall
[edit] Gates Planetarium
Gates Planetarium is one of the most sophisticated planetariums in the world. Its realistic and accurate view of the universe and its sophisticated technological infrastructure tell science stories and help visitors experience the universe.
The 125-seat planetarium features:
- Unidirectional, semi-reclining stadium seating (125 seats and four wheelchair spaces).
- 16.4 surround-sound system featuring Ambisonic -- a 3-D spatial sound system.
- Images from NASA and other leading research institutions.
- A perforated metal dome, 56 feet in diameter and tilted 25 degrees.
[edit] Phipps IMAX Theater
The film used in the [IMAX] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imax projector is four times larger than standard 35 mm movie film. A typical IMAX film is delivered on a four-foot-wide horizontal platter and weighs about 250 pounds. It takes nearly two-and-a-half miles of film for a 45-minute IMAX movie.
The Phipps IMAX Theater has been showing large-format films since 1983. Prior to this, the space was known as Phipps Auditorium. Between 1940 and 1982, people used Phipps for variety of programs, from concerts and conventions, to Saturday morning nature films sponsored by the Museum. Phipps IMAX Theater seats 440 people and offers showings daily.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Map of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, February 2006, Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
- "Future Plans", September 5, 2007, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science website.
Coordinates: 39°44′51″N 104°56′33″W / 39.7475°N 104.9425°W
