Everything's an exhibit at San Francisco's new Exploratorium

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Exploratorium reopens next week at its new home on the San Francisco waterfront. ABC7 News is the hands-on science museum's television partner and in this Assignment 7 report, I got an exclusive first look at some of the exhibits that are now in the works.

At night, one gallery there looks like science fiction, but by day, it's all about understanding science facts.

"This is the area of the new Exploratorium where we focus on biology," said Kristina Yu, the living systems director.

You can examine huge forms of life like a 330-year-old Douglas fir that blew down in a wind storm.

"Right around the year 1670 is when that little pinecone popped open and that little seed sprouted and became that large, large tree," said Michael Brown, an artist and exhibition designer.

Or check out the tiny creatures that live in a single drop of salt water, magnified to give you a good look.

"This is really the heart of the living systems gallery. This is where we grow or maintain or culture most of the critters that actually wind up in the exhibits," said Yu as she was showing us around.

Yu: "We like to think of it as kind of the open kitchen for biology."
Ashley: "The open kitchen. In other words, you'll be able to see the scientists at work doing what they do."
Yu: "Exactly."

Many of the new art and science exhibits here focus on water to complement their location right above the San Francisco Bay.

"When you put one of these lenses on [this surface], it shows you the distribution of the plankton at that spot in the ocean," said Isaac Liao, Ph.D., from UC Davis.

Ashley: "This is a piece of modern sculpture, right?"
Yu: "This is an algae chandelier."
Ashley: "Wait a minute, there's actually algae living in there?"
Yu: "Yes, probably trillions."
Ashley: "Trillions of algae, green algae and brown algae."
Yu: "So the color comes from the algae themselves. They are pretty concentrated right now, but over time the color will become more saturated as the population gets more dense."

This new gallery has also given an old favorite fancy new digs. You don't want to miss the cow eye dissection. When you stroll around the rest of the building, expect some surprises. One special mirror was originally made for a flight simulator in Germany.

"It makes a three dimensional image. The secret is the curved mirror. So every point of light on your body is reassembled into a new point, but it just happens to be upside down and switched side to side," said Paul Doherty, an Exploratorium physicist.

Just about anything you see here could actually be an exhibit. Sound developer David Torgersen is playing musical lockers. It doesn't take long to get the hang of it.

As you can see, there's a lot of cool stuff happening at the new Exploratorium. It's really a remarkable place.

This Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7 News, you can get a preview when we present the special: "More to Explore, The Making of the New Exploratorium." I'll be hosting the half-hour special with an exclusive inside look at San Francisco's newest treasure.

Opening Day is April 17, 2013.

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney

(Copyright ©2013 KGO-TV/DT.

View the original article here

Exploratorium to debut outside fog exhibit

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Exploratorium reopens on Wednesday in a brand new building on the San Francisco Waterfront. I'll be the Emcee for the opening ceremony that starts at 9 a.m. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Ed Lee will speak, followed by the ringing of a new bronze bell at 9:45. Doors open at 10 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.

ABC7 News is the Exploratorium's official television partner and we've already shown you a lot of the new exhibits planned for inside the building. Now, here's is an exclusive first look at some of what they're planning outside.

The Exploratorium spent its first 44 years at the Palace of Fine Arts, creating a reputation for cutting-edge science and art exhibits.

The new building at Pier 15 offers three times the space and a first for the Exploratorium, a permanent spot for outside exhibits. That space was created out of a giant parking lot on the north side of the building. It's now ready for new life as an outdoor oasis. For the first six months, that life will be filled with fog.

We watched a trial run of a fog sculpture created by Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya, who's here to oversee the installation. When the work is finished, visitors on the bridge will be engulfed by fog.

"It's art that you can look at and observe, but you can also experience and be in. It's an immersive experience," said Eric Dimond, the assistant outdoor works curator.

And when you step off the bridge, the fog puts on a show. The fog will operate every half hour. When it clears, you'll be able to see artist Chris Bell's creation.

We watched Bell as he moved around in an inflatable boat testing little mirrors that will eventually create a light show with reflected sun on the rafters. Right now there are just a few, but the finished work will have 1,000.

Another exhibit in the works will allow you to dial up your own custom rain storm, adjusting the size, speed and frequency of the drops. This will be an outdoor exhibit, but it's being perfected inside under controlled conditions.

"The prototyping process is a very, very delicate one, where you are finding things out, you are getting excited about certain aspects of playing around with the prototype and then you're constantly thinking, 'How are we going to recreate what's happening for us for the visitor?'" said Shawn Lani, the outdoor works curator.

A musical metal bridge was dreamed up by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. He wanted to play music on a model of the Golden Gate Bridge. Exploratorium engineers made it happen.

After weeks of fine-tuning, Hart actually played the model at the anniversary celebration for the real bridge. Now the instrument is being rebuilt in a form that Exploratorium visitors can play.

ABC7 News Exploratorium special:
This Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7 News, you can get a preview when we present the special: "More to Explore, The Making of the New Exploratorium." ABC7 News anchor Dan Ashley be hosting the half-hour special with an exclusive inside look at San Francisco's newest treasure.

Opening day for the Exploratorium is April 17, 2013.

written and produced by Jennifer Olney

(Copyright ©2013 KGO-TV/DT.

View the original article here

Unique approach to new earthquake exhibit

  SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The California Academy of Sciences launches a big earthquake exhibit next weekend that will include an earthquake simulator, a walk-through model of the earth and some unexpected over-the-top cuteness. ABC7 News got a behind the scenes look at how the staff is prepping the animal part of the show.

When you think earthquake, you might not immediately think ostrich. But these little guys are living examples of how the movement of the earth's surface affects evolution.

"The surface of the earth is made up of a number of pieces that all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle," says Peter Roopnarine of the California Academy of Sciences.

Millions of years ago, ostrich ancestors lived on what's known as a supercontinent. Over time, that giant land mass split apart and eventually became the continents we know now.

Ostrich ancestors ended up in different places and evolved differently. So while the ostrich is from Africa, it's closest relative, the rhea, is from South America. The same thing happened to other animals and plants, but the California Academy of Sciences chose ostriches to make that point in their new earthquake exhibit.

"We're basically hand-raising ostriches in the middle of a museum and I can guarantee that that has never happened before," says biologist Tim Steinmetz.

Ostrich eggs were collected from farms, including one in San Ramon. A nine-foot tall daddy ostrich is named Goliath. When ABC7 News went out to see his nest, he launched into a dramatic display, meant to distract us. Down in the academy basement, the eggs are put in an incubator for six weeks. Steinmetz carefully monitors their progress and with a light. He pointed out where the bird's beak was inside the egg. After 42 days, the chicks begin to hatch.

"We can do this to them to fluff them up and then they'll be able to keep their heat better," says Steinmetz. "If you have ostriches in the wild, by the time they are a day old, they are already running with their parents."

But at the academy, human foster parents place the chicks gently in their new home. The exhibit floor is heated to keep things cozy and they get a variety of tasty treats.

The staff is still racing to finish the whole exhibit so the chicks have a few days to get used to the area before the public arrives.

Ostrich chicks grow fast.

"When they are six weeks old, they will be about this tall [about 2 feet]," says Steinmetz.

That's too big for their pen, so after six weeks, the chicks will go back to the farms where their eggs were laid and a new group of babies will be hatched for the exhibit.

When they are a little older, the chicks will go outside in Golden Gate Park to exercise.

The exhibit opens Saturday, May 26, 2012.
>> LINK: Exhibit details

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney

(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT.

View the original article here