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SCIENCE CENTRAL IS A REGIONAL RESOURCE THAT PROVIDES INSPIRING AND FUN HANDS-ON SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR ALL PEOPLE OF ALL AGES.

INCREASING PUBLIC WILLINGNESS TO ATTEND EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE HOME ALLOWED SCIENCE CENTRAL TO SUCCESSFULLY HOST SEVERAL NEW AND UNIQUE EVENTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE 2021-2022 FISCAL YEAR. SOME OF THESE EVENTS INCLUDED WORLD ARCHITECTURE DAY, CHEMISTRY DAY, AND MAD SCIENCE DAY, WHICH WAS HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT'S ANNUAL FRIGHT NIGHT EVENT. WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO PROVIDE HANDS-ON SCIENCE ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE OF OUR FACILITY AT EVENTS LIKE TASTE OF THE ARTS, THE HISTORY CENTER'S FESTIVAL OF GINGERBREAD, AND WORLD RIVERS DAY, HELD AT PROMENADE PARK. SPECIAL EVENTS AT OUR CENTER AND AT OTHER COMMUNITY LOCATIONS HELP LEAD NEW AUDIENCES WITH A WIDE RANGE OF INTERESTS TO DISCOVER THE WONDER OF STEM AND, IN THE CASE OF EVENTS LIKE WORLD RIVERS DAY, ALLOW US TO SHOWCASE PARTICULAR STEM TOPICS IN DEPTH. OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO PRESENT THE COMMUNITY WITH THREE TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS. THE FIRST, "GOING VIRAL," HELPED VISITORS LEARN ABOUT THE NATURE OF VIRUSES AND HOW PANDEMICS SPREAD. THE SECOND, "OUTREACH TO SPACE," USED SEVERAL HANDS-ON, INTERACTIVE STATIONS TO EDUCAT VISITORS ABOUT HOW HUMANS TRAVEL TO SPACE, WHAT IS NEEDED TO SURVIVE IN SPACE, AND WHAT THE FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION MAY HOLD. THE THIRD, "OUR WEAKENING WEB," USED REALISTIC DIORAMAS AND INTERACTIVE STATIONS TO TEACH VISITORS ABOUT NATURAL EXTINCTIONS AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE MANY ORGANISMS THAT MAKE UP ECOSYSTEMS. SCIENCE CENTRAL ADDED SEVERAL NEW AND EXCITING EXHIBITS IN THE 2021-2022 FISCAL YEAR. THESE INCLUDED "MAKE-IT DIE CUT," IN WHICH VISITORS LEARN ABOUT THE MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUE OF DIE CUTTING BY USING A METAL DIE TO CUT A PIECE OF PAPER INTO A SHAPE THAT CAN BE FOLDED INTO A BOX, WHICH VISITORS CAN THEN TAKE WITH THEM. THIS POPULAR EXHIBIT ENCOURAGES VISITORS TO CONSIDER THE STEM ASPECTS OF MANUFACTURING, WHICH IS IMPORTANT IN INDIANA, WHERE MANUFACTURING IS ECONOMICALLY SIGNIFICANT. ANOTHER NEW EXHIBIT IS THE "WIND LAB." AT THIS EXHIBIT, VISITORS CAN PUT DIFFERENT SHAPED BLADES ON MODEL WIND TURBINES TO SEE HOW THESE CHANGES AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF POWER PRODUCED BY THE TURBINE. THIS RENEWABLE ENERGY EXHIBIT IS ONE OF THE WAYS SCIENCE CENTRAL ENGAGES VISITORS WITH STEM TOPICS RELEVANT TO THE CURRENT ERA. THE "PIXEL PEG," LOCATED IN OUR EARLY LEARNERS' AREA, KIDS CENTRAL, ALLOWS CHILDREN TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES CREATIVELY AS THEY EXPERIMENT WITH COLOR AND LIGHT BY INSERTING LARGE, COLORFUL, TRANSPARENT PEGS ONTO A LIGHT UP BOARD. FOR THOSE FAMILIAR WITH THE LITE BRITE TOY, THIS EXHIBIT IS LIKE A GIANT VERSION OF IT. FINALLY, OUR NEWEST EXHIBIT IS THE TOPOGRAPHY SANDBOX, WHICH ALLOWS VISITORS TO SHAPE SAND INTO LANDSCAPES, WHILE A CAMERA AND PROJECTOR ABOVE THE SANDBOX PROJECTS DIFFERENT COLORS ONTO DIFFERENT HEIGHTS OF SAND AND SHOWS HOW WATER WOULD FLOW THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE. THIS EXHIBIT CAN BE USED TO DEMONSTRATE MANY EARTH SCIENCE AND GEOLOGY CONCEPTS. ALL THESE NEW EXHIBITS EXPAND WHAT VISITORS CAN LEARN AT SCIENCE CENTRAL AND ENCOURAGE BOTH NEW AND REPEAT VISITORS TO COME AND EXPERIENCE HANDS-ON SCIENCE IN IN FRESH AND INTERESTING WAYS.