Scientists and students are invited to see a life-size saber-toothed tiger in downtown Hilo in a new exhibition hall at the Hawaii Science and Technology Museum starting today.
Located on the second floor of the Kaikodo Building at 64 Keawe St., the exhibit will feature a variety of natural history artifacts, including fossils of sea and dinosaurs and a saber-toothed tiger, acquired from La Brea Tar Pits in California.
“This is the grand opening of our new exhibition, where we will have fossils, an interactive digital exhibit and a variety of children’s items available,” said Christian Wong, HSTM’s executive director. “But the most notable is the saber-toothed tiger. It’s a full-size, research-grade issue. “
Founded in 2015, HSTM is a non-profit organization that prioritizes hands-on experiences for visitors and students to participate in the educational process.
“The area really wants to be a fun and comfortable place for families to spend quality time together,” Wong said. “Our exhibitions are always based on this practical aspect of learning. They’re learning science, and they don’t even realize it because they’re having a good time. “
This approach will continue with the museum’s next exhibition.
“We will have microscopes that children can use to see marine life and marine fossils,” Wong said. “We also have a bunch of other fossils from that period, including cave lions, a short-faced bear and a pair of fossil dinosaurs, including the Mosasaurus and the baby (Tyrannosaurus rex).”
The exhibition will also feature an interactive pirate ship awaiting installation.
“We hope to have it for this weekend, and if it doesn’t, it will definitely be open for the next one,” he said. “It’s a small pirate ship, it has all kinds of electronics, and it’s an interactive space that kids can explore.”
The exhibition promotes STEAM subjects, or science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
“Our organization has been doing STEAM education for the community for the past seven years, doing things like science camps, extracurricular programs, and tutoring,” Wong said. “It simply came to our notice then. It took a lot of work and determination to get here. ”
Future events planned for the year include a teen science night and an annual rocket competition.
“We always have a lot of things going on,” Wong said, suggesting people follow HSTM social media accounts and mailing lists to stay informed.
“In addition to opening our new exhibition hall, our Ken Beals Community Robotics Center in Kenya is also reopening,” he said.
Located on the third floor of the Mokupapapa Discovery Center, this partnership offers students the opportunity to learn engineering.
“Throughout the summer every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., we will have robotics education there,” Wong said. “We want to encourage parents, students and teachers who want to get involved in robotics, and we want to give them the tools, the knowledge and the experience to form their own team and really get into it.”
Robotics will also be the focus of HSTM’s next fall exhibition.
“We will create a racetrack in our museum and have a space where children can build their own remote control cars using electronics,” he said.
Today’s inauguration will coincide with World Oceans Day events in Kalakaua Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We will have a lot of activities and educational information on protecting our oceans there,” Wong said.
The Ocean Day event is an initial collaboration between HSTM, the Mokupapapa Discovery Center, the East Hawaii Cultural Center, and the Pacific Tsunami Museum, known as Museum Square.
“It’s a partnership between our museums and local businesses,” Wong said. “Along with a full-size canoe, we will be spreading information about the traditional carving of Hawaiian canoes.”
The event is the first of its kind planned for next year.
“We’re thinking of making a wonderful enchanted house with four museums involved in the fall,” he said. “We’re going to do something like this every quarter.”
HSTM’s new natural history exhibition will continue in the fall.
“I think these fossils of natural history will be a great attraction for this exhibition. We will also have arts and crafts activities, ”Wong said. “But of course our saber-toothed tiger is the protagonist of the show. That’s what people want to see. “
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