Explore the Hidden Secrets of Everyday Stuff
Exhibition now open!

Get ready for a totally hands-on experience! Here’s your chance to explore the world of materials science, or the “study of stuff.”

High-tech fields are known for their use of advanced materials. But did you know that these materials have also found their way into the things you use every day? From cell phone antennas to golf clubs and eye glass frames to DVD players, discover the “study of stuff” in this exciting and educational exhibition.

Experiment with incredible materials as you uncover the secrets behind everyday stuff:

• Crank up a bowling ball and let it fly – you’ll see if a pane of heat-tempered glass can withstand the shock or if the glass will shatter!
• Squish your hands in magnetic liquid and feel it morph from fluid to solid at the touch of a button!
• Get an extreme close-up and zoom from the macro to the nano scale and see how scientists “feel atoms”
• Witness a dramatic column of foam reach for the ceiling and marvel at the lightest material ever made—aerogel
• Drop ball bearings on different types of metal and watch as one bounces for an impossibly long time
• Bend and twist a Nitinol metal ribbon and watch what happens when you add hot air

Strange Matter features more than a dozen hands-on exhibits for families and children of all ages. Don’t miss this cool close encounter with the amazing world of materials science!

The Strange Matter exhibition runs through January 3, 2011.