Body, tech exhibits open at Exploration Place this weekend

Exploration Place will welcome families to three new exhibits this weekend that focus on the human body and how technology can improve lives.

Eat Well, Play Well; Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code; and Human Plus: Real Lives + Real Engineering, open Saturday and will remain on display through Jan. 2.

Tristan Carter, marketing and sales coordinator, said all three exhibits are “interactive heavy” and meant to encourage kids of every age to be ‘hands on’. Offering interactive exhibits focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is important, she said.

“Something we’re definitely trying to do now is instill STEM into kids at a young age,” Carter said. “So, when they’re older they can be like, ‘Oh, I’ve done this before’ and hopefully be more apt to pursue STEM careers.”

Eat Well, Play Well features healthy living tips and asks visitors to participate in health and nutrition focused activities.

Visitors can pedal a hand crank to see how many calories can be burned, shop in a miniature grocery store for healthy foods, or figure out the right breakfast to ‘fuel’ a race car. Eat Well, Play Well is a bilingual exhibit with both English and Spanish instructions at each display.

Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code looks at every living thing’s unique DNA code. Visitors will learn about what the genome is and how it plays an important role in each individual’s life. Visitors can check out a 3-D model of a human genome, test their DNA sequence skills, and learn how medical mysteries are being solved through DNA research.

Part of the Genome exhibit features a ‘trait tree’ that explains how certain traits are inherited through DNA such as attached or unattached ear lobes, or the ability to roll your tongue.

Human Plus helps visitors gain a better perspective of the engineering solutions that have improved the lives of those with disabilities. Visitors learn how technology can go beyond just restoring basic abilities with innovations such as a vest that allows the deaf to experience music and prosthetics that enable people to climb mountains.

“You don’t realize all the technology that is improving their way of life,” Carter said.

The exhibit invites guests to step into unique scenarios such as riding a mono-ski, controlling music with the wheels of a wheelchair, or using a hands-free camera mouse. Visitors are able to experience what it is like to adapt to a different way of life.

“A lot of the interactives in these exhibits really make you think, ‘How would I answer that,’ or ‘How would I learn to do that?”’ Carter said.

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Body, tech exhibits open at Exploration Place this weekend."