Top Programs and Events in March and April 2012

Included in this advisory are key programs and events at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science that aim to inspire curiosity and excite minds of all ages through scientific discovery. 

TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

NEW! Lizards & Snakes -FREE with Admission

Now Open

See 60 live animals at the Museum. The Burmese python, green basilisk, and more star in this fascinating exhibition. Featuring an impressive lineup of lizards and snakes from five continents, Lizards & Snakes introduces visitors to these adaptable, colorful, and sometimes dangerous creatures. The engaging combination of live animals, real and cast fossils, extensive multimedia, hands-on interactives, and an activity area specifically for children offers a fascinating look into the wild world of lizards and snakes that will enthrall and educate visitors of all ages.

SPECIAL OFFER

FREE Field Trips for 2011-2012 School Year

The Museum is offering free exhibition admission and free self-guided tours to all school groups and organized youth groups this school year. Additionally, the Museum is offering scholarships to cover bus fuel costs and to reduce fees for onsite labs and classes. As the region's leading resource for informal science education, the Museum hosts more than 300,000 students and their chaperones each year. The organization is committed to making science affordable, fun, exciting, and engaging. Learn more at www.dmns.org/teachers.

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT

NEW! Arctic Sanctuary - FREE with Admission

Opens March 2

Arctic Sanctuary, featuring the photography of Jeff Jones, reveals the natural landscape, significance, and stunning beauty of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Fifty images-from large-scale panoramas to intimate and abstract studies of nature's elemental forms-take visitors on an engaging exploration of wilderness and its significance in the modern world.

IMAX

NEW! Tornado Alley 3D

Now Showing

Experience the adrenaline and the science of nature's most dramatic phenomena. JoinStorm Chasersstar Sean Casey and the researchers of Vortex 2, the most ambitious effort ever made to understand the origins and evolution of tornadoes, in this heart-pounding science adventure.

NEW! Flying Monsters 3D

Now Showing

Uncover the truth about the mysterious pterosaurs, whose wingspans of up to 40 feet were equal to that of a modern jet plane.  Enter the lush and alien environment in which these creatures lived, and experience real flying monsters.

NEW! To the Arctic 3D

Opens April 20

Follow the lives of a mother polar bear and her two cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home.  Captivating, adventurous, and intimate footage brings you up close and personal with this family's struggle to survive and thrive in a frigid environment of melting ice, immense glaciers, spectacular waterfalls, and majestic snow-bound peaks.

PLANETARUIM

NEW! Wildest Weather in the Solar System

Now Showing

Take a spectacular journey to witness the most beautiful, powerful, and mysterious weather phenomena in the solar system. After seeing a storm the size of a 100-megaton hydrogen bomb and a 400-year-old hurricane, you'll be glad you live on Earth.

MARCH EVENTS

Observing Mars

Saturday, March 3, 7 p.m., $12 member, $15 nonmember, $8 child (ages 3-12)

Don't miss this family-friendly opportunity to see Mars in a way that's rarely possible. Once every 26 months, Mars is positioned opposite the sun and very close to Earth. We'll provide the telescopes and Steve Lee, curator of planetary science, will provide the science behind the Mars opposition. 

Science Lounge: Crack the Case
Thursday, March 15 6:30-9:30 p.m., $8 member, $10 nonmember

(If sold out online, tickets available at the door.)

Enjoy a mind-expanding experience with cocktails and entertainment every third Thursday of the month. Ages 21 and up. This month,try your hand at forensic sleuthing and solve a mystery at the Museum. Armed with science and a Bloody Mary, identify and analyze evidence at the scene of a crime. You'll discover that bones can tell a story, learn how to type blood, and delicately lift hidden fingerprints. Plus, we'll debunk science myths from popular crime dramas, likeCSI.

Digging Snowmastodon

Tuesday, March 20, 7 p.m., $8 member, $10 nonmember

If you couldn't get your hands dirty at the historic dig near Snowmass Village, then get your hands on a copy of the book that tells the story. Written with humor by Museum scientists Kirk Johnson and Ian Miller,Digging Snowmastodon: Discovering an Ice Age World in the Colorado Rockies, follows the dig from the first fossil found in October 2010 through the intense field season of summer 2011. The research now continues in the Museum's labs. Help us celebrate the book launch, bring your questions, and hear about "hot off the press" Snowmastodon research.

Tornado Alley with Sean Casey

Friday, March 23, $15 member, $18 nonmember, $15 student, $12 child (ages 3-12)

Storm Chasers star Sean Casey will host this special screening of the new IMAX film, Tornado Alley. Hear behind the scenes stories from this heart-pounding science adventure and learn how Sean and his team used advanced weather measurement instruments and customized vehicles to experience a tornado's destructive power at point-blank range.

Slithering Spring Break
Saturday, March 24-Sunday, April 1, Free with Museum Admission

Experience a week of reptilian family fun during spring break. Visit the Lizards & Snakes exhibition and enjoy activities throughout the Museum including snake crafts, snake races, live animal presentations, and more.

Spring Break Day Camps

Monday, March 26-Friday, March 30

A fun way to spend Spring Break! Early morning check-in will be available for these camps from 7:30 to 9 a.m. For more information and registration, visit www.dmns.org/learn.

APRIL EVENTS

SCFD Community FREE Day-Earth Day

April 22, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., FREE

Visit Lizards & Snakes; enjoy outstanding permanent exhibitions including Expedition Health, Space Odyssey, Prehistoric Journey, and Egyptian Mummies; and participate in plus special Earth Day activities for the whole family.

Science Lounge: The Science of Flight
Thursday, April 19, 6:30-9:30 p.m., $8 member, $10 nonmember

(If sold out online, tickets available at the door.)Enjoy a mind-expanding experience with cocktails and entertainment every third Thursday of the month. Ages 21 and up. This month,enjoy a flight of beer as you learn about flying monsters - past, present, and future. Take a lesson in aerodynamics by building and launching your own rockets and paper airplanes. Also, watch the IMAX 3D film, Flying Monsters.  Did we mention flights of beer?

Arctic Sanctuary: Meet the Artists

Wednesday, April 25,7 p.m., $12 member, $15 nonmember

Explore the majestic Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with photographer Jeff Jones as he transports you to the diverse habitats that make the refuge the most species-rich conservation area in the circumpolar north. Jones will share photographic techniques he used to capture these stunning landscapes. Following the program, enjoy a special showing of the "Arctic Sanctuary" photography exhibition and a book signing where Jones will be joined by his coauthor, Laurie Hoyle. To learn more, visit www.dmns.org. Space is limited.

MEDIA CONTACT

Charlotte Hurley: 303-370-6407, [email protected]  

Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205.  To learn more about the Museum, check www.dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000.
 
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Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by the citizens of the