Living in Our Material World

February 21, 2011

MAKING STUFF Weekend at Discovery Place
Explore Stronger, Smaller, Cleaner, Smarter Materials
Special Weekend Event February 25-27

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Plastics made of sugar that dissolve in landfills? Clothes that can monitor mood? What will the future be made of, and how will we see, feel and experience the materials that will be part of our world? For thousands of years humans have been manipulating the elements and the world’s raw materials and constantly generating new materials that function differently. The Museum will offer an opportunity to get hands-on with the latest in cutting-edge materials that are stronger, smaller, cleaner and smarter by exploring the innovative elements of materials science during a special MAKING STUFF Weekend at Discovery Place, February 25-27, 2011.

Based on a new NOVA series on PBS hosted by popular New York Times reporter David Pogue, MAKING STUFF Weekend at Discovery Place will explore information about the latest research in materials technology from scientists and researchers who will be on-hand to share their work and inventions. With more than 300,000 different known materials in existence, modern materials scientists are constantly manipulating and changing substances based on fundamental understandings of how they are comprised, and often doing so on the scale of tiny invisible atoms. Their discoveries are helping to revolutionize the quality and capabilities of materials we use every day, improving durability, strength, energy and other measures. Expected to revolutionize medicine and technology, these innovations are likely to result in an unprecedented trove of nifty new stuff that is sure to transform the way we live, work and play.

“Materials science is literally the science of stuff, whether that stuff is your computer, your car, your shoes or your coffee cup,” said Robert Corbin, vice president, Learning Experiences, at Discovery Place. “You only need to look at our ancestors to see what a pivotal role materials have played in the progression of civilization, from the Stone Age to the Iron Age and beyond.”

Guests can get their hands on weird and wacky components of materials that push the boundaries of science, dabbling with revolutionary advances in chemistry, biology and physics. Knowledge will be tested as visitors build cleaner batteries and magnetic robots, experiment with viscosity and conduct a spoon-drop strength test. In the Explore More Stuff lab, budding scientists can alter the look of a car with fabric skin, tinker with shape-changing memory metals, take a closer peek at materials using video and binocular microscopes, and use hair-thin muscle wire to create movement. Inside the Explore More Life lab, Dr. Tonya Coffey, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Appalachian State University and student volunteers will offer a spectacular and often unseen view of the new frontier of materials technology with a special scanning electron microscope for visitors to study their skin.

Museum-goers also can wander into the Museum’s Think It Up exhibition and meet Trashionista, Discovery Place’s bold resident fashion designer, known for transforming common “stuff” such as junk and recycled materials to create high fashion. She will welcome would-be designers at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, inspiring them to express their ingenuity by joining her design house and creating items for her innovative, daring and completely recyclable couture fashion line.

“We truly live in a material world and are on the forefront of burgeoning advancements in this kind of science and technology,” said Corbin. “As more research is conducted, we will continue to see even more materials that are stronger, smaller, cleaner and smarter that change the way we live our lives.”

The schedule of guest speakers for MAKING STUFF Weekend at Discovery Place, features University of North Carolina at Charlotte professors across multiple disciplines

Friday, February 25
11:00 a.m. – Dr. Tim Gutu and Zhe Guan: The Nanoworld Observed by Electron Microscopy
4:00 p.m. – Chika Chukwu: Fabrication and Application of Nano-Materials
Saturday, February 26
11:00 a.m. – Dr. Thomas Schmedake: Designing Nanoscale Materials to Harness Solar Energy
2:00 p.m – Dr. Ahmed El-Ghannam; Bio-Active Ceramics for Bone Regeneration
3:30 p.m. – Dr. Ed Stokes; 50 Years of Electronic Music: From the Research Lab to Your Smart Phone
Sunday, February 27
2:00 p.m. – Dr. Gloria Elliot and Stephanie Cellemme: How Sweet It Is – Making Glass from Sugar
3:30 p.m. – Chika Chukwu: Fabrication and Application of Nano-Materials

Discovery Place operating hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sunday noon – 5:00 p.m. Admission to Discovery Place is $12 for adults (14-59); $10 for seniors (60 and older) and $9 for children (2-13); free for children younger than 2 and Members. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.

About MAKING STUFF
MAKING STUFF, NOVA’s exciting four-part documentary series, premiered January 19, 2011. MAKING STUFF takes viewers on a thrilling tour of the material world and presents dramatic stories about how the field of materials science has changed history and is shaping the future. Each episode – Stronger, Smaller, Cleaner and Smarter – gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at scientific innovations that are happening every day on the frontiers of scientific research and ushering in a new generation of materials. MAKING STUFF is hosted by respected journalist, New York Times technology columnist, and Emmy Award-winning CBS News correspondent David Pogue.

About Discovery Place
One of the top hands-on science museums in the nation, Discovery Place provides ever-changing, entertaining facilities that engage the public in the active exploration of science and nature. More than a half-million people from all over the United States visit Discovery Place, its IMAX Dome Theatre and Charlotte Nature Museum each year. In June 2010, the Museum completed an 18-month, $31.6 million renovation, resulting in a completely transformed and re-imagined Museum with all-new interactive exhibits. Discovery Place KIDS, a community-based children’s museum for children from birth through age 7, opened its first location in Huntersville in October, 2010.

Discovery Place is located in uptown Charlotte at 301 N. Tryon Street. Convenient parking is available in the Museum’s parking deck – the Carol Grotnes Belk Complex – at the corner of Sixth and Church Streets. For more information about Discovery Place, call (704)372-6261 or visit discoveryplace.org. Discovery Place is supported, in part, with a Basic Operating Grant from the Arts & Sciences Council.


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