Lawrence Hall of Science
Encyclopedia
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
campus, LHS is also a resource center for preschool through high school science and mathematics education.
Established in 1968 in honor of Ernest Orlando Lawrence
Ernest Lawrence
Ernest Orlando Lawrence was an American physicist and Nobel Laureate, known for his invention, utilization, and improvement of the cyclotron atom-smasher beginning in 1929, based on his studies of the works of Rolf Widerøe, and his later work in uranium-isotope separation for the Manhattan Project...
, UC's first Nobel laureate, Lawrence Hall of Science also develops teaching materials and programs for students, teachers, families, and the general public.
Permanent exhibits
- Science on a Sphere – interactive globe displaying real scientific data from Earth. Scientific data displayed on the globe includes Earth's weather patterns, ocean temperatures and currents, climate changeClimate changeClimate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, day and night views of the EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and tsunamiTsunamiA tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
and hurricane patterns. Science on a Sphere was developed by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). - Forces That Shape the Bay – outdoor science park, which explores the seismological forces that created and still affect the entire San Francisco Bay areaSan Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. - Sunstones – a 18 foot granite astronomical sculpture, created by David Cudaback and Richard O’Hanlon and installed outside LHS in 1979. Sight lines in the piece allow visitors to view northern- and southern-most setting of the sun at the solstices and many other important astronomical events.
- nanoZone – an exhibit examining the field of nanotechnologyNanotechnologyNanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
. The Nanozone introduces nanotechnology researchers from UC Berkeley and across the country, the latest consumer products made with nanotechnology, and computer games and hands-on activity stations that demonstrate how things work at the nanoscale. - KidsLab – a multi-sensory play area for children in kindergarten and younger. Activities include large blocks and shapes to stack and build, a crawl-through kaleidoscope, the Gravity Wall, a puppet theater, and a reading area.
- The Memorial Room – devoted to the life and research of Ernest O. Lawrence. The room features a biographical film on Lawrence's life and a pair of "Dee" electrodes from one of the first cyclotrons.
- A seismograph connected to UC Berkeley’s Seismographic Station, that registers earthquakes occurring anywhere in the world.
- The Animal Discovery Room – where children learn about animals. Many LHS classes are held in the Animal Discovery Room and provide the opportunity for children to observe and interact with animals.
- Idea Lab – offering visitors guided discovery activities based on many LHS programs.
- Math Around the World – an exhibit featuring math games played around the world. Popular games include HexHex (board game)Hex is a board game played on a hexagonal grid, theoretically of any size and several possible shapes, but traditionally as an 11x11 rhombus. Other popular dimensions are 13x13 and 19x19 as a result of the game's relationship to the older game of Go...
, KalahKalahKalah, also called Kalaha or Mancala, is a game in the mancala family invented by William Julius Champion Jr in 1940. This game heavily favors the starting player, who will always win the three-seed to six-seed versions with perfect play...
, Game Sticks and Shongo Networks. - Pheena the Fin Whale – a life sized model of a Fin whaleFin WhaleThe fin whale , also called the finback whale, razorback, or common rorqual, is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second longest whale and the sixth largest living animal after the blue whale, bowhead whale, and right whales, growing to nearly 27 metres long...
residing on the LHS plaza. - A larger-than-life DNA sculpture on the LHS plaza is another favorite place for young visitors to play. This sculpture was designed by Michael Jantzen of Valencia, California. It was put in place in the spring of 1992.
Traveling exhibits
In addition to the many permanent exhibits, the Lawrence Hall of Science features a constant rotation of traveling exhibits. The most recent exhibit is "Dinosaurs Unearthed" Past traveling exhibits include: Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters, RACE: Are We So Different?, Facing Mars, Animal Grossology, Waterworks, Engineer It, Speed, Wild Music: Songs and Sounds of Life, Circus! Science at the Big Top, Grossology, My Home, Planet Earth, Big Dinos Return, and Candy Unwrapped.Nobel Prize display
In 2003, following the death of Lawrence’s widow, Molly Lawrence, the Lawrence family chose LHS to house his 1939 Nobel Prize in PhysicsNobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
. The medal was placed in a display case in the E.O Lawrence Memorial room, a permanent exhibit which has displayed artifacts of his life and work for nearly forty years.
On March 1, 2007 a member of the Lawrence Hall of Science Exhibits staff reported that the Nobel Prize medal was missing from its locked display case. The UC Police Department was notified immediately and began an investigation on the medal’s theft. A $2,500 award was offered in exchange for the medal’s recovery and information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. The medal is made from 23 karat gold and worth approximately $4,000. Lawrence's medal was the first Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
awarded to the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
and the first Nobel prize won by an American public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
. The prize has since been recovered and a student arrested on suspicion of grand theft
Grand theft
Grand theft or grand larceny is a category used to rank the severity of crime associated with theft.Generally, in the United States it is defined as intentional taking property of others in an amount exceeding the state statutory amount....
. A replica of the Earnest Lawrence Nobel Prize now resides in the museum display case. The real Nobel Prize will be viewable to the public in 2008 in a new armored display case as part of the Lawrence Hall of Science 40 year anniversary.
Planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
shows for its own planetarium and other small planetariums, and offers regular public stargazing programs at LHS every first and third Saturday of the month (weather permitting). The planetarium was built in 1973 and directed by Alan Friedman. The Holt Planetarium's programs have focused on audience participation, an innovation that has changed the way small planetariums around the world present astronomy to the public. In 2000 the Holt Planetarium was deemed "The Best Planetarium in the Whole World" by The Planetarian, Journal of the International Planetarium Society.
The LHS's William Knox Holt Planetarium presents live, interactive shows (approximately 45 minutes long), following the hands-on philosophy of science education. Three different public planetarium shows are offered every day throughout the summer, and also on weekends and holidays during the school year.
The Holt Planetarium has a strong interactive approach to astronomy education. Their programs actively engage audience members in activities such as finding constellations, predicting sunrise locations at different times during the year, and so forth. The planetarium at Pacific Science Center in Seattle (originally called Star Lab, now called the Willard Smith Planetarium) was directly modeled on the Holt. Dennis Schatz was hired in 1977 from Lawrence Hall of Science as the opening director of the Pacific Science Center planetarium.
Publications and curriculum
Curriculum and publications developed by LHS programs such as EQUALS/FAMILY MATH, Full Option Science System (FOSS), Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS), Marine Activities and Resources in Education (MARE), PEACHES—a program for early childhood educators, and Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP) reach many students nationwide and around the world. New programs are frequently developed and expanded at LHS, such as Global Systems Science (GSS), Hands-On Universe (HOU), and Seeds of Science - Roots of Reading.Education
The Hall has an extensive education division. LHS offers year-round youth and family classes and day camps at LHS. Classes focus on a wide range of subjects, including biology, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, robotics and art. In addition to on-site classes, LHS residential summer camps are held in various locations in California.In the 1970s and 1980s, LHS offered gifted teenagers free computer systems access through a program called The Friday Project, or FRID. This was important at the time because computers weren't readily available in homes so that access to computers was otherwise only at school. To become a "FRID kid", one had to submit a project proposal and be accepted by its leaders. Computer systems available included Minicomputer
Minicomputer
A minicomputer is a class of multi-user computers that lies in the middle range of the computing spectrum, in between the largest multi-user systems and the smallest single-user systems...
s and CDC's PLATO internet-like system that pioneered key on-line concepts such as forums, message boards, online testing, e-mail, chat rooms, picture languages, instant messaging, remote screen sharing, and multi-player games.
Professional development
The Lawrence Hall of Science offers many workshops and other professional development opportunities for teachers. Online courses for LHS curriculum are also available.Discovery Corner
The Discovery Corner store offers many science and math products for visitors of all ages. Popular items include science kits, educational posters, plush toys and astronaut ice cream.Freeze-dried ice cream
Freeze dried ice cream, is ice cream that has been freeze dried.A major type is astronaut ice cream or space ice cream, typically a slab of dehydrated ice cream that is always ready to eat, with no need for refrigeration. Compared to regular ice cream it can be kept at room temperature without...
University of California, Berkeley
LHS is the public science center of the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. LHS staff collaborate with University scientific experts from many fields to develop exhibits such as Big Dinos Return, Forces That Shape the Bay and Nanozone, as well as educational materials for teachers and families.
Location
LHS is located in the Berkeley HillsBerkeley Hills
The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges that overlook the northeast side of the valley that surrounds San Francisco Bay. They were previously called the "Contra Costa Range/Hills" , but with the establishment of Berkeley and the University of California, the current usage was...
on Centennial Drive above the University of California at Berkeley campus, close to Tilden Park, and just below the Space Sciences Laboratory
Space Sciences Laboratory
The Space Sciences Laboratory is an Organized Research Unit of the University of California, Berkeley. It is located in the Berkeley Hills above the university campus...
and Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute , founded in 1982, is an independent nonprofit mathematical research institution whose funding sources include the National Science Foundation, foundations, corporations, and more than 90 universities and institutions...
. The Hall provides visitors panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. Landmarks visible from the Lawrence Hall of Science include the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
, the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
, Angel Island
Angel Island, California
Angel Island is an island in San Francisco Bay that offers expansive views of the San Francisco skyline, the Marin County Headlands and Mount Tamalpais. The entire island is included within Angel Island State Park, and is administered by California State Parks. It has been used for a variety of...
, the cities of San Francisco, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, Oakland, Emeryville, Albany and San Mateo and the University of California at Berkeley campus.
Reference in film
In the 1970s, several science fiction films utilized the Lawrence Hall of Science:- The 1970 film Colossus: The Forbin ProjectColossus: The Forbin ProjectColossus: The Forbin Project is an American science fiction thriller film. It is based upon the 1966 novel Colossus, by Dennis Feltham Jones, about a massive American defense computer, named Colossus, becoming sentient and deciding to assume control of the world.-Plot:Dr. Charles A...
used this location as the fictional Colossus command center.
- Scenes from the 1971 movie THX 1138THX 1138THX 1138 is a 1971 science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut. The film is based on a screenplay by Lucas and Walter Murch...
were filmed at the Lawrence Hall of Science.
- A flyover shot of the Lawrence Hall of Science is briefly featured as a location shot in the opening of the pilot episode of The Bionic WomanThe Bionic WomanThe Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis pro Jaime Sommers who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Sommers' life is saved by Oscar Goldman ...
(1976).