Maryland Science Center
Encyclopedia
Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and iconic landmark of the City of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as “the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the World.” The Inner Harbor is actually the end of the...
, opened to the public in 1976. It includes three levels of exhibits, a 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...
, and an observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
. It was one of the original structures that drove the revitalization of the Baltimore Inner Harbor from its industrial roots to a thriving downtown destination. In 1987, an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
theater was added, but the museum continued to show its age as the end of the 20th century approached. In 2004, a large addition to the property was opened, and the modernized hands-on exhibits now include more than two dozen dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
skeletons. Subjects that the center displays include physical science, space, Earth science, the human body, and blue crabs that are native to the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
.
Maryland Science Center won a 2006 Best of Baltimore award for "Best Place to Take Kids." In 2008 the Maryland Science Center was named one of the “10-Best Science Centers for Families” by Parent’s Magazine.
Exhibits
Dinosaur Mysteries- This exhibit includes full scale models of dinosaurs such as GiganotosaurusGiganotosaurusGiganotosaurus is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur that lived around 97 million years ago during the early Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period. It included some of the largest known terrestrial carnivores, slightly larger than the largest Tyrannosaurus, but smaller than the...
, T. rexTyrannosaurusTyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
, and AstrodonAstrodonAstrodon was a genus of large herbivorous sauropod dinosaur, related to Brachiosaurus, that lived in what is now the eastern United States during the Early Cretaceous period. Its fossils have been found in the Arundel Formation, which has been dated through palynomorphs to the Aptian-Albian...
. It also includes a section where guests can go on a mock paleontological dig to uncover dinosaur bones.
Newton's Alley
- This exhibit features hands-on physical science related demonstrations including a "Bernoulli blower," "inertia table," and other similar things.
Your Body: The Inside Story
- This exhibit takes guests on a tour though the inside of the human body. It includes a bed of nails which guests can try out.
Our Place in Space
- Shows guests different aspects of the solar system, the galaxy, and the universe. It features a revolutionary new piece of technology designed by NOAA called Science on a Sphere. Live presentations on Earth and space are offered daily on the sphere. The Davis Planetarium is also located within this exhibit.
Follow the Blue Crab
- This exhibit showcases the Maryland Blue Crab as well as other aquatic life native to the Chesapeake Bay.
The Kids Room
- A room for children 8 and younger and their families, which includes a water table, a mock ship, and other activities for young children.
The Demonstration Stage
- The Demo stage features live science demonstrations including ones about inertia, static electricity, liquid nitrogenLiquid nitrogenLiquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
, chemical reactions, combustion reactions, space technology, and other topics.
The Links - SpaceLink, BodyLink, and TerraLink
- The Links at the Maryland Science Center offer visitors a chance to find out the latest news on space, human body, and Earth science. Visitors can ask exhibit staff questions about upcoming satellite missions, new findings on disease therapies, climate change, and much more.