Aurora Borealis Might Be Spotted In Pittsburgh Skies

Look to the skies tonight and you might, just might, see a display of northern lights caused by a medium-sized flare that erupted from the sun Tuesday. John Radzilowicz, director of science and education at the Carnegie Science Center, says there's a chance but not a great chance to see the northern lights or aurora borealis overnight in the Pittsburgh region...
"What you're most likely to see is a sort of greenish glow or haze in the sky towards the northern horizon, although it could climb fairly high in the sky. Sometimes you also see reds. The green and red represent basically the oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere. They're getting excited by the charged particles. So those are the most common colors."

He recommends the best possible viewing locations are away from city lights with the darker the better...
"Sometimes you can see things that look like curtains or sheets moving, sometimes even some brighter rays that are mixed in with the overall glow. But the most common for our latitude is what looks like a greenish haze."

Radzilowicz says it's also worth a look at the sky Friday night because there may be some left over lights. "This event (flare eruption) actually happened on the sun on Tuesday. It's typical for charged particles to make their way from the sun to the earth in a day and a half or 2 days."

The last time the northern lights were visible in Pittsburgh was about 10 years ago and according to Radzilowicz, they were visible even in downtown Pittsburgh despite the city lights. The sun is to reach its next solar maximum in 2013 completing its 11 year cycle of solar activity.

Memorial Day Service at Science Center

A Memorial Day service will be held on the deck of the Carnegie Science Center submarine, the U.S.S. Requin.

Science Center Curator of Historic Exhibits Patty Rogers says the ceremony will begin with a prayer and opening remarks.

Then, Rogers says veterans who served on submarines will toll a bell for each U.S. submarine that has been sunk, and cast flower petals onto the water.

The Marine color guard from the Three Rivers Leatherneck Detachment 310 will give a gun salute, and weather permitting, spectators will see a flyby of a vintage Stearman World War II biplane.

Rogers says visitors are welcome to mingle with the veterans after the service, and encouraged to explore the submarine.

The ceremony is free to the public and will begin at 10 a.m., lasting about one hour. Admission to the U.S.S. Requin is free for the remainder of the day.

Shale Geologist to Speak at Science Center

The Carnegie Science Center is bringing in an energy company executive tomorrow night to speak about the energy potential of the Marcellus Shale.

EQT geologist Lindell Bridges will talk about the shale drilling process, the total amount of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale, and environmental risks and safeguards.

Carnegie Science Center Director of Science and Education John Radzilowicz says this is the last of three public forums held in the Center’s Drilling Down on the Marcellus Shale speaker series.

“Our first presentation in the series was about, ‘What is Marcellus Shale? Where is it located? How did it form? What kind of resources are there?’” says Radzilowicz. “Our second talk was about the environmental impact. We wanted to talk about, ‘What are the risks dealing with water, for example?’ And so we addressed that issue. And now, in our third and final talk in the series, we want to talk about the energy potential.”

Radzilowicz says the series is strictly scientific and advocates no particular bias about the Marcellus Shale. He says it’s important that the public has a factual grasp of such an important issue.

The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session and refreshments.

One can register for tomorrow night’s forum by calling the Science Center at (412) 237-3400 [ext. 7] or by visiting its website.

Carnegie Science Center Wants Pictures

If you think you have an eye for photography and a grasp of science, the Carnegie Science Center wants to give you $500 dollars. The Science Center has launched “The Art of Science” photo contest. Spokesperson Susan Zimecki says they are looking for photos that show the beautiful side of anything science related. “We are looking for images that could capture weather or stars or it could be something manmade. It could be a piece of machinery or it could be something illustrating robotics, it could be something from biology,“ says Zimecki. “We are looking for something scientific that is also aesthetically pleasing.”

Amateur photographers can submit up to two photos through Thursday, March 31. The contest is open to all ages and the submissions will be divided into age groups before they are judged. First-place for the 12 and under group will be $100. For the 13 through 17 group the top photographer will take home $250. The 18 and up group offers a $500. A panel of judges will select the winners. A “People’s Choice” will also be picked through online voting at the Trib Total Media’s Contest webpage. Those winners will be awarded a one-year, family membership to Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Online voting begins on Friday, April 1, and ends on Friday, April 15.

Zimecki says the winning pictures will eventually be displayed at the Science Center. We are looking for something “scientific that is also aesthetically pleasing.”

Thursday, Biggest Meteor Shower of the Year

The Carnegie Science Center is letting people know that the Perseid meteor shower is about to take place this Thursday, August 12, and will be highly visible if the weather permits.
Education Coordinator for the Buhl Planetarium Dan Malerbo says a shooting star, or a meteor, is a speck of dust that enters the earth’s atmosphere allowing people to see a streak of light in the sky. He says on the average night, we can see 3 or 4 shooting stars an hour. However, certain times of the year the earth travels through a trail of dust and debris left by a passing comet, causing a meteor shower.
Malerbo says the Perseid meteor shower is the biggest of the year because this particular path that the earth will travel through is one of the widest.
He says to see the shower at its best, go away from the city and bright lights, where the sky is dark, lay down and look northeast, towards the constellation of Perseid. As long as the “hazy” sky conditions clear up by dark, you should be able to see 50 to 60 shooting stars per hour between midnight and dawn.

Science Center to Host Sunday Memorial Service

The submarine U.S.S. Requin will welcome back some of her former sailors Sunday morning, when the Carnegie Science Center hosts a special Memorial Day weekend service on deck.

Science Center Curator of Historic Exhibits Patty Rogers says the service will start at 10:00 a.m. with a pledge to the American flag. Next, veterans of the Cold War-era Requin will toll the sub’s bell once for each American submarine that is now on “Eternal Patrol” under the sea. Rogers says the veterans will then cast flower petals into the water, in hopes that they reach their comrades still at sea.

Rogers says the service will conclude at about 11:00 a.m. with a 21-gun salute from a local Marine Corps League. The event is without charge and the submarine will be available for free tours for the rest of the day.

Also, HBO has set up a kiosk in the Science Center where visitors can record a short thank-you to veterans or active service members. Rogers says if desired, the video can instantly be sent to a specific soldier or sailor.

On National Lab Day, Making Science Kid-Friendly

It's National Lab Day–an initiative meant to get kids hooked on science and in Pittsburgh, educators, volunteers and organizations are working to make science kid-friendly.

DUQ's Larkin Page-Jacobs reports.

Click here to listen to the story.

Carnegie Science Center Offers Free Day

The Carnegie Science Center and Duquesne Light partnered to offer an admission-free day of environmentally-themed programming for all ages on Martin Luther King, Junior Day.
Anyone can visit the science center this Monday, January 18 between 10 am and 5 pm to enjoy informative yet fun activities such as a film and a tic-tac-toe game show.
Director of the science center Ron Bailey says plans for having a day like this with Duquesne Light began about a year ago. He says their goals are to provide a day that is built around conservation as a theme and to give people who haven’t been to the center the opportunity to take a look at this wonderful resource that the region has.
Bailey says each program of the day is built around environmental science and conservation.
There will be theater programs, some developed by the science center and others by Duquesne Light.
There will be the four floors of hands-on exhibits that are always available to visitors. People will be able to experience the latest Science on the Road program, Captain Green’s Time Machine.
On the biggest screen in Pittsburgh will be shown an environmentally themed Omnimax film.
Visitors can challenge themselves with Duquesne Light’s “Watt Do You Know?” tic-tac-toe game show.
Bailey says there will be many opportunities for children to learn and experience new things. There will be activities to teach them about water and energy in ways that will engage them with their scientific curiosity.
Bailey says the center and Duquesne Light believes this will be a successful day, and hopes to do it again next year.

New SportsWorks Opens Saturday

The new SportsWorks at the Carnegie Science Center opens Saturday after closing in its prior location last year. Director of Exhibit Experience Dennis Bateman says to come early and be sure to wear tennis shoes because you won't just be looking at things. In the sports challenge area, for example, you'll see how high you can jump, how fast you can run, and how fast you can pitch a ball.

There are new exhibits and old favorites that have been improved, like the one on reaction time that demonstrates how quickly the brain can process information. It now uses the example of a hockey goalie.

In response to the epidemic of childhood obesity, a new physical fitness area emphasizes the relation of good nutrition and physical activity to health and sports ability.

The same exhibit may be used in multiple ways by teachers, depending on whether they want to convey a lesson on anatomy and physiology or health or physics.
The content and focus of each exhibit targets a student in middle school, but there have been 5-year-olds who climb the rock wall and grandmothers on the unicycle high beam.

One admission includes both SportsWorks and the Science Center. Hours are 10 to 5 Monday through Friday and Sunday; 10 to 7 on Saturday.

Chemfest Comes To Sci Center

The Pittsburgh chapter of the National Chemical Society will mark the 22nd annual National Chemistry Week with a “Chemfest” at the Carnegie Science Center. 29 local companies, colleges and professional societies will set up tales in the first two floors of the science center Friday and Saturday. Pittsburgh NCS coordinator Mike Mautino says many of the tables will offer hands-on activities aimed at teaching chemistry in fun ways. He says the ultimate goal is to encourage more kids to get interested in science and ultimately pursue science related degrees. Mautino says in recent years the number of US students getting those types of degrees has been falling. He says the target audience is middle school students because that is where kids start to set career goals. This year’s event is themed “Chemistry – It’s Elemental” and Mautino says most of the activities will focus on the elements and how they interact. Among the hands on activities will be the classic chemical volcano and slime experiments and less cliché Shrinky-Dinks and bouncy ball demonstrations. Mautino says most of the tables will be set up on the science centers main floor, which is open to the public without charge. Several “underserved” schools in the area were given grants to bring a total of about 1,900 students to the science center Friday to celebrate Chemfest.

SportsWorks Suffers Construction Delays

The completion of Carnegie Science Center’s new SportsWorks facility is delayed until late December, says the Center. Spokesman Mike Marcus says “normal construction delays” such as bad weather and slow permitting processes have put the building behind schedule, but he doesn’t expect it to be slowed any further. “What we’re working on now is getting the frame and skin up on the building. Once those are on later this summer/early fall, the weather isn’t really an issue because then we’ll be working on the exhibit and doing all the work inside the building,” says Marcus. The old building was bought late last year by the Port Authority to complete its North Shore Connector Project. Marcus says the new facility will feature many of the exhibits from the old SportsWorks, but will also feature a health aspect that correlates sports and exercise to good health. Though the exhibit will be managed by the Science Center, Highmark Inc. will be partnering with them specifically for the SportsWorks complex.

SportsWorks is Coming Back

The Carnegie Science Center says it will open a new version of the once popular SportsWorks exhibit. The $5 million, 12,000 square-foot facility will be placed in the 20,000 square-foot building being erected in the center’s parking lot. The goal is to have the new SportsWorks open by Thanksgiving of this year. The rest of the building will be filled with classrooms and the Science Center's Science new “Your Neighborhood” youth program. Science Center co-Director Ann Metzger says the new SportsWorks will once again offer all types of physical activities but rather than focusing on the science of sports it will focus more on health, and how the body works. The first SportsWorks opened in 2001 in a building to the north of the main building. The exhibit was closed to make way for the bodies exhibition and then later the Titanic show. The building was eventually razed to make way for the Port Authority’s north shore connector. Highmark has entered into a 3-year naming sponsorship agreement. Metzger says, “More than 3 million visitors climbed, bounced, sprinted, and jumped their way through the dozens of activities” in the old building. "A new, updated SportsWorks is a key component of expanding and refining visitor experiences at Carnegie Science Center," said Metzger.

Astronaut Pam Melroy Addresses Students

In accordance with its mission to achieve gender parity in the fields of math, science and technology, the Girls Math and Science Partnership, or GMSP, sponsored a lecture at the Carnegie Science Center this morning by astronaut Pam Melroy, who commanded a mission to the International Space Station—her third venture into space.

Statistics show that women fill only 27% of scientific jobs, and men are earning three times as many doctorates in science as women. Girls’ interest in science falls off from 66% in fourth grade to 48% in twelfth grade, so to achieve gender parity, the GMSP says it's important to introduce girls early to the stories of women scientists and their contributions.

Pam Melroy knew all along she wanted to be an astronaut but first studied astronomy and became an Air Force test pilot. Astronauts are selected (at the average age of 35) after they've had success in a variety of scientific fields, and this diversity is crucial to solving problems that arise. She described her last space mission in a way that conveyed the excitement of the scientific challenges but also the beauty of space and the emotional richness of working and living with crew members who become like family.

Melroy encouraged students in the audience to prepare themselves to participate in a mission to Mars in 20-25 years.

Science Center Breaks Ground on New SportsWorks

The Carnegie Science Center has broken ground on its new SportsWorks facility. It will open next Labor Day weekend. Favorite exhibits like the bounce trampoline, climbing wall and human gyroscope orbitron will return. New exhibits will include a simulator that allows visitors to take a ride through the human body, a racetrack where people can compete against an Olympic sprinter, and an activity in which people can compare their heartbeat with those of other animals.

Ann Metzger is the Science Center's Acting Co-Director. She says the new SportsWorks will have more of a focus on health and fitness in addition to sports. Metzger says the Science Center decided a couple years ago that it wanted to help spark interest in sports medicine careers, since that's a developing sector in the local economy.

SportsWorks has been closed since August. Its former building was sold to the Port Authority for a new light rail station on the North Shore.

Green Vessel arrives

One of the first green-engineered passenger vessels is arriving in Pittsburgh today, after traveling through nine states to get here. The "Explorer" is to dock next to Carnegie Science Center to be used as a "green" classroom when the Coast Guard approves the boat for local use.

River Quest Executive Director Karl Thomas says the onboard class will teach kids about sustainability; specifically about the environment and how to be "greener."

The Explorer was delayed last year when it had engine trouble while being transported from a Florida shipyard. Thomas says with new things, such as the problematic green technologies, come new challenges. He is glad the boat has now surpassed those challenges.

Buhl Conservatory Upgraded

The Carnegie Science Center's July 4th VIP Extravaganza will provide insiders with the first look at some of the newest improvements to the Henry Buhl, Jr. Observatory. Renovations were made possible through a $200,000 donation from Bob and Joan Peirce of Sewickley and include the transformation of a fifth-floor storage area to a fully compatible education center. The fifth floor is now equipped with educational materials including a 52-inch plasma screen TV and will be used for special programs, astronomy classes, and can be rented out. Perhaps the biggest improvement to the observatory is the technological addition that now allows the telescope's view to be projected into the Buhl Digital Dome. Carnegie Science Center Director of Visitor Experience John Radzilowicz says the new technology will enable the the observatory to accommodate larger crowds when there are special astronomical events. In February, a lunar eclipse drew over 150 people to the observatory.

Bill to Cut Science Center State Grant Removed

House Bill 2327, a proposal that would have cut an annual $254,000 state grant for the Carnegie Science Center, has been tabled. The legislation was first proposed as leverage to encourage House Democrats to push through House Bill 2299, a measure that would require county officials to approve any exhibit that would show human corpses. According to 2299, organizers would be forced to provide paperwork detailing where the body came from and prior consent from the person that their body may be put on display. State Representative Mike Fleck, a Democrat from Huntingdon County and leading proponent of both bills, says the threat to the Science Center's state grant has diminished now that 2299 is set to come up for vote June 24th. All of this is in response to Premiere Exhibit's controversial "Bodies" display, which ran at Carnegie this spring.

Director Haas To Leave Science Center

Joanna Haas, 5-year director of the Carnegie Science Center announced today that she will be leaving the position in mid-July to become Executive Director of the Louisville Science Center. Haas says the move brings her closer to her hometown and much of her extended family. She also says that she will miss Pittsburgh and is honored to have been apart of the community. Her greatest accomplishment, she says, is bringing the Roboworld exhibit to the Carnegie Science Center which was announced April 9th.

Kites at the Science Center represent abused children

Kites will take center stage at the Carnegie Science Center this weekend and so will the plight of 5,000 Allegheny County children who are victims of abuse and neglect. Kidsvoice represents those children by pairing lawyers and social workers with the children to get them the services they need. Kidsvoice executive director Scott Hollander says they are using the kite theme because kites represent joy and hope. People coming into the science center this weekend will be able to decorate a kite and hang it in the building. The goal is to make 5-thousand of the kites to represent each child in the system. There will be other kite related activities from crafts to the science behind kite flying. Anyone printing a kite from the science center web site and decorating it will get two dollars off their admission. Hollander says this is not a fund raising event, just an event to build awareness and show support for the kids.. The kites will be taken down Monday and then displayed throughout the county at different times throughout the year to once again build awareness to the issue.

"Bodies" Controversy Leads to Legislation

The controversy over "Bodies... the Exhibition" at the Carnegie Science Center has prompted new legislation in Harrisburg. The exhibition features plasticized cadavers with the skin pulled back to reveal the inner workings of the human body. State Representative Mike Fleck of Huntingdon County has proposed a bill modeled after a similar one in California. The bill would give counties the power to permit exhibits of human remains. To get the permit, companies would have to prove that the remains were acquired with the donors' consent.

The Bodies exhibition has been controversial partly because the company behind it, Premier, has acknowledged that it cannot prove that the donors consented. The remains were acquired from China. The Chinese government denies that the remains came from political prisoners.

Another commercial exhibitor called Body Worlds says it has documents that show its donors gave informed consent.