GREAT LAKES SCIENCE CENTER OPENING
WATER: H2O = LIFE ON NOVEMBER 14
New exhibition invites all ages to explore the wonder of water

October 21st, 2009

CLEVELAND (October 21, 2009) – Great Lakes Science Center is introducing its newest exhibition, Water: H2O = Life. Opening November 14 and running through April 11, 2010, this engaging and thought-provoking exhibition illuminates some of the many challenges related to the sustainable management and use of the life-giving, but finite, resource, water. Great Lakes Science Center partnered with premier organizations and museums worldwide to create this exhibition to highlight one of the Science Center’s core content areas – water and the environment.

A visually stunning exhibition, Water: H2O = Life aims to inspire visitors to reconsider their relationship with water as it addresses the most compelling issues facing societies and ecosystems in the 21st century. More than 60 artifacts, models and hands-on exhibits highlight the diverse qualities of water and the role it plays in shaping our planet. The innovations people are developing all over the world to access and preserve water are paired with simple ways visitors can take action to help conserve our planet’s water.

“This exhibition is especially relevant to our region and will help strengthen the mission of Great Lakes Science Center,” said Dr. Linda Abraham-Silver, president and CEO of the Science Center. “We are fortunate to have one of the Great Lakes – Lake Erie – as the backdrop to our building. In this way, we are obligated to increase awareness of the power and value of this great resource, as well as communicate the importance of stewardship.”

The Exhibition
The exhibition is divided into ten sections, with some highlights including:

• Life in Water – visitors are introduced to the many ways life has evolved to cope with water scarcity or abundance, temperature extremes, and fresh- or salt-water environments. Our own physical dependence on water as humans is also emphasized.
• Blue Planet – nearly three-quarters of Earth’s surface is covered by water. In this section, visitors learn about water’s surprising physical and chemical properties as they examine it in its three physical states. The magic of the water cycle is projected on a 68-inch globe and the power of water is illustrated with an elaborate reconstruction of a water-carved slot canyon.
• Restoring Ecosystems – water’s ability to connect all living things is exemplified in the case studies of three ecosystems where human effects on the environment are being addressed. Visitors examine how these aquatic ecosystems are both alarmingly fragile and surprisingly resilient.
• What Can I Do? – environmental heroes and the actions they are taking to restore and conserve water in inspiring ways are discussed in this section, as is the importance of individual action that can make a difference to our watery planet. A fun, interactive quiz suggests to visitors simple changes they can make in their own life to conserve water.

Throughout the exhibition, visitors are encouraged to touch, lift, examine and listen to a variety of exhibits that all work to reposition water from a limitless resource taken for granted to one that is finite in supply and truly precious.

A portion of the exhibition tells the local story regarding the Great Lakes and Cleveland’s role in the sustainable management of fresh water. Great Lakes Science Center played a major role in the development of the exhibition, given that water and the Great Lakes environment is one of its core content areas. The Science Center is also partnering with Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and Cleveland Division of Water in bringing water-themed programming to augment the message of conservation as well as the effect this exhibition has on visitors.

Promotions and Programming
Great Lakes Science Center has developed several special programs offered in conjunction with the exhibition:

FREE Lecture by Dr. James L. Powell, Executive Director, National Physical Science Consortium
Skeptic Tanks: How Global Warming Deniers Dupe America
November 17; 7:30 p.m.
The author of Dead Pool: Lake Powell, Global Warming, and the Future of Water in the West will be at Great Lakes Science Center for a free lecture. Reservations required. Please call (216) 621-2400. Includes free admission to Water: H2O = Life.

FREE Lecture by Rose George, acclaimed author – presented by Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters
March 23; check www.greatscience.com for time.
Acclaimed author Rose George comes to Great Lakes Science Center in March 2010 to discuss the world’s biggest public health crisis: why disease spread by waste kills more people worldwide than any single cause of death. Reservations required. Please call (216) 621-2400. Includes free admission to Water: H2O = Life.

Grand Canyon Adventure in the OMNIMAX® Theater – showing through February 28, 2010
Audiences are taken on an illuminating rafting trip down the Colorado River with two environmental heroes: world-renowned river advocate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and author/anthropologist/explorer Wade Davis, to explore the Grand Canyon and learn more about the pressing issue of water conservation and why it's crucial to the human race and to our planet.

Junior Lake Explorer Kids Camp – Monday, December 28
School may be on break, but Great Lakes Science Center is ready to educate and entertain with day-long Science Break Camps. On Monday, December 28, Junior Lake Explorer camp lets kids in grades K-1 explore fish and plant life in Lake Erie, learn where our water comes from and how to keep our lake clean. Camp runs 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., with before- and after-care options available. Register online at GreatScience.com or call (216) 621-2400.

Water Wonders: Late Night and Overnight Programs
Running on select weekends January through April, Great Lakes Science Center will be hosting late night and overnight programs that include interactive, hands-on science activities in action-packed sessions of after-hours fun. Discover the amazing chemical and physical properties of water, learn about our delicate Great Lakes ecosystem and view life in a single drop of water. View Mysteries of the Great Lakes on the giant OMNIMAX screen. Late nights run from 7 – 11:30 p.m., and overnights run from 7 p.m. – 9:30 a.m. the following morning – don’t forget to bring your sleeping bag!

Admission
Admission to the exhibition is free to Great Lakes Science Center members. Exhibition entry is
$14.95 for adult non-members and $12.95 for children, and includes admission to the hundreds of hands-on exhibits at the Science Center.

Water: H2O = Life is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, in collaboration with Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland; The Field Museum, Chicago; Instituto Sangari, São Paulo, Brazil; National Museum of Australia, Canberra; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; San Diego Natural History Museum; and Science Centre Singapore with PUB Singapore. Local support is provided by SeaGrant, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, the Harold C. Schott Foundation, Cleveland Division of Water, the Ohio Lottery, Generation Foundation, CH2M Hill and Cuyahoga County Arts and Culture. Promotional support is provided by WVIZ/PBS, 90.3 ideastream, WKYC, WGAR, Cleveland Magazine and The Plain Dealer.

About Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Science Center is one of the nation’s leading science and technology centers, featuring hundreds of hands-on exhibits, themed traveling exhibits, daily demonstrations, the awe-inspiring OMNIMAX® Theater and the Steamship William G. Mather. The Science Center is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with discounted parking available for guests in the attached 500-car garage. Great Lakes Science Center is generously funded by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. For more information, contact the Science Center at (216) 694-2000 or visit www.GreatScience.com.
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