By now, parents know that Integrating science, technology, engineering and math into their child’s life will provide a boundless amount of potential for his or her future. That same boundless potential is something MiSci seeks for itself in its latest exhibition program.
Last November, miSci announced its plan for the exhibition program, including a dynamic three-year schedule of changing exhibits at the museum and the launch of a traveling exhibition program. Led by miSci President and seasoned curator, Dr. Gina C. Gould, the museum’s new strategy will better serve its visitors and create a new revenue stream to support its operations and expansion.
For the next three years, miSci will present three major interactive STEM exhibitions, including its annual model train display this winter, and its indoor butterfly house next spring. The exhibition schedule is built around the seasonal nature of the museum’s visitorship, welcoming families during the summer and school groups in the spring and fall.
This Memorial Day, miSci opened the doors to “Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs,” an exhibit on the history, biology and evolution of man’s best friend, the domesticated dog. Artifacts, photo murals, dioramas and multi-media displays round out the uniquely interactive, 4,000-square-foot exhibition.
Wolf to Woof sniffs out the facts on dogs and explores what makes the human-canine relationship so unique by using humans’ familiarity and love of these four-legged friends to explore key canine science and biological concepts.
From sloppy wet kisses, life-saving search-and-rescues, assistance to the disabled and more, today dogs enhance the lives of millions of people in countless ways; however, they are also some of our oldest friends. Ancient clues from cave paintings and burials reveal that dogs and people have lived together for thousands of years… but why have humans formed such close relationships with dogs, and not cows or chickens? Wolf to Wolf reveals why.
“Human beings and dogs have been co-evolving for millennia. It is a story, rather a journey, of mutual benefit. One in which both species – humans and Canis familiaris, the domestic dog – have become so intimately aligned with one another, that the line between our different species is blurred,” says miSci President and evolutionary biologist, Dr. Gina Gould. “We are now each other’s family members. Dogs are part of our everyday lives, as our companions, work colleagues, and guardians. No other animal has garnered such prestige in our lives.”
The Wolf to Woof exhibit is currently running now through Monday, Sept. 2. miSci is located at 15 Nott Terrace Heights in Schenectady. miSci General admission is: Children (3-12) $8; Seniors (65+) $10; Adults $12. Planetarium tickets are $6. Access to Wolf to Woof is included in general admission.
