Science Night at the Museums 2023

Science Night at the Museums 2023

Parking Science Night SP23
Poster with movie

The Museums and Galleries Committee at Mississippi State University is so excited to see everyone at the 2023 Science Night at the Museums event Saturday, February 18th from 4pm-7pm at Hilbun Hall and the Cobb Institute!

This free event is open to everyone! Come enjoy the Dunn-Seiler Museum and Lois-Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology, as well as science demonstrations and activities for all ages.

 

EVENTS and PARTICIPANTS: Check back here for updated information before the event.

  • FOOD DRIVE sponsored by Girl Scout Troop 23228 and the Starkville Strong Youth Coalition. Don't forget to bring non-perishable food and toiletry donations! The donation table will be on the 1st Floor of Hilbun Hall, west side.
  • AFTER-EVENT MOVIE SCREENING: Mississippi Entomological Museum and Bug Blues will host an after-event viewing of the movie "Mothra" beginning at 7pm. This will be in the first floor of HARNED HALL, in the auditorium. (Click here to learn more about the movie)

 

FRONT LAWN:

  • Information Booth - Museums and Galleries Committee: (Hilbun sidewalk) Looking for event maps, activity lists, or information about Museums and Galleries on campus? Stop in at our information booth.
  • Mississippi Entomological Museum and Bug Blues: (Hilbun front trailer) Our arthropod ambassadors will host exhibits and art focused on arthropods in the movies!
  • TRASHCANO! Department of Geology: (Hilbun Sidewalk) Learn about volcanoes and igneous rocks with this eruptive demonstration! Each show will last approximately 20 minutes with start times at 5pm and 6pm.
  • Sky viewing - Astronomy: Weather permitting, the astronomers will have telescopes available for viewing in the front lawn.

 

HILBUN FIRST FLOOR:

  • Dunn-Seiler Museum - Cretaceous Crocodilomorph! (Hilbun 112) Join our friend, Stephen Newman, in the museum to learn more about the discovery and excavation of Eothoracosaurus mississippiensis, our Cretaceous marine crocodile found right here in Oktibbeha County!
  • Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology will be open
  • Stormin' Bob Swanson, The Singing Weatherman (Hilbun 102) Each 25 minute show is filled with songs and science demonstrations. Shows begin at 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30pm.
  • Partnership Middle School Robotics Team (Hilbun 102) Come see what the middle school robotics team has been creating! Shows begin at 4:15, 5:00, and 6:00pm
  • Exploring with Microscopes - Geology (Hilbun 1st floor west) Peer into a whole new world as you explore the textures and shapes of items under the stereo microscope. Fun for all ages!
  • Physics Demonstrations (Hilbun 150) Learn more about physics principles and theories with demonstrations, including Jacob's Ladder, Electromagnetic Cannon, Electron Pinwheel, and more!
  • Astronomy Demonstrations (Hilbun 1st floor east) Astonomy equipment and research will be showcased. Don't miss it!
  • Veterinary Procedures (Hilbun 152)

 

HILBUN SECOND FLOOR:

  • Microbiology: Investigating nematodes! (Hilbun 2nd floor west) See living nematodes under the microscope and learn how they contribute to soils.
  • Geology Coloring Station: (Hilbun 2nd floor center) Our youngest visitors can learn more about structural geology and fossils as they color.
  • Tree Campus: Leaf Idenfication (Hilbun 202) Learn to identify area trees by their leaves.
  • Plants of Mississippi - Mississippi State University Herbarium: (Hilbun 2nd floor center)Learn more about native plants from our region
  • Making Tracks and Track Identification - Student Wildlife Society: (Hiilbun 216) Have fun learning more about identifying animals by the tracks they leave behind.
  • Gallery of Arthropod Art - Mississippi Entomological Museum: (Hilbun 216) Hop on in to visit this gallery featuring scientific illustrations of grasshoppers!
  • Wood Identification - Sustainable Wood Products (Hilbun 2nd floor east)
  • MUW Biology: Gecko Madness! (Hilbun 250) Meet a live gecko and learn about gecko evolution and adaptation!

 

HILBUN THIRD FLOOR:

  • Chemistry presents Experiencing Molecules (Hilbun 350). These exciting 25 minute demonstrations introduce visitors to the concepts of atoms, molecules and chemical reactions. Shows begin at 4:15, 5:15, and 6:15pm
  • CAAD Architecture: 3D clay printing (Hilbun Hall west) Join our friends from the College of Architecture, Art and Design for demonstrations of 3D printing in clay medium.
  • Broadcast Meteorology - Green Screen Fun: Have you ever wondered what is it like to be a broadcast meteorologist on TV? Visit the green screen in the Department of Geosciences studio!
  • Beet Sugar - Nutrition (Hilbun 3rd floor west) Take a look at the impacts of sugar on the body.
  • Space Jeopardy! NASA Solar System Ambassadors (Hilbun 3rd floor east) So you think you know a lot about space? Test your knowledge with Space Jeopardy!

 

COBB INSTITUTE:

Anthropology and Archaeology will host a number of activities and demonstrations in the courtyard of the Cobb Institute!

  • Lois Dowdle-Cobb Museum of Archaeology
  • Cobb Institute Info Table
  • Hieroglyphics: Near East Archaeology
  • Flint Knapping
  • Anthropology: Traditional Lantern Making
  • BioArchaeology: Skeleton Game
  • Ceramic Design and Analysis
  • Artifact Analysis and Cave Painting
  • Forensics
  • Applied Archaeology

 

PARKING:

Parking will be easily available during the event. Please see the parking map below for recommended parking areas. Visitors with disabilities or limited mobility can park in the lots off of Barr Avenue and enter Hilbun Hall through the basement, using the elevator to reach the first, second, and third floors OR you can park on Lee Blvd, in front of Harned Hall.