Health will be the focus of two upcoming Mid-America Science Museum events beginning with a look at dental health on Saturday and an examination of the planet's health next month.
The second annual Toothapalooza will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Jim Miller, director of marketing, said last year's event "went extremely well," with close to 500 people visiting the museum, and he hopes to smash that number this year. "We want to have 600 here," he said.
Sponsored by Delta Dental and with the help of Garland County Dental Society, the event will feature several activities related to teeth, and there will be free dental screenings and fluoride varnish treatments.
The dental screenings are for those 18 and younger, and each person who gets one will have free admission to the museum. Miller said up to three additional people with the one getting an exam will also receive free admission for the first 500 people in attendance.
In recent years, the museum has become known for its dinosaur statues, which Miller said has led to them incorporating the dinosaur theme into Toothapalooza. He said the teeth of dinosaurs, along with other creatures, will be examined, including elephant, mammoth, mastodon and human teeth.
With the human teeth, Miller said guests will get to examine them under a microscope and learn about "the science behind cavities and healthy oral hygiene."
At 1:30 p.m., two of the museum's educators will "put on dino costumes and duke it out" in a boxing match, Miller said.
Other activities include owl pellet dissection and a reading of "The Tooth Book" by Dr. Seuss.
Education coordinator Kayla Ingle didn't get to participate in last year's event, but she said she is "really excited to see my first Toothapalooza." She said she likes when the museum does events where they get to reach larger portions of the community than normal.
Donna Jared, director of development, said the event is a good one for the museum because it teaches children "the importance of oral health," noting it will "reach part of our community that really doesn't have access to dental services."
The focus will switch to the planet Earth with "Protecting Our Piece Of The Pi: Earth Optimism Day," set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 14.
Miller said the museum staff is excited about the event because it is being held in association with the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, noting it's a "great opportunity to partner with (the Smithsonian)."
"It's one thing to say we're affiliated with the Smithsonian and put the their logo on our email. It's another thing to walk the walk and talk the talk and do these hands-on (activities)," Miller said.
The event will look at sustainability. Miller said issues related to this, such as climate change, are becoming big topics of discussion and "as a science museum we should be a part of that."
Miller said the event is an Earth Optimism Teen Conversation where teens will discuss their thoughts on climate and Earth issues, and then come up with "sustainability focused community impact projects." Miller said these project ideas will compete for a mini-grant from the Smithsonian Institution.
The project that wins the mini-grant will then be enacted in the summer either at the museum or elsewhere in Hot Springs.
Ingle said the topic of sustainability is very broad, so the project ideas can be very different from each other. She said they will look for projects that cover a large amount of sustainability topics. For example, she said a project looking at clean water and sanitation will also end up being related to good health and to life on land.
The purpose, she said, is to help the teens think "what are things I can do in my community that help?"
On focusing on teens for the event, Miller said, " we want to hear their voice, their concerns about climate," noting they "will dominate the conversation in years to come."
The museum has also been invited to participate in the National Earth Optimism Summit in Washington, D.C., in April. Casey Wylie, director of education, will represent the museum at the three-day summit, and she said Mid-America is one of 12 museums around the country invited to participate.
Wylie said she hopes they get invited back again in the future.
Local on 02/21/2020