Category Archives: Science

The Climate Reality Project is focus of UA Little Rock Downtown talk

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“The Climate Reality Project: Need for Change and Reasons for Hope” is the topic of Dr. Jessica Scott’s discussion tonight (3/27) at the UA Little Rock Downtown campus.  The program is free and begins at 6pm.

Must we change? Can we change? Will we change? These three questions will be the focus of Dr. Scott’s presentation on climate change and the work of The Climate Reality Project.

Although climate change is often misunderstood by the public, more than 97 percent of climate scientists agree that it is real and caused by the burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. Understanding climate change can be overwhelming because our atmosphere, oceans, soil, and weather are driven by a complex network of interconnected factors.

Dr. Scott’s talk, targeted at non-scientists, will not only summarize the evidence for climate change, but will also give an overview of what we know about its impacts and the policy and industry changes that experts predict will be necessary to mitigate these effects.

Dr. Jessica Scott is assistant director of the Donaghey Scholars honors program and anthropology instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Dynamics and M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, and her B.A. in Anthropology and History from UALR.

Final weekend to experience Tape and Tunnels at Museum of Discovery

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Sunday, March 24 is the last day to explore the Tape and Tunnels exhibit at the Museum of Discovery.

“Tape & Tunnels,” sponsored by 3M, is a series of interconnected tunnels and slides that guests of all ages can explore, climb, crawl and slide through. The tape tunnels are suspension bridges built with a skeleton of steel pipe for support and layers of ordinary, clear packing tape are stretched between them.  How are the tape tunnels able to hold people?  Turns out it is all in the tunnels’ design.  The curve of the tunnel is called a catenary – the same shape used in regular suspension bridges. The tape tunnels can hold more than 500 pounds per linear foot.

“Tape & Tunnels shows off engineering and physics at their best as humans of all sizes are supported by what look like fairly flimsy tunnels made of clear packing tape,” says Kelley Bass, CEO at the Museum of Discovery. “And beyond the STEM principles on display, Tape and Tunnels is flat-out fun, and we know our guests will enjoy the experience of climbing, crawling and sliding through the exhibit.”

Founded in 1927, Museum of Discovery is the state’s oldest museum.  Its mission is to ignite and fuel a passion for science, technology, engineering, arts and math through dynamic and interactive experiences.

The museum is open from 9 to 5 Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 on Sunday.

Cultural Spring Break in Little Rock

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Image result for spring break kids

It is Spring Break week! Several Little Rock museums have special activities planned.

Museum of Discovery
March 18 – March 22 • 10 am to 4 pm
Monday, March 18 – Meet and have your photo taken with Jet Propulsion from “Ready Jet Go!”  Enjoy hands-on activities that teach about space and more.
Tuesday, March 19 – Meet and have your photo taken with Nature Cat, the star o PBS Kids’ “Nature Cat”!  Enjoy hands-on activities about the wonderful outdoors and meet some of nature’s coolest animals!
All Days
Tesla Shows: 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. & 3 p.m.
Awesome Science Demos: 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Meet Museum Animals: 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. & 4 p.m.

Historic Arkansas Museum
Spring Break 2019: Settling in Arkansas
March 18 – March 22 • 10 am to 4 pm
In celebration of Arkansas’s Territorial Bicentennial, our Spring Break activities will focus on settling this state. The museum’s historic block has countless stories of making a life in early Arkansas, from just after becoming a territory to a decade after Statehood. Visitors can spend each day learning about a different person’s path to Arkansas. We will cook Pioneer food, make hands-on crafts, and share a few pioneer skills.

Little Rock Zoo
March 18 – March 22 • 9:30am to 4:00pm
See daily feedings of the penguins, interact with education exhibits, attend a meet and greet with animals, go to the Party in the Plaza, have a special meet and greet at the Arkansas Heritage Farm, and chat with animal keepers.

Clinton Presidential Center
March 18 – March 22 • 10:00am to 2:00pm
The Clinton Presidential Center invites children of all ages to enjoy FREE Spring Break activities on March 18 – 22, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Join us for FREE craft activities for the entire family! We’ll offer an instructional glass fusion project, led by Little Rock School District art specialist Sharon Boyd-Struthers, in conjunction with our White House Collection of American Crafts: 25th Anniversary Exhibit. Spring Break activities are FREE; however, admission fees to tour the Museum apply.


Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre
March 19 – March 22 • 2:00pm
Special Spring Break matinee performances of Charlotte’s Web on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week.

Wilbur the piglet is the runt of his litter. But under the loving care of eight-year-old Fern Arable—and due in no small part to the delicious and plentiful slops on her Uncle Homer’s farm—Wilbur grows up into a fine specimen of a pig.  Wilbur is no ordinary pig, and thanks to the acrobatic web-writing of his friend Charlotte, a kindly barn spider, the world soon learns just how “terrific” and “radiant” he is. Come join in this heart-warming barnyard adventure and marvel at the wonder of Charlotte’s web.

And the Little Rock Zoo’s Sloth Bear Cub is named…..

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Photo courtesy of Little Rock ZooZAARA!

ZAARA!

Last week, the Little Rock Zoo proudly announced that a healthy female sloth bear cub was born January 9, 2019.  The proud parents are mother, Kali, and father, Sahaasa.

In celebration of their newest addition, the Zoo hosted a naming contest.  Zoo staff selected three names from which to choose. The public had the chance to vote last week. More than 3,000 votes were cast.

Zaara was the name selected.  In Arabic, it means “bright as the dawn.”  It is still a few more weeks until the public will get to meet Zaara.

The other two choices were Rani (Hindi), which means princess and Geeta (Hindi), which means pearl or song.

The cub is one of only 34 sloth bears currently held in AZA zoos in North America and is an important individual in the survival of this population. The cub is bottle-fed every three to four hours to help her continue to grow and thrive; she is healthy and progressing well, according to Zoo staff.

Help the Little Rock Zoo name new baby Sloth Bear

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Photo courtesy of Little Rock Zoo

The Little Rock Zoo is proud to announce that a healthy female sloth bear cub was born January 9, 2019.  The proud parents are mother, Kali, and father, Sahaasa.

In celebration of our newest addition, the Zoo is hosting a naming contest.  Zoo staff have selected three names from which to choose. The public is invited to vote by online poll.  The voting will end Friday, March 8, 2019, at noon.

Choices are:

  • 1) Zaara (Arabic), which means bright as the dawn;
  • 2) Rani (Hindi), which means princess;
  • 3) Geeta (Hindi), which means pearl or song.  The name Geeta is in honor of Geeta Seshamani, co-founder and Director of Wildlife SOS, an Indian conservation group whose goal is to protect and conserve India’s natural heritage, forest and wildlife wealth.

The cub is one of only 34 sloth bears currently held in AZA zoos in North America and is an important individual in the survival of this population. The cub is bottle-fed every three to four hours to help her continue to grow and thrive; she is healthy and progressing well, according to Zoo staff.

The bear’s birth comes as a recommendation of the American Species Survival Plan® known as SSP.  The SSP Program, developed in 1981 by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), helps to ensure the survival of select species in zoos and aquariums, which are either threatened or endangered in the wild. Native to the Indian subcontinent, sloth bears are listed as a vulnerable species, meaning one that is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve.  Their vulnerability is mainly caused by habitat loss or degradation of their home. Experts estimate fewer than 20,000 sloth bears survive in the wilds of the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka.

Mardi Craw 2019 at the Little Rock Zoo on Sunday, March 3

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Mardi Gras may be Tuesday, but the Little Rock Zoo celebrates Mardi Craw on Sunday, March 3.

Mardi Craw at the Zoo features sustainable crawfish and catfish, too! The good folks from Crawfish Country Catering are back and you won’t want to miss these bugs! Crawfish Country Catering is straight from Ville Platte, LA and serves up some of the biggest and best bugs in the south and we bring them to you fresh at Mardi Craw’n for the Zoo! You can’t beat these bugs!

Craft beer can also be enjoyed by those at least 21 years of age. And you’ll need to quench your thirst after a generous portion of king cake. It is a fun-packed afternoon of food and festivities.

The event begins at noon with catered crawfish, catfish, corn on the cob and potatoes. Enjoy live entertainment from Crescent City Combo, Mardi Gras themed fun and some special animal encounters in the Zoo atmosphere.

To guarantee a ticket, advance purchase is encouraged.  Tickets may be available at the gate, but Zoo events tend to sell out in advance.  Ticket covers admission to the Zoo as well as food and drink for the event.

February’s Science after Dark is a special Valentine’s Edition

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Since the month of February is devoted to love, the Museum of Discovery is devoting a Science After Dark to it – but one can’t talk about love without exploring the science of sex. They will look at attraction and reproduction in humans and the animal kingdom.

Perhaps the best part? Exploring aphrodisiacs! And what is the world’s favorite aphrodisiac? CHOCOLATE! We’ll learn about making chocolate and pairing chocolate all while sampling chocolate with some of the best chocolatiers around!

Science After Dark is for adults 21 and up. Tickets are $10 or free for members. You will be able to purchase food, cocktails and beer from the sponsors.  Those presenting sponsors are Fassler Hall Little Rock and Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge Little Rock and sponsors Rock Town Distillery and Stone’s Throw Brewing