Exploratorium Exhibits Find their Home at Mesa Lab

	Learning about science becomes a hands-on experience for Mesa 
Lab visitors beginning 17 September, when a new collection of exhibits 
from San Francisco's famed Exploratorium science museum debuts in 
the ML lobby.

	Visitors will be able to generate lightning bolts or touch a three-
meter-high tornado as they experiment with the exhibits, which 
represent part of NCAR's expanded program in public education.  In 
addition, one long-time display--the collection of optics photography--
has been reinstalled in the second-floor gallery area after a hiatus of 
several years.

	The Exploratorium collection was made possible by a $50,000 
grant from the museum (though the National Science Foundation), 
which was matched by a total of $50,000 from three major Colorado 
philanthropic organizations:  the Boettcher Foundation, the Gates 
Foundation, and the Adolph Coors Foundation.  Also contributing 
from the Boulder community were Syntex Chemicals, Bank One 
Boulder, Synergen, Valleylab, and Public Service Company of 
Colorado.

	The line-up of new exhibits includes

	--  Tornado, a vortex three meters (10 feet) tall composed of a 
mist that visitors can touch
	--  Chaotic Pendulum, a device that demonstrates principles of 
chaos as visitors spin it and try to predict its behavior
	--  Turbulent Orb, a glass sphere that, when spun or stopped, 
displays effects of global circulation patterns
	--  Fog Chamber, an instrument allowing visitors to explore the 
dynamics of changes in air pressure and dew point, sometimes creating 
fog in the process
	--  Blue Sky, an experiment that shows why the sky is blue 
during the day and why sunrises and sunsets are different hues within 
the red spectrum of light
	--  Quiet Lightning, a plasma tube that can create electrical 
discharges resembling lightning
	--  Light Island, an experimental bench with lenses, prisms, 
diffraction devices, filters, and mirrors that enables visitors to explore 
properties of visible light, the solar spectrum, and other phenomena

	"We're really excited to become an interactive educational 
resource for the region," says Steve Davis, manager of the NCAR 
exhibits program.  "The Exploratorium exhibits give us a good core 
group from which to expand our program.  Future exhibits, both inside 
and outside, will provide our visitors  with even more opportunities 
to explore the atmospheric sciences and to discover the role that our 
research plays.  Also, new exhibits will be developed and evaluated at 
NCAR for use in traveling exhibitions and for replication by science 
museums across the country."  --Joan Vandiver Frisch, Media 
Relations

Sneak Peek at Exhibits Next Saturday

	A preview of the new Exploratorium exhibits will be held next 
Saturday, 10 September, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.   Interested staff and 
their families are invited.  NCAR senior scientist Pat Kennedy will 
perform hands-on science demonstrations for youngsters beginning at 
10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. in the ML classroom, 
located just beyond the west end of the cafeteria.  Each session will 
include 15 minutes of demonstrations and 15 minutes of activities 
involving the kids as helpers or experimenters.  Parents can help 
themselves to the many handouts available--brochures, Planet Doctor 
buttons, and Thunderstorm Detective posters--at the Educational 
Resource Center adjacent to the classroom.  If you have questions, 
contact Steve Davis, ext. 8609, e-mail sdavis@ncar.ucar.edu.