On July 30th, 2016 scientists, students, and families came together at Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to explore and discover the emerging field of synthetic biology. The museum’s Building with Biology event was a great success, attracting over 1,300 guests. Children visiting the museum range from birth to 10 years old, making it a unique opportunity to introduce young future scientists to the excitement of the field. To engage children, they were greeted in the museum lobby with a quest to fill out their passport by visiting our seven stations around the museum. When they completed their journey, they received a DNA temporary tattoo and fun prize. Over 80 passports were completed and returned by children.
Feedback from children and parents was positive, with both expressing excitement over the special science activities. Through post-it notes on the graffiti board, kids demonstrated what they learned, such as DNA is found in your body and that synthetic biology can help us with many things, like making better food. Many adults also commented on learning something new while experiencing the activities with their children.
Through this opportunity from the NISE Network, the museum was able not only further our mission to connect purposeful play and learning through meaningful science experiences, but to also make new connections in the community. By becoming in involved in other events and programs such as our annual STEM week, these new partners will help to build the bank of valuable resources the museum has to provide quality experiences to the families we serve.
For more information about Port Discovery Children's Museum and their Building with Biology event, please contact Nora Thompson at [email protected].