Environment Gallery

Our new Environment Gallery opened in October 2012 and features all new displays and many interactive exhibits unique to our centre. The centerpiece of the gallery is Science on a Sphere - an iconic 6-foot diameter projection system used by staff scientists to visually enhance presentations on environmental science.

Four other areas of the new gallery present interactive exhibits among four themes: Ice Detectives, Rock Hounds, Eco Explorers, and Storm Trackers.

A behind the scenes look at our new Environment Gallery.

Ice Detectives

• Water Quality Testing – with an Interpreter, test water samples to understand what makes a healthy aquatic ecosystem.
• Polar Ice Cap Floor Projection – learn about the changing Arctic habitats and the shrinking polar ice cap. Pretend you are a polar bear jumping between ice flows as they break apart. 
• Replica Ice Core Interactive – learn about the information trapped within this giant piece of replica ice and how scientists decode it to understand past climates.

Rock Hounds

• Oil Sands – touch a sample of thick, sticky oil sands and compare it to the feeling of liquid, synthetic crude oil. Discover why Alberta is home to large amounts of this resource and the process used to extract and refine it.
• Stone or Bone? – compare samples of fossils, bone, and stone to learn the similarities and differences. 
• Geology Testing Station – with our Interpreters test rock and mineral samples to determine their properties.
• Forming Alberta Spin Browser – an animated geologic history of Alberta showing how the Earth has changed over millions of years.

Eco Explorers

• Mountain Pine Beetle – these beetles are often thought of as a pest but find out how they can contribute to a healthy ecosystem.
• Be a Bee – see what a bee sees when it looks at flowers and learn to do a waggle dance to tell other bees where to find the pollen. 
• Coral Reef Tank – a tank highlighting tropical species. 
• Ecosystem Exploration Touch-table – find critters in the Amazon rainforest or in the Alberta Boreal Plains using an interactive touch-screen table.

Storm Trackers

• Cloud Puzzle – match cloud shapes with their weather patterns.
• Extreme Weather Lab – build the conditions to create weather events in Edmonton.
• Tornado Machine – with a push of a button see how a tornado is formed.

Citizen Science Projects

The Environment Gallery features several Citizen Science Projects and highlights ways people can become involved in ongoing projects as part of their daily lives. Our staff scientists have compiled a list of ongoing Citizen Science Projects.