- By Hester Vermaak
- Around Town
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This winter, Sciencenter visitors will get up close and personal with parasites at the new "skin-crawling" exhibition, "Attack of the Bloodsuckers!" opening during the holiday weekend on Saturday, January 17 and Monday, January 19. Examine fleas, ticks, leeches, head lice and other parasites and discover the important role they play in the ecosystem."This exhibition might make some squirm, but in a fun way! With more than a dozen interactive stations to explore, it's designed to keep families ‘itching for more'," said biologist Lara Kimber, the Sciencenter's Associate Director. "This exhibition is sure to spark conversation among visitors as they discover that stinky feet can lure mosquitoes, and other fascinating facts about the parasites many of us would rather swat than slow down and observe."
"Attack of the Bloodsuckers!" includes several immersive exhibits that will "grow" on you, some quite literally, according to Kimber. "Visitors can step in, sit down, and be the next meal of a giant tick, all while feeling her tummy ‘grow'." At the "Mosquito Cockpit," exhibit, visitors are in the driver's seat as they become a mosquito itching for a bite with a mission of tracking down dinner. Visitors can also check out live mosquitoes and leeches (safely contained, of course!), and take a closer look at familiar bloodsuckers like head lice, fleas and ticks.
The Saturday opening day program on January 17 includes hands-on activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a special presentation at 2 p.m., "Parasites and People." Sciencenter educator John Alvarez del Castillo will introduce visitors to the creatures that suck our blood, including live mosquitoes and leeches. Throughout the afternoon, kids can create a marionette "tick puppet," of an engorged tick, investigate the components of blood, mix up a pretend blood drink, and make a special "mosquito" straw to drink it at the "Blood Buffet." Visitors can use their sense of smell to find matching scents at the "Smelling Safari" activity, and take the "Compound Eye Challenge" to experience the sight of a mosquito firsthand.
On Monday, January 19 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), the Sciencenter will offer "Attack of the Bloodsuckers!" activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The following Saturday, January 24, at 2 p.m., mosquito biologist Laura Harrington of Cornell University will present "What's the Buzz?" and introduce visitors to these pests that whine and bite. "Attack of the Bloodsuckers!" programs are included with admission.
This exhibition on parasitology was developed by the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative (EEC!) and will be on display at the Sciencenter through Sunday, May 10.
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