“People have no reason to be bored in Eastern Idaho this summer,” Jeff Carr, director of public relations for the Museum of Idaho said.
He shared some of the exhibits and events people have to look forward to this summer and in future years. They are currently showcasing the Archimedes Science and Innovations exhibit.
Archimedes lived over 200 years before the birth of Christ and was a mathematician, architect, scientist and inventor of his time. The exhibit displays different technology he invented that we still use today. There is a lot of interactive activities people can participate in when they go. They will learn how advanced his technology actually was, even before the birth of Christ.
“Da Vinci and Galileo....were discovering that this guy Archimedes had better technology 1700 years previous to them then they had,” Carr said. “It’s just incredible to think about what the ancient Greeks and people like Archimedes were able to discover about the world just using observation and science.”
The exhibition director, Rod Hansen works hard to bring the best exhibits to Idaho. A lot of the exhibits he tries to get are from big cities, so he has to do some convincing at first when he tells people he would like their exhibit in Idaho, Carr said. After he talks to them about the number of people who attend, past exhibits, school opportunities and more, they are willing to send it to Idaho.
Once they get an exhibit, it takes a few weeks to set everything up and figure out the lighting. Then they open it up to the public and it remains in the museum for six months.
“We try and get exhibits that really hit on history and science and art and all these things at the same time, so hopefully there’s something for everybody,” he said.
In 2011 Bodies: The Exhibition, came to the Museum of Idaho. Idaho Falls was the smallest city in the world to display the exhibit. If people enjoyed this exhibit, they can look forward to a similar exhibit in 2020 and 2021, he said.
On June 22, the museum will have Wonder Woman’s invisible airplane on display. You really are just looking at empty space. However, it provides people an opportunity to learn. Scientists will be there to teach how an invisible plane would be made.
Over 50% of people who come to the museum are not from Idaho, he said. Carr hopes people in Eastern Idaho will know the museum is close to them.
The museum has a full calendar of programs that cater to all ages. You can learn what programs are available throughout the summer at their website https://museumofidaho.org/calendar/ or visit https://museumofidaho.org/ to learn about current and upcoming exhibits.