Harsco Science Center
Learning Worlds

Arcade Level

The Gateway
Enter the world of science and the arts. The gateway of Harsco Science Center is filled with moving sculptures, such as Dancing Trees and Kinetic Sculpture 122, that illustrate scientific principles through exploration of the arts.

Health and Wellness
Examine the most sophisticated piece of equipment of all–the human body. Explore the composition and care of the human body through The Gallery of Anatomy, The Five Senses, Medical Technology, and Wellness exhibits. This gallery also contains exhibits related to DNA, medical imaging, diet, medicine and disease.

Big Science Theatre
Home of our nationally acclaimed inhouse troupe of professional actors. Click here for a full description of programs.

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Street Level-Olewine Hall

Environment and Ecology
Investigate the forces that shape the natural world through exhibits that focus on our local environment, such as the Susquehanna watershed, as well as those dealing with global issues. Exhibits on the seasons, weather, erosion, natural resources and geology cover all the bases–interactively.

Gloria M. Olewine Gallery
This limited-engagement space showcases nationally touring exhibits, giving visitors an ever-changing array of adventures in life-long learning, science activities, and art and artifact displays. Exhibits typically change three times a year.


•K’NEX: Building Thrill Rides
September 30, 2006 – January 28, 2007
Amusement parks and thrill rides are part of almost everyone’s childhood. The breathtaking excitement of roller coasters and wildly spinning rides are truly an American experience. K’NEX: Building Thrill Rides provides students with the
opportunity to explore and investigate the science, math, and technology concepts
that make thrill rides possible.

The exhibit includes large animated models of nine different thrill rides, including a roller coaster, carousel, salt-and-pepper ride, and swing rides, ranging from three to 12 feet in size. The realistic action of these models brings science concepts to life for students. Using their observation skills and measurements, students will be able to conduct simple experiments to explore concepts of forces, potential and kinetic energy, and linear and rotational motion.

Hands-on activities will be provided for each of the “rides” in the exhibit, including opportunities for students to build their own K’NEX creations. In addition, teachers will have access to pre- and post-visit classroom activities designed to enhance and supplement existing physical science, math, and technology curricula. All activities are aligned with national and state standards for science, math, and technology.

•Natural History Machines
February 10, 2007 – May 13, 2007
Enter the world of prehistoric beasts…
Students can explore concepts in Art, Natural Science, Physical Science, and Language Arts, through interactive dinosaur sculptures and hands-on exhibits created by artist and inventor John Payne of Asheville, North Carolina.


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Lower Level

Mathematics in Nature and Art
This is not the usual math quiz… it’s an array of brain-expanding challenges. Try taming the bouncing ball of chaos, building a globe of hexagons, and splitting your own face into symmetrical parts. Immerse yourself in a gallery that examines the mathematics that underlie the structure of the visible world. Exhibits, such as Math in Nature, allow students to discover the symmetry and pattern found in starfish and snowflakes, and learn how ratios and mathematical sequences describe the structure of sunflowers and classical Greek temples.

Physics
Study the world of fantastic forces in this gallery that covers human movement, mechanical energy, levers, and handcranked machines through exhibits such as Backstage Science, Simple Machines, and Force and Motion.This gallery also includes the National Science Foundation-funded exhibit Bodies in Motion, which explores the physics of dance, athletics, and more!

Light and Color
Light up your world in the region’s most complete gallery on the nature and uses of light. From color blending and X-rays to microwaves and lasers, hands-on exhibits, such as Why Is The Sky Blue?, Newton’s Prism, Fiber Optics, and Light at Work, offer a greater understanding of waves, particles, and their effect on the human eye.

Sound and Music
Explore the art and science of sound, the basic principles of sound and acoustics, and the many applications of sound in science and industry. Exhibits include The Physics of Sound and Sound at Work.

Kids’ Hall
This learning area is designed especially for children 8 years old and younger. Interactive exhibits explore color, contraptions, theater and art. Children have opportunities to stage puppet shows, build mobiles, construct gizmos and make music.


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Click here for grade-appropriate Exhibit Explorer question banks. Exhibit Explorer question banks and CD ROMs with pre- and post-visit activities are also available by contacting the School Reservations Office at school_services@whitakercenter.org or (717) 214-4644.