A Trip to the Pacific Science Center

This Friday, two other project interns and I visited the Pacific Science Center. It was quite an experience for me to see the Pacific Science Center again. I hadn’t actually walked around the entire museum since I was far younger. It was fun to see the dinosaur and naked mole rat exhibits that I remember from my childhood. Also, random side note, naked mole rats are extremely fascinating creatures with super interesting social systems. If you ever have time to check out their Wikipedia page, you’ll learn some cool animal facts. There were also several new exhibits such as “Professor Wellbody’s Academy of Health and Wellness.” The current featured exhibit is “SPY: the Secret World of Espionage.” This exhibit has espionage related artifacts from the CIA, FBI and the National Reconnaissance Office. The featured exhibits are not included in the regular admission price and require an extra fee. However, the Pacific Science Center just recently announced that museum-goers can purchase reduced price tickets during Spy Happy Hour. From 4pm-6pm Monday through Thursday, tickets will be significantly cheaper. Just make sure to mention Spy Happy Hour while you purchase them! Another fun summer activity that is available at the Pacific Science Center is the IMAX theatre. Not only are educational documentaries shown, but also the summer blockbusters like the new Transformers movie. The spy exhibit, IMAX and general admission are slightly more expensive options available at the Pacific Science Center.

 While there, we met with the Pacific Science Center’s (super fashionable) marketing manager, Elin. (Fun fact about her: she got to meet Mathew Lewis, the actor who played Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter, when he made an appearance at the opening of the Harry Potter exhibit a few years back. We were all very jealous.) She filled us in on many of the cool programs that are happening at the science center. I know what you’re thinking: the Pacific Science Center is a place for children to hang out. Well, you’re correct, but there are also cool programs for teens and preteens! I promise. 

JOB AND FUN OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS:

The first fun activity for an older audience is the Laser Dome. The laser shows have music from plenty of cool artists such as Queen, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, Pink Floyd, the GORILLAZ and more. There are dubstep and EDM laser shows as well. There are shows intermittently throughout the day and night. The shows are $6 dollars Thursdays and $9.75 on Friday and Saturday. However, the Pacific Science Center does accept Teen Tix for the laser shows so you can purchase a cheaper ticket using that.

Another program that the Pacific Science Center puts on is the Science Café. There are Science Café programs for the general public as well as just teens. The program begins with a short presentation made by a local scientist on their research, then there is a question/answer session. At the teen events there will be more hands on activities and interactive experiences. The Science Café program hopes to inspire teens to have more in depth conversations with local scientists. They are also free and located in various cafes in the greater Seattle area. More information can be found here: http://pacificsciencecenter.org/Education/Programs/teencafe

But wait….there’s more! For those of you who are looking for more opportunities to get involved there are several volunteer and internship positions available. One year-round option is the Discovery Corps. These volunteers help out around the Pacific Science Center doing various jobs and according to their website the volunteers will be “exposed to numerous aspects of science, math, and technology which will hopefully inspire them to pursue careers in these fields.” One cool part of Discovery Corps is the opportunity for promotion. When a volunteer has logged 100 hours, the volunteer will be accessed and it is possible to be promoted to a paid position. Volunteers must be 14 to apply for a volunteer position and they are able to continue working till high school graduation. More information found here: http://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/Discovery-Corps/discoverycorps

 Another internship opportunity is the year long Lake Washington Watershed internship. This internship program teaches teens about habitat restoration and stream monitoring. They will also be exposed to various outdoor opportunities like hiking and canoeing. More information and a link to the application can be found here: http://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/Mercer-Slough/lake-wash-internships.html . This internship is located at Mercer Slough Environmental Education Centre. There are several other internships at this location that span for shorter periods of time. They can be found here: http://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/Mercer-Slough/teen-programs


Bus routes to Pacific Science Center from:
Klondike Gold Rush NHP - 4, E line, or 26
Ballard - D line, 40, or 29
West Seattle - 118, or C line to D line
Capitol Hill - 8, or 49 to 3
Columbia City - 8, or 7 to E line
Bellevue - 240 to 554, 271 to 255 to 4, or 271 to 550 to D line

Cost Breakdown: $6.25-7.50 (bus + teentix laser show), $7.25-8.50 (bus + regular laser show), $15.75- 17.00 (bus + general admission under 15), $20.75-22.00 (bus + adult general admission), $8.25-10.00 (bus + Imax under 15), $10.25-12.00 (bus + adult Imax)

- Claire Parchem, SCA Intern