Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

08/09/2020

Hope your Sunday is as dreamy as this watercolor. 💛🖌 IG @ mlagdameo

08/08/2020

How This Founder Turned A Text Blunder Into A Successful Business

“I knew that I was on to something. A few months later I went to SXSW to pitch the idea and won 1st place. It was the validation that I had an idea good enough to build a viable company.”

Maci Peterson Philitas is an innovator who didn’t set out to work in the tech field. After regretting a text sent to her former boyfriend, she searched for an app to undo her message but discovered it wasn’t possible. This led her to co-found an app that allows users to undo messages on mobile and desktop apps. Now, Maci uses her platform to empower Black women to become investors in innovative ideas.

It’s easy to have a love/hate relationship with tech when the convenience of expressing your thoughts is right at your fingertips. After Maci Peterson regretted sending a text to an ex, she searched for an app to recall messages but when she couldn't find one the idea for On Second Thought was bor...

08/07/2020

Social distancing circles, but make them science. 💧 Our front lawn is yours to enjoy all weekend long! Food and beverage will be available for purchase from our outdoor tent for Museum guests and the general public. Stop by and say hello again. 👋

08/06/2020

Thousands of our artifacts are going digital! We're thrilled to be recipients of the Museums for America grant, awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This grant will allow us to build a new online collections website that provides unprecedented free public access to 7,000 artifacts from the Museum’s Collection for the first time ever. This is a two-year project, and will include high-resolution 360-degree photography, 3D models, and in-operation videos for a selection of artifacts. Which artifacts would you most want to see?

08/06/2020

Experiment with us! We're testing conductivity by building a simple electric circuit from aluminum foil and a string of holiday lights. Get the full instructions for this Summer Brain Games experiment, in English y también en Español, online. ➡️ https://www.msichicago.org/index.php?id=4378

08/05/2020

Knock knock. 📸: Heidi Peters

08/02/2020

We ❤️ Science, too. Chicago artist Quentin Crockett visited us last week to chalk the walk outside our iconic North Doors. Quentin and his team used more than 400 pieces of chalk and 15 rolls of duct tape for this phenomenal mural outside of MSI! Learn more about Quentin and his mural on our IG: bit.ly/31fxQXk

08/01/2020

Hello Again

Hello again! Our doors open at 9:30 a.m., unlocking nearly half a million square feet to explore. Plus, we’re extending the fun outside with a food and beverage tent, free science activities and chalk to add your own art to our sidewalk. Click for visit tips and more information on how to keep yourself and others safe inside MSI! msichicago.org/welcome

07/31/2020

It’s Reopening Eve! We’re working hard to make sure your first visit back is extra special. Take a look at what we’ve been doing so far, inside and out. While we’re getting ready behind-the-scenes, use three emojis to tell us what you’re most excited to see again! We’ll start: ✈️ 🚂 🛥️

07/30/2020

Build a Balloon Racer

Make your own breeze on a hot day and learn about Newton’s third law of motion at the same time with MSI’s Balloon Racers. Challenge someone to a race, experiment with different types of balloons, even make your racer travel backward!

07/29/2020

We are excited to welcome our members tomorrow for the first Member Exclusive Day! We can’t wait to see you explore half a million square feet of science. Get a head start, click for visit tips and more on tomorrow’s reopening. msichicago.org/welcome

07/25/2020

Weekend bike ride. ✅ IG 📸: @ joywest567

07/24/2020

When we say “reopening,” we mean it. Guests are welcome to use our historic north doors once again when we open on Aug. 1—a first in 15 years! These doors have 14 bronze plaques on each panel, and the plaques represent MSI’s original departments. msichicago.org/welcome

07/22/2020

This week’s #ScienceAtHome live stream oozes fun—we’re making elephant toothpaste! Watch to learn how to make this foaming, and safe, chemical reaction brought to you in partnership with Babybel. For full instructions, visit https://bit.ly/30An2Tg.

07/21/2020

MSI Member Exclusive Days on July 29-31 are almost totally booked! Be sure to reserve your tickets or sign up for a new MSI Membership soon to visit the Museum before we open to the public on Aug. 1. Visit tickets.msichicago.org to claim your spot.

Plus, our Virtual Membership Open House is still happening throughout the month of July, don't miss out on exclusive live interviews and a "super" special event on July 31! Visit the Open House links in your weekly Member News emails. Not a member? There’s a simple fix for that... msichicago.org/membership.

07/17/2020

We’ve arrived to our destination: summer fun! Get eight free, easy activities including skyscraper engineering, circuit building, mapmaking and more when you sign up for Summer Brain Games. Plus, get a family four-pack of Museum Entry tickets when you register now! msichicago.org/summerbrain

07/16/2020

Reopening Update: We’re excited to announce that we will be open starting July 29 for members, and to the public on August 1! Guests will also receive free admission August 1-14. Below is a snapshot of what to expect. For full details on exhibit adjustments and planning tips, please visit msichicago.org/welcome.

🏛 Stretch out and enjoy our newest film, Superpower Dogs, inside a renovated Giant Dome Theater. Showtimes, and seating, are scattered. Visit msichicago.org/giantdome to learn more about reserving tickets.

🍴 Unwind outside on our Front Lawn where we’ll offer food and beverages for purchase for MSI guests and the public. Guests will also be able to enter through our iconic North Doors for the first time in 15 years.

🎟 Face coverings are required, and you must reserve advance tickets online to secure your visit time and for no-contact entry. To reserve tickets, visit msichicago.org/tickets.

👋 MSI offers half a million square feet, so there's plenty of space to explore and check out live experiments and science demos. We look forward to saying hello again (and in person) soon!

07/16/2020

We’re making a cloud in a bottle during this week’s #ScienceAtHome live stream! You’ll need a bottle, water, a match and an adult to help with this activity, brought to you in partnership with Babybel. Discover how you create an entire cloud system using just a bit of pressure. Full instructions at https://bit.ly/3gY0q5P.

07/16/2020

Arriving soon: Summer Brain Games! All are welcome aboard to get access to eight free, fun at-home activities to try with your friends and family. Get a head start and play along with this summer bingo card! Plus, register now to get your Museum ticket voucher. msichicago.org/summerbrain

07/14/2020

MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition - Grant Imahara Interview

Grant Imahara's curiosity and spirit for invention was contagious. We're remembering him through his passion for innovation, and thank him for making science so fun. This interview was recorded in 2012 at MSI during the Mythbusters' exhibit grand opening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DZKSceDSeY

MythBusters co-host Grant Imahara is interviewed at the world premiere of MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition, now open at the Museum of Science and Indust...

07/11/2020

Hope you have a relaxing weekend. ☀️ 📸: IG @ ivandumonde

07/10/2020

Tesla Roadster

Convenient parking! This video from 2018 shows a Tesla Roadster rolling into the Transportation Gallery. Today is the 164th birthday of Nikola Tesla, the innovator whose work has influenced the way we communicate, travel and even entertain ourselves. Click to learn more about the inventor. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/30/technology/nikola-tesla.html

🏎️ Tesla Roadster on loan from the Petersen Automotive Museum

07/10/2020

Summer Brain Games

Next stop: summer fun! ☀️ Explore Chicago’s neighborhoods this summer with help from MSI. Get eight free, easy activities focused on skyscraper engineering, circuit building, mapmaking and more. Summer Brain Games, sponsored by Wintrust and Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE), launches July 16. Register now and get a voucher for a future visit! msichicago.org/summerbrain

07/08/2020

We’re “positive” you’ll like this week’s live #ScienceAtHome stream, we’re experimenting with static electricity! This activity, brought to you in partnership with Babybel, requires a balloon and various small items like shredded paper or rice cereal. Full instructions at https://bit.ly/3dSoHJu.

07/07/2020

Starting July 14, MSI will offer 12 FREE webinar sessions for educators to continue our goal of reducing barriers to quality science teaching for all students. Session topics include looking at NGSS evidence statements, the nature of science matrix, new citizen science projects and more. Plus, Illinois teachers will be awarded ISBE Clock Hours for attending. Registration is open now, click to reserve your spot! msichicago.org/teachercourses

07/04/2020

“Big Shot” events were staged all over the world by the Sylvania Electric Products company which chose famous sites to light up with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of flashbulbs. The Big Shot at the Museum took place on September 24, 1953 and was unique in that it was the first time Sylvania encouraged amateur photographers to participate (and, in fact, over 3,000 people did). 📸: WTTW

07/03/2020

Periodic Table Hot Sauce

Thanks to our neighbors The Promontory for sharing this hot sauce recipe--the level of heat might spark fireworks in your mouth! Click to watch how Culinary Director of 16" On Center, Carlos Cruz, makes this hot sauce step-by-step, and learn more about the science of fermentation and spice. Try this tasty “experiment” at home, along with a bonus cocktail recipe for adults.
➡️ https://www.instagram.com/tv/CCLzsM6FqdN/?igshid=xl2o9h6bpb10

🌶️ Recipe + Instructions: msichicago.org/periodictable

Try this hot sauce recipe for your Memorial Day weekend. Chef Carlos Cruz from the Promontory restaurant in Hyde Park brings the heat, and we bring a little science on the side.

07/02/2020

July is MSI Membership Appreciation Month, and check out this lineup of month-long virtual activities. 🤘 Click for more on how to become an instant MSI Member and receive access to behind-the-scenes stories, never-before-seen archival imagery, beer science with Half Acre Brewery, exclusive interviews and so much more. msichicago.org/membership

07/01/2020

We’re back this week with more fun, live #ScienceAtHome experiments, sponsored by Babybel. How many rubber bands does it take to safely drop an egg without it touching the ground? Make this egg bungee experiment into a fun game with the family! For more at-home science activities that fuel playful creativity, visit https://bit.ly/2BNnCV7.

06/27/2020

Advancements across science, technology, engineering, art and medicine couldn’t happen without the LGBTQIA+ community. Read below to get to know some of these innovators. ⬇️

Lynn Conway is a pioneer of design in microelectronics chips which serve as the foundation for many tech companies’ computing methods. Her 1965 invention of dynamic instruction scheduling (DIS) while working for IBM was used in most powerful PC chips by the 90’s. After her transition, Conway developed new integrated circuits and taught new digital system design methods at M.I.T., inspiring new thoughts in microchip design. She is also known for her role in transgender activism including her work that led to transgender inclusion in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Code of Ethics. 📸: Wikimedia Commons, https://computerhistory.org/profile/lynn-conway/

Alberta Hunter (1895-1984, far left) is celebrated for her contributions in jazz and blues, and also for her work as a nurse. She toured the world for decades as a singer, performing in night clubs, theater productions and with the USO during World War II and Korean War. She was a lesbian but also kept private about her sexuality. She changed careers at age 61 and began studying to be a nurse. According to BlackPast, Hunter lied about her age to meet the requirement to enter school. At the age of 82, she retired from nursing and went back to singing where she made more albums and continued performing up until her death in 1984. 📸: BlackPast, https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/hunter-alberta-1895-1984/

Dr. Alan L. Hart (1890-1962) was a physician and prominent expert on tuberculosis, an illness that impacts the lungs. Dr. Hart spent his career researching tuberculosis, publishing work on X-ray medicine and its use in the detection of the disease. He worked as a tuberculosis consultant in Washington and Idaho, and served as the director of hospitalization and rehabilitation at the Connecticut State Tuberculosis Commission. According to the Oregon Encyclopedia, Dr. Hart was one of the first female-to-male transgender people to undergo a hysterectomy in the U.S. 📸: Making Queer History, https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/hart_alan_1890_1962_/#.XvdsKWhKjIV

06/24/2020

We’re excited to partner with Babybel over the next few weeks to bring you some fun #ScienceAtHome experiments! First up—we have a classic. Have you tried this MSI slime recipe with the family? If you don’t have Borax, you can use contact solution and baking soda to get the same gooey goodness. For more at-home experiments that fuel playful creativity, visit https://bit.ly/2XKBwjw.

06/23/2020

How the Father of Computer Science Decoded Nature’s Mysterious Patterns

Alan Turing's work to decode top secret messages sent by the Nazi Enigma machines helped end WWII. Did you know about his research in cracking another code—the mysteries of patterns in nature.

In research shortly before his death in 1954, Alan Turing used mathematics to explore how forms emerge, yielding insights that are now being applied to problems like desalination.

06/22/2020

Waiting for this storm system to "cycle" through to hop back on the now-opened Lakefront Trail. Looking forward to seeing more photos like these over the summer! 🚲 📸: IG: @ brascosbike, @ goonbug_32

06/20/2020

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈 Get to know these Black leaders whose work ensures innovation and creativity are not exclusive, but creates a space for the inventive genius to thrive in everyone.

🖥 Angelica Ross is the founder of TransTech Social Enterprises, which provides skill training in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) for people who are trans and gender nonconforming. Also known for her roles in TV shows Pose and American Horror Story: 1984, she provides consultation for organizational change to create space for trans people and people of color to share both their value and experiences. 📸: Wikimedia Commons, Miss Ross, Inc.

✏️ Octavia E. Butler is considered one of the first prominent Black science-fiction writers and regarded as the “mother of Afrofuturism.” She is the first science-fiction author to receive a McArthur Fellowship, and is celebrated for welcoming readers who had been excluded from the genre including people of color, women, people of various abilities, and the LGBTQIA+ community—her writing is also studied within queer theory. She wrote more than a dozen books, including her most well-known novel “Kindred,” about a Black woman who is flung back in time to the antebellum South. 📸: Wikimedia Commons

06/19/2020

Click if you’re curious about the history of Juneteenth, a celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. We want to honor this holiday (which is also our 87th birthday) by reaching 87 comments below listing organizations you’re supporting, authors you’re reading, artists and makers you’re following, podcasts you’re listening to—anything you’re using to reflect and take action to better support the Black community. Join the conversation on our Instagram also! Below is a list of resources we used for this post to learn more about Juneteenth. bit.ly/3dhsqPR