The Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science (MONAS) “Hidden No More: Shedding Light on Science Stories” exhibit opened in March and continues at the museum. Visitors will notice changes in the museum’s light and space exhibition, including new interactive displays.
“The interactive components of Hidden No More focus on exploring the connection between light and color and on illuminating the work of two featured scientists, Kamal al-Din al Farisi and Mercedes López-Morales, through hands-on exploration,” the City of Las Cruces said in a news release.
Farisi (1260-1320), a Persian scientist, was the first to propose a mathematically acceptable theory of how rainbows are formed, the city said.
López-Morales (1973- ) is a Spanish American astrophysicist at Harvard University’s Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in the Atomic and Molecular Physics Department in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“My work includes the search and characterization of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) using telescopes on the ground and in space,” López-Morales said on www.cfa.harvard.edu.
Hidden No More was produced by the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, located on the University of North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with support from the National Science Foundation as part of the Advancing Informal STEM Learning Program, the city said.
“The exhibition helps bridge gaps in representation by including simulations of historical scientific experiments enacted by little-known scientists of color, virtual reality encounters that immerse participants in the scientists’ discovery process and other content that allows visitors to interact with the exhibits and explore the exhibits’ themes,” the news release said.
The exhibit consists of short documentary and animated films, virtual reality experiences, interactive “photobooths,” and technology-based inquiry activities.
MONAS is one of six Teen Science Café National Network members across the country to receive Hidden No More, the city said.
MONAS, 411 N. Main St. downtown, is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. MONAS is accessible from RoadRUNNER Transit Route 1 Stop 1.
For more information, contact Stephanie Hawkins at 575-532-3372 and shawkins@lascruces.gov.
Visit www.lascruces.gov/museums and follow Las Cruces Museums on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @LCMuseums.
