Opening April 2009!
The newest permanent exhibition at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science will provide visitors the chance to explore and measure their own unique biology. But they won’t be alone in their journey. Each visitor will be accompanied by a virtual companion.
Expedition Health, a 10,000-square-foot health exhibition, opens in April 2009. Through interactive exhibits, visitors will discover how their bodies work, measure their own biological responses and witness how variables such as wind chill, UV exposure and physical exertion change their bodies’ responses.
At the beginning of the exhibition, visitors will select a virtual companion, or buddy. But these buddies aren’t the creation of a whiz computer game maker. They are real people who live in Colorado—people who represent the diversity and humanness of our community.
“People love to learn especially when it is fun, hands-on and involves a friend,” says Bridget Coughlin, Ph.D., the Museum’s deputy chief curator and curator of human health. “This is really taking that concept into a Museum exhibition.”
Twelve Coloradans were selected from more than 500 applications statewide. Throughout the summer, the buddies have been going through a “physical and intellectual boot camp” to prepare for their role in the exhibition, Coughlin says. They have learned how their bodies work, how food fuels their bodies, and how their bodies are constantly changing. They are putting this knowledge to work as they train for a two-day expedition to the summit of Mount Evans, which will occur in mid-August. Training is being led by Coughlin and Museum educators, assisted by health experts from Kaiser Permanente Colorado, the exhibition’s presenting sponsor. The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) is guiding the Mount Evans expedition.
Short video clips of the buddies will appear at key moments throughout the exhibition to help explain how the body works and adapts. For instance, as a visitor is measuring his or her heart rate on a stationary bike, the buddy will explain how the heart responds to exertion. The companions will relate this science to their own experience on the hike to the top of the 14,264-foot Colorado peak.
“Studies show that people learn more when they have a “learning companion” whom they can relate to on a personal level, even if that companion is virtual,” says Nancy Walsh, lead educator on the project. “Our hiking buddies will provide this for our visitors.”
Expedition Health is being funded solely by individuals and organizations committed to improving the health and education of the people who live in and visit Colorado. Kaiser Permanente Colorado, the presenting sponsor, contributed $4 million toward the exhibit as part of its mission to help improve the health of the community.
Expedition Health
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
P.O. Box 11415
Denver, CO 80211-1415
Still have questions?
Send an e-mail to ExpeditionHealth@dmns.org.