The Beckman Institute Open House is scheduled for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, April 5 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 6.
Community members of all ages are invited to do interactive demos and activities, solve the science scavenger hunt, and learn about the institute’s diverse research portfolio, which includes human health and medical imaging; clean energy and green plastics; and even artificial intelligence and insect-inspired robots. Four zones in the Beckman Atrium will translate these topics into hands-on activities and demonstrations:
- In the Molecules and Materials Zone, guests can extract DNA from strawberries; paint with milk, food coloring, and soap; and build a molecular rainbow.
- The Imaging Zone highlights how researchers solve problems by looking at the world through a different lens: guests can illuminate invisible samples with light microscopy; learn how researchers see inside our hearts, eyes, and ears; and watch their own brain waves in action.
- In the Health and Medicine Zone, guests can cheer on a cyber-octopus as it crawls through an obstacle course, use the Veggie Meter to measure nutrients in their skin, and brush up on their neuron knowledge with the experts themselves (a tankful of sea slugs).
- Specially curated for the youngest scientists, the Kid-Friendly Zone features exhibits like “Spying for science,” “Rat v. human: the ultimate hearing test,” and, “Your brain is electrifying!” which involves making a ball levitate using only your brain’s electrical signals.
Guests interested in questing beyond the atrium can take lab tours in Beckman’s basement, visit the (dis)Ability Design Studio, and experience the third-floor exhibit, “Voltage voyage: an interactive electrochem odyssey,” which offers the opportunity to operate a brand-new electrochemistry robot.
As in previous years, Beckman’s Illinois MRI Exhibit and Arnold O. Beckman Exhibit will be open to guests looking to learn more about the institute and its history. Guests can also solve the science scavenger hunt and commemorate their experience with a photo in Beckman’s selfie station.