 "Photo: Brittany Bledsoe")
Overseers of a new building opening on campus are looking to make it the “other” big facility premiere at the university with the one thing students usually groan about — science.
The Gateway Science Museum, formerly the Northern California Natural History Museum, is located behind Bidwell Mansion, facing the Esplanade, and is set to open in October.
The mission behind the new facility is to infuse some fun into learning science, said Greg Liggett, executive director of the museum.
“We’d really like to help people become comfortable with science,” Liggett said. “We’re using the natural world as a stage that we keep coming back to, but we want to use (the museum) to show how all the sciences relate to it.”
The museum will inform visitors about the natural history of Northern California through the use of exhibits, interactivity and the surrounding environment, said James Houpis, dean of the College of Natural Sciences.
Upon opening, the museum will feature temporary exhibits including travel displays from around the country, Liggett said.
Student courses are being planned that will involve doing research and activities in the museum’s demonstration lab, Liggett said. The geosciences department is looking to possibly use the museum for a course involving working on projects in front of the public.
While Chico State students work at the museum for their courses, members of the community, including students from elementary school, would be able to interact with the Chico State students from the adjacent discovery room, Liggett said.
The museum overseers also plan to bring a multitude of science activities not only to Chico State students but also to elementary school students, Houpis said.
One of the museum’s goals will be to help get kids interested in science.
It is important to get kids excited about science before they go to middle school, Houpis said.
“If we wait until high school or (adulthood), they’ll never want to become a scientist,” he said.
General science literacy among residents in California is relatively low and the region is producing a low number of scientists, Houpis said.
A major goal of the museum will be to improve knowledge and understanding of science at the community level.
The museum is intended to help Chicoans become “more scientifically literate,” and to “appreciate the importance of science,” Houpis said.
Design plans for the museum include an elaborate geological time wall that extends from the parking lot through the museum. The time wall will document Northern California’s natural history dating back to prehistoric time.
The museum will also create employment opportunities for students, Houpis said. The museum plans to hire a mixture of work-study students and non-work-study students.
Plans for student employment include work at the gift shop, maintenance of the demonstration lab and the discovery room and help with tours and admission, said Houpis and Liggett.
Jamie Mills, president of the Chico State chapter of the National Science Teachers Association, said her student organization is excited to hear the museum is finally coming to fruition and hopes elementary students will benefit greatly from its resources.
“There’s really a lack of interest in scientific fields,” Mills said. “This new museum will help keep kids interested in it.”
Jason Hynes can be reached at
jhynes@theorion.com
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