SciWorks
Encyclopedia
SciWorks, the Science Center and Environmental Park of Forsyth County is a science museum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
. The museum is geared toward families with children and has school programs for students from preschool to eighth grade.
It began in 1964 as the Nature Science Center, started by the local Junior League
; the museum was originally housed in a barn at Reynolda Village
. In 1972, the Nature Science Center moved to its present location on West Hanes Mill Road, into a campus that originally housed the Forsyth County Home and Hospital, the precursur to Forsyth Medical Center. In 1992 it closed and underwent a major renovation, re-opening under the SciWorks name. In 2001, the museum upgraded the facilities by doubling the space of one of the main galleries and adding an indoor eating area to the building.
The museum currently consists of a building with 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) of exhibit space, a 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) environmental park, and a planetarium
. The exhibit galleries cover a wide range of topics such as North Carolina
geography and geology, the human body, physics (featuring a Foucault pendulum
), sound, and technology. In addition, there is a traveling exhibit gallery that features both nationally touring exhibits and exhibits created in-house. The BioWorks exhibit, focusing on animals both local and exotic, was renovated in 2010, and includes a new habitat for Huey, a chatty blue-and-yellow macaw
who has become the museum's unofficial mascot.
The environmental park features river otters
, white-tailed deer
, and a barnyard that has donkey
s, a miniature horse
, sheep, domestic goats, and cows. The museum runs several interactive education programs for elementary and middle school students, and has an outreach program for schools in more remote areas. In addition, SciWorks also offers special summer programs, as well as camp-ins for Boy Scouts
and Girl Scouts
.
SciWorks is a private nonprofit museum. About a third of its funding comes from city and state grants, but over half of the money that runs the facility comes from income generated by admissions, gift shop sales, SciCamp fees, and other sources.
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The museum is geared toward families with children and has school programs for students from preschool to eighth grade.
It began in 1964 as the Nature Science Center, started by the local Junior League
Junior League
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and...
; the museum was originally housed in a barn at Reynolda Village
Reynolda Village
Reynolda Village is a shopping and business complex in Winston-Salem, North Carolina created from the servant and agricultural buildings of the former R. J. Reynolds estate, Reynolda. At present, it is owned and operated by Wake Forest University. It is the location of the first Village Tavern in...
. In 1972, the Nature Science Center moved to its present location on West Hanes Mill Road, into a campus that originally housed the Forsyth County Home and Hospital, the precursur to Forsyth Medical Center. In 1992 it closed and underwent a major renovation, re-opening under the SciWorks name. In 2001, the museum upgraded the facilities by doubling the space of one of the main galleries and adding an indoor eating area to the building.
The museum currently consists of a building with 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) of exhibit space, a 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) environmental park, and a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
. The exhibit galleries cover a wide range of topics such as North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
geography and geology, the human body, physics (featuring a Foucault pendulum
Foucault pendulum
The Foucault pendulum , or Foucault's pendulum, named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, is a simple device conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. While it had long been known that the Earth rotated, the introduction of the Foucault pendulum in 1851 was the...
), sound, and technology. In addition, there is a traveling exhibit gallery that features both nationally touring exhibits and exhibits created in-house. The BioWorks exhibit, focusing on animals both local and exotic, was renovated in 2010, and includes a new habitat for Huey, a chatty blue-and-yellow macaw
Blue-and-yellow Macaw
The Blue-and-Yellow Macaw , also known as the Blue-and-Gold Macaw, is a member of the group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It breeds in forest and woodland of tropical South America from Trinidad and Venezuela south to Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay...
who has become the museum's unofficial mascot.
The environmental park features river otters
Northern River Otter
The North American river otter , also known as the northern river otter or the common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent, found in and along its waterways and coasts. An adult river otter can weigh between 5 and 14 kg...
, white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, and a barnyard that has donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
s, a miniature horse
Miniature horse
Miniature horses are found in many nations, particularly in Europe and the Americas. The designation of miniature horse is determined by the height of the animal, which, depending on the particular breed registry involved, is usually less than as measured at the last hairs of the mane, which are...
, sheep, domestic goats, and cows. The museum runs several interactive education programs for elementary and middle school students, and has an outreach program for schools in more remote areas. In addition, SciWorks also offers special summer programs, as well as camp-ins for Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
.
SciWorks is a private nonprofit museum. About a third of its funding comes from city and state grants, but over half of the money that runs the facility comes from income generated by admissions, gift shop sales, SciCamp fees, and other sources.