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Copywrite 2001-2004, California Science Center
 
 
Media Contact:  Shell Amegah, Paula Wagner, Isela Castillo
213.744-7446 (porta voz bilingüe)
 
August 13, 2001
Four Themes Unlock Clues to "Secrets of Aging" in Exhibit at the California Science Center
 
They say that the only "predictables" in life are death and taxes. But there is one more: aging. Aging takes place as soon as we're born, and it's a process we all go through. Yet how we fare on the journey of aging is actually a very individual experience.
 

LOS ANGELES - Secrets of Aging, a landmark exhibit that explores the science behind the universal experience of aging through hands-on activities, interactive videos, and informative displays, opens at the California Science Center October 4, 2001 and continues through February 24, 2002. The exhibit, which contains something of interest for all age groups, highlights current scientific research on the aging process in the fields of biology, physiology, psychology and sociology.

Greeting visitors in the "Secrets of Aging" exhibit will be a group of eight life-size 3D figures, representing ages 12 - 100 that speak of their own concerns about growing older. As exhibit-goers move through the figures, each one will give a personal statement on aging.
Photo Credit: George Riley
 

Some of the questions addressed in Secrets of Aging include: What happens to our bodies as we age? What changes do our minds go through? How does society view aging? How long can we actually live?

The exhibit information and interactive activities are organized around four main theme areas: Body, Mind, Society and Longevity. These themes answer questions about the aging process and seek to educate us about choices, which bring results that we can see or feel. Three interactive programs - "Face Aging," "T'ai Chi," and "Journey with Me" - will be used to relate to each of the four themes.

  • "Face Aging", an interactive feature, will enable young visitors ages 6 to 12 to be able to look into the future and see what their face may look like in the coming decades.
  • "T'ai Chi" is an interactive feature that will enable visitors to experience this gentle martial art which consists of 108 slow motion movements to ensure effective circulation and energy.
  • "Journey with Me", the third interactive program, is a multimedia presentation using video, dance, and creative expression to tell individual's personal stories of growing up and growing older.

Throughout the exhibit, visitors will be accompanied by a group of eight life-size 3-D figures, each with its own personality. There is, for example, a 60-something grandmother, a 70-ish woman with osteoporosis and a cane, and a middle-age son. The figures will speak as visitors walk by, each giving a different, personal statement on aging. The figures will not only be encountered at the beginning of the exhibit, but also at other points within the exhibit. These figures will serve as exhibit guides, familiar faces that the visitor will meet more than once.

Section 1: Body - What happens to Our Bodies as We Age?

This area of the exhibit explores the physical changes that happen throughout our lives, focusing on major organs like the heart. Alongside these activities are exhibits that demonstrate ways we can all improve our chances of aging successfully through exercise, proper diet and informed lifestyle choices.

In one hands-on exhibit, visitors will discover how scientists determine age in different species of plants and animals by handling turtle shells and reproductions of human teeth of different ages. Visitors will also examine growth rings on a slice of tree trunk.

At any point in viewing the exhibit, visitors will be able to relax in the resource room and delve into exploring the secrets of aging at their own pace. The resource room includes a reading area with magazine articles and books on aging, plus a computer for surfing aging-related websites. There is also a secluded video area, a storytelling place with children's books and storytellers. A bulletin board will also be available to visitors, and will feature late-breaking news items. Another bulletin board will invite visitors to leave their stories, reactions to the exhibit, ideas and pictures for future visitors.

IMAX FILM "THE HUMAN BODY" TO COMPLEMENT EXHIBIT

In concert with the exhibit, the California Science Center IMAX will be showing "The Human Body." The film, which opens on October 14, explores the complexities of the human body by investigating, in great detail, the myriad functions the body performs routinely. Viewers will see the human body portrayed in ways never seen before - from the progression and culmination of a pregnancy to thermal imagery and x-ray techniques.

California Science Center, located at 700 State Drive in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission to the exhibitions is free. For recorded information on IMAX show times, phone (213) 744-7400. For advance ticket purchases, group rates, or to make free reservations for any visiting group of 15 or more (required), call (213) 744-2019. Parking is available in the guest lot at Figueroa and 39th Street for $6 per car. Both the Science Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair accessible. For general information, phone (323) SCIENCE.
 
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