Released February 22, 2017
Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters explores the cause and effect of natural disasters on our planet
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Megan Simpson, 317.234.8146, [email protected]
INDIANAPOLIS —Come witness the raw power of nature in Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters. Explore the science behind earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and volcanoes. See what causes the ground to shake, the wind to spin and rock to melt, and hear firsthand accounts about what it was like to live through a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina.
Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters is a traveling exhibit on loan from the Field Museum in Chicago. The exhibition features several dynamic and interactive experiences for all ages to learn about the geological and weather forces that helped shape our earth. It also explores how each natural disaster continues to impact the world for many years after the event.
“Nature Unleashed brings together fascinating interactives and real objects, ranging from Mt. Vesuvius lava rock to items damaged during Hurricane Katrina,” said Peggy Fisherkeller, curator of geology. “It gives us a sense of the true power of nature.”
Nature Unleashed allows visitors the opportunity to simulate an earthquake, build a volcano and then watch it erupt, experience a tornado in a circular theater featuring the only footage ever captured inside a twister, and watch as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami swept across the globe. The exhibition also features several items recovered following the EF-5 tornado that struck Greensburg, Kansas in 2007. Audio recordings go beyond the headlines and share the true stories of those who lived through Hurricane Katrina.
The exhibition goes inside the forces that drive earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and volcanoes to help explain what causes these natural phenomena to happen. It also explores how humans can impact future natural disasters, shedding light on what, if anything, can be done to prevent such disasters in the future, and how technology has evolved to create better detection and warning systems.
The museum will offer special programming during the exhibition including pop-up Naturalist’s Lab demonstrations and Taste of Science with Rolls-Royce at Bier Brewery on April 24. There will also be several school and public programs featured during the exhibition’s run at the museum. For more information on the exhibition and any related programming, please call 317.232.1637 or visit indianamuseum.org.
Nature Unleashed is presented by Lilly as part of the Year of Science. The exhibition is contributed to by Rolls-Royce and Purdue Science: Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.
The exhibition is included with museum admission and runs March 11 to May 29, 2017.
HOURS AND LOCATION
The Indiana State Museum is located at 650 W. Washington Street in Indianapolis. Exhibition gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The first Tuesday of each month (Community Tuesdays) admission is half price. Auxiliary aids and services are available with advance notice. For more information, call the museum at 317.232.1637.
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The Indiana State Museum is located in White River State Park in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. It is Indiana’s museum for science, art and culture, offering a place where you can celebrate, investigate, remember, learn and take pride in Indiana’s story in the context of the broader world. Even the building is a showcase of the best Indiana has to offer in architecture, materials and sculpture. Easy and convenient parking is available in the attached underground garage.
