New exhibition, Hidden No More: Shedding Light on Science Stories in the Shadows, opens at the Museum of Nature & Science

Experience the Light Room at the Museum of Nature & Science in a whole new way. Visitors to the Museum of Nature & Science will notice changes in the Light & Space exhibition that include new interactive displays. Hidden No More: Shedding Light on Science Stories in the Shadows opened Friday, March 10 and will run indefinitely.

The interactive components of Hidden No More focus on exploring the connection between light and color, and on illuminating the work of two featured scientists: Kamal al-Din al Farisi and Mercedes Lopez-Morales through hands-on exploration.

Kamal al-Din al-Farisi (1260-1320) was the first to propose a mathematically acceptable theory of how rainbows are formed. Before him, the accepted thought was that light from the sun was reflected by a cloud before reaching the eye. Al-Farisi proposed that light from the sun was refracted twice by a water droplet, with one or more reflections taking place inside the droplet, before reaching the eye.

Mercedes López Morales is a Spanish American astrophysicist at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her research focuses on the detection and characterization of exoplanet (planets outside of our Solar System) atmospheres and detecting Earth-like planets in other planetary systems.

Hidden No More: Shedding Light on Science Stories in the Shadows was produced by the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center with support from the National Science Foundation as part of the Advancing Informal STEM Learning Program. The exhibition helps bridge gaps in representation by including simulations of historical scientific experiments enacted by little-known scientists of color, virtual reality encounters that immerse participants in the scientists’ discovery process, and other content that allows visitors to interact with the exhibits and explore the exhibits’ themes. The exhibit consists of short documentary and animated films, virtual reality experiences, interactive “photobooths,” and technology-based inquiry activities.

The Museum of Nature & Science is one of six Teen Science Café National Network members to receive Hidden No More across the country.

The Museum of Nature & Science is located at 411 N. Main Street and is accessible from RoadRUNNER Transit Route 1 Stop 1. Visit the website at: https://www.lascruces.gov/museums or follow the Las Cruces Museums on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @LCMuseums.

For information contact Stephanie Hawkins, Education Curator, at 575-532-3372 or by email at [email protected].