Motion Lab and dinosaurs and ancient Cambodian cities, oh my!
There’s a little something for everyone at the Carnegie Science Center these days. In February, the North Shore museum launched its “Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea” exhibition that will be open through Sept. 4.
Two months later, the Science Center is now rolling out a new permanent exhibit in its Highmark SportsWorks complex while also showing two movies in its Rangos Giant Cinema that illuminate little-discussed elements of the distant past and the very distant past.
Let’s break it all down, shall we?
Motion Lab
On Friday, SportsWorks will unveil its new Motion Lab space that will join the approximately 30 other interactive experiences offered there. Motion Lab will allow kids to attempt an activity, track their form and learn how they can improve via, you guessed it, science.
Users will be asked to select an activity from a list that includes shooting a basketball, throwing a baseball, dancing, jumping rope and more. They can also choose to perform their own type of movement if none of those options are of interest.
They then record themselves on a high-speed camera that captures them doing said motion at 200 to 250 frames per second. Finally, they get the chance to play it all back and compare themselves to professional athletes in an effort to refine their skills.
As the Motion Lab entry on the SportsWork website suggests, “practice makes perfect,” and patrons are encouraged to go through the process as many times as they feel is necessary to start showing progress.
‘Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia’
“Audiences are transported to new landscapes and cultures unraveled by scientists in The Rangos Giant Cinema,” Science Center director Jason Brown said in a statement to the Union Progress.
For example, “Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia” is playing in the museum’s Rangos Giant Cinema and will be available to watch there through May 29. It examines Angkor, the once-bustling capital of the Khmer Empire.
Angkor thrived between the ninth and 15th centuries before collapsing along with the rest of the Khmer Empire by the late 1500s. The 39-minute film takes viewers through the Cambodian jungle to the ruins of Angkor as it tries to unravel some of the mysteries regarding its downfall.
‘Dinosaurs of Antarctica’
A long, long time ago, Antarctica contained lush forests and a climate suitable for dinosaurs to roam without fear of contracting frostbite.
The aptly named “Dinosaurs of Antarctica” spotlights some of the creatures that lived 250 million years ago on Earth’s southern-most continent. The 45-minute film began its Science Center run earlier this week and will remain at the Rangos Giant Cinema through Sept. 30.
“Dinosaurs of Antarctica” reveals the beasts of yore while also shining a spotlight on that era’s climate versus the damage humans have done in modern times. It’s yet another fun but thought-provoking distraction provided by the Science Center.
Joshua covers pop culture, media and more at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Contact him at jaxelrod@unionprogress.com.