Explore McWane Science Center
LOWER LEVEL
LEVEL 1
The 108-seat Rushton Science Theater is a state-of-the-art multimedia science learning environment capable of hosting any type of program imaginable. Home to our largest presentations like Combustion and Lightning Strikes, the Rushton Science Theater is frequently home to extraordinary fires and huge bolts of lightning.
Rushton Science Theater is home to McWane’s Tesla Coil. A Tesla Coil is a type of resonant transformer, named after its inventor, scientist Nikola Tesla. Our Tesla coils consist of two coupled resonant electric circuits. Check out how they’re used during our Lightning Strikes! Program. The Tesla coils are on display in Rushton Science Theater.
Rushton Science Theater is also home to a Van de Graaff Generator. A Van de Graaff Generator is an electrostatic machine which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high voltages on a hollow metal globe. The Van de Graaff generator can be thought of as a constant-current source connected in parallel with a capacitor and a very large electrical resistance. Applications for these high voltage generators include driving X-ray tubes, accelerating electrons to sterilize food and process materials, and accelerating protons for nuclear physics experiments.
Scientific Discipline: Physical Science & Life Science
Dive right into the Bubble Room where you can discover the science of suds. Try your hand at making all kinds of bubbles in this unique area including square and triangular bubbles.
LEVEL 2
EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS INSIDE MCWANE!
Explore the great outdoors from inside the museum. McWane Science Center and the Birmingham Audubon Society have created a new exhibit called NatureScope. Explore the science of the birds and the bugs in this new area! The exhibit includes a new Audubon cabin and a demonstration stage where visitors can enjoy nature programs and live animal shows. Check out the collection of Alabama birds including a Bald Eagle, Wild Turkey, two, extremely rare, Ivory-billed Woodpeckers, and even a skull from the extinct Dodo Bird.
Take a virtual tour of Alabama’s natural wonders with the award-winning television show Discovering Alabama led by host Dr. Doug Phillips.
Grrr! Learn what noises different wild animals make and record yourself mimicking several of the different animal sounds!
Then, get up close and personal with some resident creepy crawlies! Learn what role insects play in our ecosystem with the decomposition chamber. Meet large bugs including emperor scorpions, a tarantula, and even a giant African millipede!
So come inside and discover Alabama’s great outdoors!
The Explore! Lab is devoted to hands-on exploration of geology, paleontology, anthropology and zoology. Classify feathers, butterflies, rocks, shells, and more! Computer stations let you take an interactive role in learning about the scientific method. Develop your microscope skills. Touch fossils, skeletons, and rare minerals, too.
Scientific Discipline: Earth Science, Life Science
NOAA’s Science On a Sphere® (SOS) is a display system that uses computers and video projectors to project planetary data onto a 6-foot diameter sphere, analogous to a giant animated globe. Researchers at NOAA developed Science On a Sphere® as an educational tool to help illustrate Earth System science to people of all ages. Animated images of atmospheric storms, climate change, and ocean temperature are shown on the sphere to better explain complex environmental processes in a way that is simultaneously educational and captivating.
Learn more on NOAA’s Science On a Sphere® website, click here.
Scientific Discipline: Earth Science, Space Science, Environmental Science
In order to protect the safety of our guests and staff during the pandemic, the High Cycle is currently closed.
Learn more about what McWane is doing to ensure a safe and healthy environment for your family and ours
The High Cycle is a high-wire bicycle that rests on a guide wire suspended across an open expanse of McWane Science Center’s grand lobby. As you mount the bicycle for a ride, you can peer down to the floor below. The bicycle trip starts you riding backward out of the loading area. Ride across a portion of the lobby and return to the platform. The High Cycle is an interactive exhibit that allows you to experience the law of the center of gravity in dramatic fashion. This exhibit teaches you that when a force causes the system to tip, it will be offset by the force of gravity acting on an attached counterweight underneath the bicycle.
Height Requirement: 48″
Weight Capacity: 225 lbs.
The High Cycle will close during thunderstorms and will reopen 30 minutes after the last lightning strike.
Scientific Discipline: Physical Science
LEVEL 3
Science meets art in our Art & Tech Gallery on Level 3. Spin colorful sand, merge your face with a friend’s, and watch digital butterflies alight on your arm. Our Art & Tech gallery proves science and technology can be a really beautiful thing!
Join us at McWane Science Center for Brickology, McWane’s newest exhibit experience!
Check it out!
This original exhibit is located in the Traveling Exhibit space on the Level 3 map above.