Current Exhibits
Very Small Gallery

Programs

Resources

Virginia
Standards of
Learning 
(S.O.L.s)

Reservations 

60-foot DNA
Features 7 exhibits: 3-D sculptural model of DNA, What is DNA?, How is DNA like arecipe, SNA accounts for unity and diversity of life, SNA trivia, What is the human genome project, and How will the Human Genome Project help people?
S.O.L.s: 

Cell Puzzle (2)
Visitors match eletronic puzzle pieces with correct answers.
SOLs: 5.5,  6.1,  6.2,  LS.2,  LS.3,  LS.13,  BIO.6,  BIO.7

You're Unique (6)
Visitors undertake a trait profile, checking their hair and eye color, tongue rolling ability, etc., then see how their characteristics compare to the statistical norm.
SOLs: K.1,  K.6,  1.1,  3.1,  3.3,  4.1,  6.2,  6.8,  LS.3,  LS.13,  BIO.6

Generations of Genes (8)
Visitor presses buttons to change the genes controlling physical features like coat color of cows, and changeable graphic displays show how a trait changes through different generations of red, white, and roan cows.
SOLs: LS.3,  LS.13,  BIO.6

Engineering Ourselves (3)
This exhibition shows visitors how DNA fingerprinting is  used to create new medicines and organisms with specialized qualities that can be used in agriculture and other industries
SOLs: LS.13, BIO.2,  BIO.6

Sex Chromosomes (5)
Visitors manipulate the sex genes of each parent to determine the sex of their offspring.
SOLs: LS.3,  LS.13,  BIO.6

Human Genome Project (9)
Questions about ethical issues in genetics and related issues are posed to visitors who respond with their own ethical viewpoints and compare their viewpoints with those of other museum visitors.
S.O.L.s:  LS.13,  BIO.2,  BIO.6

Cell Explorer (10)
This destination exhibit takes a museum visitor on a 2-3 dimensional journey into a white blood cell. Visitors guide themselves through a computer journey using a joy stick that can be used to target specific organelles (e.g. mitochondria) and view additional video clips of their structure and function.
S.O.L.s: 3.1,  3.3,  4.1,  5.5,  6.2,  LS.2,  LS.3,  BIO.4

What Can Cells Do?(4)
Visitors turn a large disc containing images of different cells.  When an image moves behind a mock magnifying glass, the visitor sees a video showing a particular aspect of a cell’s function (e.g. whipping motion of flagellum of a sperm cell).
SOLs:  3.1,  3.3,  4.1,  5.5,  6.8,  LS.2,  LS.3,  BIO.6

Cells from Cells (7)
Visitors look into a giant petri dish and view a video of mitosis (i.e., cell division)
S.O.L.s: 3.1,  3.3,  4.1,  5.5,  6.8,  LS.2,  LS.3,  BIO.6