BioExpress brings unique life science adventures from the Science Museum of Virginia to schools and events throughout the commonwealth. This traveling science program presents informal educational experiences that are fun for all ages.

BioExpress travels to elementary and middle schools, fairs, libraries and special events.

School Programs

Students in grades K-8 enjoy a full day of hands-on science fun with classroom workshops and interactive exhibits.

The day includes

• Presentations by two BioExpress educators
• 10 hands-on classroom workshops (limited to 25 students each)
• Make-and-take science activities for each participant
• Hands-on exhibits, displayed all day

Exhibits

More than 20 curiosity-provoking exhibits include:

Test Your Reflexes

Create your own food chains! Students learn how energy from the sun travels through an ecosystem.

Cell Explorer

Can you guess a cell's function just by looking at it? Students identify scanning electron micrographs of different cells in their bodies.

Know Brainer

Brains, brains, brains! Which one belongs to the cat? Is the fish brain similar to the cat brain, or to the duck brain? Students compare and match the brains to the animals.

What's In the Box?

No peeking! Students will explore the accuracy of their sense of touch by trying to identify four objects by simply touching them.

Workshops

Adaptations (grades K-2) and (3-5)

The way you see, hear and touch are important forms of adaptations often taken for granted. Learn how humans and other animals have special adaptations that help them survive in their environments.

New! Animal Tracks (grades K - 2)

Examine animal tracks. How are they different? Identify a trait each animal needs for survival. Make a track to take home.

Fun With Microscopes (grades K-2) (3-5) and (6-8)

Learn how to use lenses and microscopes to make tiny things more visible. What really is in dirt? Can you actually see your skin cells? Explore the microscopic world through a variety of biological specimens.

New! Go Fish! (grades K - 2)

Practice classification by identifying fish species. Try Gyotaku, the Japanese art of fish printmaking.

New! Traveling Plants (grades K - 2)

Examine plants and seeds to discover the different ways seeds are spread. Make a seed necklace to grow at home.

New! One Fish Two Fish (grades 3 - 5)

Explore the basics of taxonomy by identifying and classifying fish species. Try Gyotaku, the Japanese art of fish printmaking.

You've Got Some Nerve! (grades 3-5) and (6-8)

How do neural signals get from your brain to your toes? Experiment with your own nervous system, test your reflexes, build a neuron, and discover the path messages travel in your body.

Food is Fuel (grades 4-6)

Food is full of energy . but how did it get there and how do we get it out? Find out with experiments and interactive models that illustrate the parts and processes of the digestive system.

Your Heart and Lungs (grades 5-8)

In this workshop on the circulatory and respiratory systems, measure your own individual lung capacity and heart rate while learning about how the body receives and transports oxygen.

Science Sleuth (grades 6-8)

Forensic scientists use many different kinds of biological clues to solve an archeological mystery. Become a detective as you gather and use information from skeletons, fingerprints and DNA.

It's in the Genes (grades 7-8)

Do you look like your relatives? Just how are characteristics passed from parents to offspring? Create your own plant "offspring" to learn more about how genes, heredity and environmental factors influence organisms.

For more information on a BioExpress visit call the coordinator at 804-864-1426 or email bio@smv.org