Nebraska Science Festival

Hall of Heroes
2023-04-01 10:00 - 16:00, 2023-04-04 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | The Durham Museum, 801 S 10th Street, Omaha, NE, 68108
Stop by The Durham Museum now until April 16 to see the Hall of Heroes exhibit.
This popular traveling exhibition celebrates and explores both the history and science behind America’s fascination with superheroes and how they impacted our popular culture throughout the 20th century and beyond. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to explore, learn and test their heroic abilities at engaging and challenging interactive stations.
Ever wonder how your favorite super-powered characters were created? Hall of Heroes provides an immersive experience for visitors to understand the world of heroes, crime-fighters and gadgets. Their journey takes them through several themed environments with surprises around every corner. Visitors will explore the histories of heroes and the circumstances that created them, while discovering the ideals that make them the heroes that we know and love.
Regular museum admission.

Sandhill Crane Bus Tour
2023-04-01 10:15 - 13:00 | Dusty Trails, 101 Halligan Dr., North Platte, NE, 69101, United States
Enjoy the unique experience of viewing the many dances of the Sandhill Cranes during the daylight hours.
This tour, by Dusty Trails, provides numerous photo opportunities (bring your long lens), including action shots, as you travel to the various feeding grounds throughout the Platte River Valley on a school bus, which acts as a mobile blind and allows for exceptional viewing capabilities. During the tour we will be sharing educational information and pictures to help bird watchers learn more about the Sandhill Cranes and begin to identify their different dances. Information about local farming and ranching practices as well as Bailey Yard, the largest railroad reclassification yard in the world, will also be shared during this tour.
Pick up location is North Platte Visitor Center, 101 Halligan Drive. Tour last about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Mueller Planetarium
2023-04-01 13:00 - 14:00 | University of Nebraska State Museum – Morrill Hall, 645 North 14th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588
Mueller Planetarium is located inside Morrill Hall. Shows are available to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Tickets may be purchased on site at Morrill Hall.
The following are the currently available shows:
The Little Star That Could: Saturdays at 11am
A Starry Tale: Fridays at 1pm, Saturday and Sundays at 1pm
Dream to Fly: Fridays at 4pm, Saturday and Sundays at 3pm
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Omaha Children's Museum Visits Swanson Branch
2023-04-01 13:00 - 14:00 | W. Clarke Swanson Branch, 9101 W. Dodge Rd., Omaha, NE, 68114, United States
The Omaha Children’s Museum is visiting the W. Clarke Swanson Branch! Explore what happens to molecules when they are put to the test! Watch liquids become solids, soap become fluffy, and chip bags shrink in this Molecular Mayhem show all about molecules and chemical reactions!
The program is geared for kids grades K-5, but all ages are welcome!

Writing Hike For Beginners
2023-04-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Fontenelle Forest, 1111 Bellevue Blvd. N., Bellevue, NE, 68005, United States
Explore the sights and sounds of Fontenelle Forest with a journal and notebook! This naturalist-guided hike is designed to help forest-goers of all ages write about – and even sketch! – your experiences in the Forest. Whether you’re a poet or a scientist, this is a great chance to develop your field journaling skills and celebrate the Forest in a supportive writing community.
Participants will meet in the Great Hall of the Nature Center. The hike will stick primarily to the Riverview Boardwalk.
In the case of inclement weather, the program will be canceled.

Sandhill Cranes Evening Blind Tour
2023-04-01 19:00 - 21:30 | Dusty Trails, 101 Halligan Dr., North Platte, NE, 69101, United States
The sight and sound of the vast number of birds provides a thrill for the senses as you eagerly anticipate the landing of the first birds. Join Dusty Trails for a viewing blind, located on the beautiful North Platte River, is the perfect place from which to witness the majestic Sandhill Cranes as they come off of the feeding grounds and prepare to roost for the evening in the shallow waters of the river. Thousands of birds circle overhead for more than an hour each evening to maintain their strength and stamina for the journey ahead as they wait for the sun to set, allowing them to land in the darkness and safety of the night.
Pick up location is the North Platte Visitor Center, 101 Halligan Drive. Event lasts approximately two and half hours. The bus ride to the viewing blind is approximately 15-20 minutes.
There is approximately a 200-yard walk into and out of the viewing blind on natural, gently rolling terrain. Please wear appropriate shoes for walking on a grass/dirt path that can sometimes be damp.
A port-a-potty is available at the viewing blind.
The following rules must be followed in order to ensure the birds are not disturbed:

NO flash photography allowed
Camera’s must be silenced
Cellphones must be silenced
Digital screens must be dimmed or covered
Conversation in the blind must be minimal
Necessary conversation must be in whispers
Movement must be kept slow and kept to a minimum

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Above and Beyond
2023-04-02 09:00 - 17:00 | Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, 28210 W Park Hwy, Ashland, NE, 68003, United States
Stop by the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum to view their latest exhibit, Above and Beyond.
Above and Beyond celebrates the power of innovation. Packed with interactive challenges; vehicle concept models and prototypes; immersive media presentations; and inspiring innovator stories, this exhibition invites you to experience what it takes to make impossible dreams take flight.
Regular museum admission.
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Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea
2023-04-02 09:00 - 17:00, 2023-04-03 09:00 - 17:00, 2023-04-04 09:00 - 17:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108
Giant sculptures of sea life, made from marine debris collected on Oregon’s beaches, graphically illustrate the tragedy of plastic pollution in our ocean and waterways. The epic exhibit, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea, at Lauritzen Gardens includes a titanic triggerfish, a pair of grand penguins, and an 11-foot-long shark named Chompers! More than a set of eye-catching sculptures, these thought-provoking pieces are designed to inspire conversations about conservation and generate positive changes and behaviors towards the environment.

StoryWalk®: "Living Things Need Water"
2023-04-02 09:00 - 17:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108
Take a stroll through the arboretum at Lauritzen Gardens and learn how water is important to living things- animals, people, and plants. Following along with the story “Living Things Need Water” by Karen Aleo, your family can take part in some fun activities. StoryWalk® combines the love of reading with healthy, fun activities that fit the theme of the story to exercise your brain and body. Included with paid admission or membership.

Mueller Planetarium
2023-04-02 13:00 - 14:00, 2023-04-02 15:00 - 16:00 | University of Nebraska State Museum – Morrill Hall, 645 North 14th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588
Mueller Planetarium is located inside Morrill Hall. Shows are available to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Tickets may be purchased on site at Morrill Hall.
The following are the currently available shows:
The Little Star That Could: Saturdays at 11am
A Starry Tale: Fridays at 1pm, Saturday and Sundays at 1pm
Dream to Fly: Fridays at 4pm, Saturday and Sundays at 3pm

Valentine Fish Hatchery Tours
2023-04-03 08:00 - 17:00 | Valentine Fish Hatchery, 90164 Hatchery Road, Valentine, NE, 69201, United States
Located in a pine-covered valley one mile east and one mile north of Valentine, the Valentine Fish Hatchery is one of five hatcheries in Nebraska. Spread over 700 acres, the hatchery handles millions of fish eggs annually (60 million walleye eggs, for example). Last year, lakes in Cherry County alone were stocked with some 675,000 fish. Visitors are welcome during normal working hours. The hatchery also houses largemouth bass and bluegill year round. These species are allowed to spawn naturally in the hatchery ponds, and fingerlings are collected for distribution in the fall.
Contact the hatchery in advance – 402-376-2244 – to schedule a tour of the facilities. The hatchery is open to the public during normal working hours.
Government Canyon, located on the north end of the property, offers a variety of opportunities for hikers, bikers, bird watchers and wildlife photographers.
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Above and Beyond
2023-04-03 09:00 - 17:00, 2023-04-04 09:00 - 17:00, 2023-04-05 09:00 - 17:00 | Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, 28210 W Park Hwy, Ashland, NE, 68003, United States
Stop by the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum to view their latest exhibit, Above and Beyond.
Above and Beyond celebrates the power of innovation. Packed with interactive challenges; vehicle concept models and prototypes; immersive media presentations; and inspiring innovator stories, this exhibition invites you to experience what it takes to make impossible dreams take flight.
Regular museum admission.

StoryWalk®: "Living Things Need Water"
2023-04-03 09:00 - 17:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108
Take a stroll through the arboretum at Lauritzen Gardens and learn how water is important to living things- animals, people, and plants. Following along with the story “Living Things Need Water” by Karen Aleo, your family can take part in some fun activities. StoryWalk® combines the love of reading with healthy, fun activities that fit the theme of the story to exercise your brain and body. Included with paid admission or membership.
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NE SciFest Storytime
2023-04-03 09:30 - 10:00 | Millard Branch, 13214 Westwood Ln., Omaha, NE, 68144, United States
Join Omaha Public Library for a special storytime all about science. Explore stories and experiments inspiring scientific exploration!

Hall of Heroes
2023-04-03 12:00 - 16:00 | The Durham Museum, 801 S 10th Street, Omaha, NE, 68108
Stop by The Durham Museum now until April 16 to see the Hall of Heroes exhibit.
This popular traveling exhibition celebrates and explores both the history and science behind America’s fascination with superheroes and how they impacted our popular culture throughout the 20th century and beyond. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to explore, learn and test their heroic abilities at engaging and challenging interactive stations.
Ever wonder how your favorite super-powered characters were created? Hall of Heroes provides an immersive experience for visitors to understand the world of heroes, crime-fighters and gadgets. Their journey takes them through several themed environments with surprises around every corner. Visitors will explore the histories of heroes and the circumstances that created them, while discovering the ideals that make them the heroes that we know and love.
Regular museum admission.
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Hall of History Hands-On Weekly Activities
2023-04-03 15:00 - 16:30 | Boys Town Hall of History, 14057 Flanagan Blvd., Boys Town, NE, 68010, United States
This April, visit the Boys Town Hall of History and learn about various science topics with weekly activities. Each week the Hall of History will host staff-led science activities from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Plus, our hearing display including a hearing simulator will be featured throughout the month to teach visitors young and old about the science of hearing, what causes hearing loss and what hearing loss sounds like to a person with no hearing concerns.
Monthly feature: Hearing Display, available during Hall of History open hours
Weekly features:
Marble Run (physics, gravity) M-F April 3-7, 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Printer Press (ink pressing) M-F April 10-14, 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Molding Process (molds, statues) M-F April 17-21, 3:00pm – 4:30pm

Valentine Fish Hatchery Tours
2023-04-04 08:00 - 17:00 | Valentine Fish Hatchery, 90164 Hatchery Road, Valentine, NE, 69201, United States
Located in a pine-covered valley one mile east and one mile north of Valentine, the Valentine Fish Hatchery is one of five hatcheries in Nebraska. Spread over 700 acres, the hatchery handles millions of fish eggs annually (60 million walleye eggs, for example). Last year, lakes in Cherry County alone were stocked with some 675,000 fish. Visitors are welcome during normal working hours. The hatchery also houses largemouth bass and bluegill year round. These species are allowed to spawn naturally in the hatchery ponds, and fingerlings are collected for distribution in the fall.
Contact the hatchery in advance – 402-376-2244 – to schedule a tour of the facilities. The hatchery is open to the public during normal working hours.
Government Canyon, located on the north end of the property, offers a variety of opportunities for hikers, bikers, bird watchers and wildlife photographers.

StoryWalk®: "Living Things Need Water"
2023-04-04 09:00 - 17:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108
Take a stroll through the arboretum at Lauritzen Gardens and learn how water is important to living things- animals, people, and plants. Following along with the story “Living Things Need Water” by Karen Aleo, your family can take part in some fun activities. StoryWalk® combines the love of reading with healthy, fun activities that fit the theme of the story to exercise your brain and body. Included with paid admission or membership.
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Crime Scene Investigation: DNA
2023-04-04 13:00 - 14:30 | W. Clarke Swanson Branch, 9101 W. Dodge Rd., Omaha, NE, 68114, United States
It’s what makes you, you and me, me. It can also be used to help law enforcement solve crimes. It’s Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid, aka DNA!
Participants will get the opportunity to learn what DNA actually is and how CSI investigators use it to catch the bad guy. Participants will construct DNA using K’Nex®, discover how DNA sequencing aids investigators, and get to extract their own DNA and see it with their own two eyes!
All supplies will be provided. This program is suitable for children ages 10-15. Registration is required.
Call Swanson staff at 402-444-4852 or email Stephanie at spoletti@omahalibrary.org to sign up.

Hall of History Hands-On Weekly Activities
2023-04-04 15:00 - 16:30 | Boys Town Hall of History, 14057 Flanagan Blvd., Boys Town, NE, 68010, United States
This April, visit the Boys Town Hall of History and learn about various science topics with weekly activities. Each week the Hall of History will host staff-led science activities from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Plus, our hearing display including a hearing simulator will be featured throughout the month to teach visitors young and old about the science of hearing, what causes hearing loss and what hearing loss sounds like to a person with no hearing concerns.
Monthly feature: Hearing Display, available during Hall of History open hours
Weekly features:
Marble Run (physics, gravity) M-F April 3-7, 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Printer Press (ink pressing) M-F April 10-14, 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Molding Process (molds, statues) M-F April 17-21, 3:00pm – 4:30pm
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Omaha Science Cafe - "Understanding the Aging Brain"
2023-04-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Slowdown, 729 N 14th St., Omaha, NE, 68102, United States
Join Gaelle E. Doucet, Ph.D., Director of the Brain Architecture, Imaging and Cognition Laboratory at the Boys Town Institute for Human Neuroscience, for the April 4 Omaha Science Cafe as she presents, “Understanding the Aging Brain,” 7pm at the Slowdown.
It is clear that people do not age at the same rate. Scientists are still trying to understand why there are differences amongst individuals, but factors such as physical activity and education seem to play a significant role in these changes. At this Science Café, Dr. Doucet will present findings from her scientific research and share what we know about the impact of age on the brain and what can influence it.
Gaelle E. Doucet, Ph.D., is the Director of the Brain Architecture, Imaging and Cognition Laboratory. For the last 10 years, Dr. Doucet’ research interests have involved the investigation of the brain’s architecture and its relationship to cognition in health and disease. She is a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in functional MRI (fMRI), and particularly on resting-state fMRI. Her research has involved the use of multi-modal MRI to characterize the brain functional organization and she has applied this technology to answering questions about the impacts of disease on brain functional organization.
Dr. Doucet received her doctoral degree in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Caen (France) in 2010. Her work provided a description of the healthy brain intrinsic organization underlying the complex relationships between brain networks at rest in young adults. This finding offered one of the first schematic models of the brain’s functional architecture and provided a normative framework for the study of intrinsic interactions between brain networks. During her postdoctoral fellowships, she further investigated the impact of neurological (i.e., epilepsy) and neuropsychiatric (i.e., schizophrenia and bipolar disorders) disorders on the brain architecture.
Prior to joining Boys Town National Research Hospital, Dr. Doucet was an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York, NY). She has been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to identify the brain networks in aging populations. This work aims to provide the first reliable brain functional atlas for older adults. By mapping the brain networks underlying late adulthood, this work has the potential to elucidate how dysfunction of the brain networks contributes to neurodegenerative conditions. At Boys Town Hospital, she plans to expand this research by focusing on age-related changes on brain activity and cognition, from childhood to late adulthood.
Dr. Doucet has authored more than 45 peer-reviewed publications that have been cited more than 1000 times.
Science Cafés address the latest hot science topics in casual settings like pubs and coffeehouses. The events are open to everyone (21 and older).
Using plain language, an easygoing atmosphere and inclusive conversation, these interactive events are welcoming and comfortable for people with no science background. Each presentation is followed by a question-and-answer period.

Valentine Fish Hatchery Tours
2023-04-05 08:00 - 17:00 | Valentine Fish Hatchery, 90164 Hatchery Road, Valentine, NE, 69201, United States
Located in a pine-covered valley one mile east and one mile north of Valentine, the Valentine Fish Hatchery is one of five hatcheries in Nebraska. Spread over 700 acres, the hatchery handles millions of fish eggs annually (60 million walleye eggs, for example). Last year, lakes in Cherry County alone were stocked with some 675,000 fish. Visitors are welcome during normal working hours. The hatchery also houses largemouth bass and bluegill year round. These species are allowed to spawn naturally in the hatchery ponds, and fingerlings are collected for distribution in the fall.
Contact the hatchery in advance – 402-376-2244 – to schedule a tour of the facilities. The hatchery is open to the public during normal working hours.
Government Canyon, located on the north end of the property, offers a variety of opportunities for hikers, bikers, bird watchers and wildlife photographers.
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Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea
2023-04-05 09:00 - 17:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108
Giant sculptures of sea life, made from marine debris collected on Oregon’s beaches, graphically illustrate the tragedy of plastic pollution in our ocean and waterways. The epic exhibit, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea, at Lauritzen Gardens includes a titanic triggerfish, a pair of grand penguins, and an 11-foot-long shark named Chompers! More than a set of eye-catching sculptures, these thought-provoking pieces are designed to inspire conversations about conservation and generate positive changes and behaviors towards the environment.
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StoryWalk®: "Living Things Need Water"
2023-04-05 09:00 - 17:00 | Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, NE, 68108
Take a stroll through the arboretum at Lauritzen Gardens and learn how water is important to living things- animals, people, and plants. Following along with the story “Living Things Need Water” by Karen Aleo, your family can take part in some fun activities. StoryWalk® combines the love of reading with healthy, fun activities that fit the theme of the story to exercise your brain and body. Included with paid admission or membership.
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