The Valley Chronicle - Ready, set, science!ng

Inland Empire Science Festival returns to the Western Science Center

■ Western Science Center / Contributed Science is happening in the Inland Empire and the Western Science Center, Riverside County’s largest natural history museum, is ready to show it off. The museum will be bringing together scientists and organizations from across Southern California to celebrate science in the region during the Inland Empire Science Festival on Saturday, April 13. For the price of regular admission, guests will be able to explore the museum while meeting the scientists and representatives from museums and companies who make science happen in the Inland Empire. Those who attend will discover how scientists can turn flesh into plastic with Dr. Jessie Atterholt from the Western University of Health Sciences; see fossils from LA Metro Purple Line Extension subway excavation, thanks to Cogstone Resource Management; learn how young women can get involved in coding and computer science with a local chapter of Girls Who Code; and much more. Scientists from Gray Fossil Site and the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology will be skyping into the museum theater to share their knowledge and collections. During the event, the Western Science Center will premiere a new permanent exhibit called “Things to Know Before You Go,” all about fossilized dung, known as coprolites. Local paleontologist Tara Lepore from The Webb Schools will introduce the new exhibit and reveal what coprolites can tell us about the prehistoric animals who made them. Attendees will also get a sneak peek of the Western Science Center’s new Mobile Museum, a trailer that will bring replica fossils and hands-on activities to schools and events across Southern California. The Western Science Center’s two temporary exhibits, Main Street California: Artifacts from Turn-Of-The-Century Life, and H2Oh No! The Serious Threat of Plastics in Our Oceans, will both be open to the public during the Inland Empire Science Festival. All guests 12 and under will also receive a “Pleistocene Passport” – once completed by visiting each exhibitor, guests will be able to receive a free fossil replica made by Western Science Center staff (while supplies last). The Inland Empire Science Festival will be held at the Western Science Center on April 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $6.50 for seniors aged 62 and up, $6.50 for students aged 13-22 with proper identification, and $6 for youth aged five-12. Anyone under four years old and Active Military individuals with proper identification are free. Admission to the museum is included in the ticket price. Western Science Center members can attend this event for free. All proceeds from the event benefit museum exhibits and programs.