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November 2010
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In This Issue
Gift of Science
World of Dinosaurs
Free Family Night of Geology Fun
Second Saturday Science
Dinosaur Lecture
Thanksgiving Science Buffet
CIS Membership
Become a Member
Annual Fund

The Gift of Science
Give the gift of science and start your holiday shopping early when The Science Shop offers Member Shopping Days November 12, 13 and 14. Members receive 20% off all regularly priced merchandise. The Science Shop is open 11am-9pm on Fridays, 11am-4pm on Saturdays and Noon-4pm on Sundays. You may also shop online here.
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World of Dinosaurs
WODTravel back 250 million years to the Mesozoic Era and wander among one of Michigan's largest-ever exhibitions of dinosaur fossils and fossil-casts in World of Dinosaurs; Land, Sea and Air.
 
Encompassing almost 6,000 square feet with more than 60 full-scale dinosaur mounts representing 40 species; World of Dinosaurs brings visitors within inches of the remarkable dinosaurs, reptiles and birds of the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous time periods, commonly referred to as the "Golden Age of Dinosaurs."

On land, the terrifying 40-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex "Stan," one of the largest T. rex ever discovered, rules the landscape.  Under the sea, giant reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs give a glimpse of life in the deep sea.  Overhead, the flying reptiles including a flock of Tapejera Pterosaurs hover as if searching for their next meal.  Throughout World of Dinosaurs, graphics provide information and renditions of what many of the specimens may have looked like in life and possible reasons for their demise. 

World of Dinosaurs: Land Sea and Air runs through January 2, 2011 and is free with admission.
Greetings!

As the blaze of the colors of October fade and the dry ice smoke of Halloween Science clears, the Institute turns its attention to Thanksgiving. In addition to the exciting events planned for the holiday, our attention includes you, our Members, visitors, Fans on Facebook and Twitter, and anyone who has visited the museum or attended an event here in the last year. Thank you for your support. Through Membership, Annual Fund donations, individual ticket sales and even the purchase of a small souvenir in the Science Shop, YOU help us create programs and events that we hope inspire, amaze, entertain, and most importantly, educate.

The last couple of years have been especially hard on Michigan residents, many of whom are working hard to make do with less. Membership sales indicate that families know Cranbrook is a valuable entertainment and education alternative to more expensive experiences. We appreciate this and know that it reflects a value our Members understand; science and education will continue to be a key part of the solution to turning around Michigan's economy and helping the country maintain its competitive advantage on the world stage. States that have thriving economies recruit companies that emphasize knowledge-based careers which typically pay more and are less likely to disappear during economic downturns. These trends reinforce the important role the Institute offers in fostering intellectual discovery through science education.

From our summer camp programs to continued outreach efforts in local communities - such as Pontiac and Detroit - our work on your behalf to promote science education never ceases. Thank you helping make science real, relevant, meaningful and yes, at times, even a little magical!

To that end, we hope to see you often this month as we present the lectures, events, DVD Premiere and science experience that you made possible.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Go Science!
Free Family Night of Geology Fun November 5

Cranbrook Institute of Science offers free admission to the museum and the premiere screening of The Geology of Michigan: An Expedition Through Deep Time on Friday, November 5 at 7:30pm. The Geology of Michigan, developed, researched and produced by Cranbrook Institute of Science Geologist and Paleontologist John Zawiskie, in collaboration with the Program Source International video company,takes viewers through billions of years of geological history to discover the events that created, and continue to impact, the Great Lakes and surrounding area. Attendees will learn about the geology right outside their front doors! Following the screening, John will be on hand to answer questions about the project and copies of the DVD will be available for purchase. Institute members receive 10% off a DVD purchase. Free admission after 5pm the first Friday of each month is underwritten by MASCO Corporation Foundation.

Seating for the premiere of The Geology of Michigan: An Expedition Through Deep Time is limited. Please call 248.645.3210 before 4pm on November 4 to register.


Enter the World of Dinosaurs on November 13

World of DinosaursEver wondered what it's like to be a paleontologist? The second Saturday of each month, the Institute of Science takes the World of Dinosaurs experience to a new level by enlisting the assistance of its visitors in helping extract actual dinosaur bones from rock in Dino Lab. Part of the Second Saturday Science Series, Cranbrook Educators, using dinosaur remains cast on the find site, show visitors how to use the tools-of-the-trade to remove the bones and help conserve the specimen. This is an all-ages experience that is not to be missed!

Second Saturday Science Series: Dino Lab takes place November 13 in the World of Dinosaurs exhibit from1-4pm and is free with admission.
Dinosaur Lecture November 19

Story of Big Al
Brent Breithaupt, paleontologist for the Wyoming Bureau of Land Management and former Curator of the University of Wyoming Geological Museum, relates his experience leading the excavation the most complete Allosaurus skeleton ever found during the lecture, The Story of Big Al: Saving a Dinosaur for the Future. Breithaupt will discuss how Big Al lived and died in prehistoric Wyoming, only to be dug up -- first illegally, then legally -- and what we have discovered about Allosaurus from his remains. The lecture will follow with a book signing and a chance to see Cranbrook's World of Dinosaurs exhibit.  The Story of Big Al begins at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $5 for Members and $10 for non Members. Call 248.645.3210 or register online.

Thanksgiving "Buffet" Offers a Taste of Science

Thanksgiving Science BuffetIn celebration of Thanksgiving, the Institute of Science invites you to sample a wide variety of scientific experiences at the Science Buffet on Friday, November 26 and Saturday, November 27 from 1 to 4pm.

Interested in Paleontology? Try your hand at conserving a mastodon. Like Astronomy? Special planetarium programming will be offered and, after studying the solar system, you are able to help us clean an actual meteorite and learn how to determine a meteor "right" from a meteor "wrong." If Physics captures your imagination, demonstrations of our three-ton trebuchet in action will amaze you! Live Bat shows, special lectures and activities for all ages will entertain and educate. We'll even show you what you'd look like as a dinosaur, courtesy of the Institute's caricaturist! Thanksgiving Science Buffet is free with admission.


About Us
More than 200,000 visitors flock to Cranbrook Institute of Science each year, making it one of the region's best-known museums of natural history.

Founded in 1904 by Detroit philanthropists George and Ellen Booth, Cranbrook is an internationally renowned center for art, education and science located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook Institute of Science is an integral part of that community, having served area schoolchildren and families since its creation in 1930.