Grand Opening of the Texas Museum of Science & Technology

AUSTIN, Texas, March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Central Texans will get their first glimpse of the long-awaited Texas Museum of Science & Technology (TXMOST) on Friday, March 20^th with its Grand Opening – the Central Texas premiere of BODY WORLDS, the groundbreaking anatomical exhibition series that has been seen by 40 million people around the world.

The new Museum is located in its interim facility in the former SoccerPlex building, 1220 Toro Grande Drive, in Cedar Park just off Whitestone Boulevard (FM 1431) and Parmer Lane. Doors will open at 9:00 am on March 20^th, visitors are encouraged to purchase timed tickets online in advance at www.txmost.org or onsite at the box office.

The grand opening is big news for Central Texans. Despite its national reputation as a mecca for science and technology, the Austin area has been the largest metropolitan area in the United States without a multidisciplinary science museum or planetarium. TXMOST will fill this longstanding void, introducing a whole new world of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to the area, and a new planetarium by the end of the year.

"This is an historical moment," says Torvald Hessel, Executive Director of TXMOST. "The opening of the new Texas Museum of Science & Technology is the fruition of years of hard work, collaboration and support from hundreds of dedicated champions. We're incredibly proud of this milestone and one other; the Central Texas debut of BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life. It is one of the most popular exhibits in the world and we are thrilled to host it."

In BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life, visitors will witness the body through time—as it changes, grows, matures, and ultimately, wanes. Inside the 30,000-square-foot building, the exhibition, which was designed by creative and conceptual designer of BODY WORLDS, Dr. Angelina Whalley, visitors will discover more than 100 real human specimens, including 18 full-body plastinates.

The specimens are preserved through Plastination, a remarkable scientific process invented by pioneering anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens. In addition to showcasing the wonders of human development, the extraordinary real specimens demonstrate the complexity, resilience and vulnerability of the human body in distress, disease and optimal health. Visitors will marvel at the life processes that are captured in the exhibition and will leave with a new appreciation of the power we have to keep our bodies healthy throughout the life span.

Highlights of BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life include:

• More than 100 specimens, visitors to BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life will see individual organs and systems, as well as full-body plastinates in various action poses, including flamenco dancers, a baseball player, acrobats, ice hockey players, and more.
• A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, a stunning look at conception and prenatal development. This area features a multimedia display on cell division and a remarkable collection of plastinated embryos and fetuses acquired from historical anatomical collections.
• The Artists' Gaze, an exploration of the sight and visions of artists Claude Monet and Edgar Degas, who suffered from cataracts and retinal eye disease.
• Centennial Village, a feature on the findings on geographic clusters around the world where the longest living people live—from Okinawa, Japan and Ovodda in Sardinia to the Hunza region of Pakistan. 

Visitor Information

BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life will run through September 20, 2015; 9:00am to 9:00pm daily.  Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at www.txmost.org or at the Museum box office. Admission into the BODY WORLDS exhibit is $21 for adults (18+); $18 for seniors (62+) and students (18+ with student ID); $16 for children ages 6-17. Children under 6 admitted free of charge. Discounts available for school groups, youth and adult groups of 15 or more and for military families with ID. To reserve a group visit please contact [email protected] or school groups can contact [email protected]; or call 512-691-5333.

A BODY WORLDS audio guide will be available for rental at the entrance to the exhibit.  Rental is $4 for adults and seniors and $3 for children and groups. Spanish language guides are available.

About BODY WORLDS: Invented by Dr. Gunther von Hagens in 1977, the Plastination process replaces the natural fluids in the specimen with liquid reactive plastics that are hardened and cured with gas, light, or heat.  Before hardening the plastic in the specimens, the plastinates are fixed into extraordinary, lifelike poses, illustrating how our bodies internally respond to everyday movements and activities.  Plastination provides the flexibility and strength needed to display and preserve the specimens in their true-to-life form, without the use of glass barriers or formaldehyde. Dr. von Hagens' BODY WORLDS exhibitions have been seen by 40 million people globally.  The exhibitions stem from an established body donation program that relies on donor consent, established in 1983 by Dr. von Hagens. For more information, visit www.bodyworlds.com.

About the Texas Museum of Science & Technology: The Texas Museum of Science & Technology (TXMOST) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission of elevating interest, understanding and participation in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for the Central Texas community; developing and implementing educational outreach programs and resources; and creating Austin's first science museum, planetarium and technology center. Their flagship program, the Discovery Dome Mobile Planetarium program, brings educational planetarium programming to thousands of children annually. The Texas Museum of Science & Technology is committed to providing a world-class facility to educate and inspire the people of Central Texas.

TXMOST will open with traveling exhibits developed by world renowned museums and research institutions. The Museum will house permanent collections as time goes on, as well as adding what will be Texas' largest planetarium before the end of 2015. For more information, visit www.txmost.org.

SOURCE BODY WORLDS; The Texas Museum of Science & Technology (TXMOST)

Related Links

http://www.bodyworlds.com

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