Our family loves visiting the Impression 5 Science Center in downtown Lansing. We’ve enjoyed a membership and two summers’ worth of summer camps for Stella over the years, and it continues to be a favorite place to spend time exploring and learning. It feels like we discover something new each time we visit, especially as the girls are getting older.
I was very excited to be invited by Kate Snyder of Piper & Gold to visit Impression 5 this month and learn more about its newest exhibit, SMASH: A Nuclear Adventure. This interactive exhibit is located on the second level, next to the Spectrum room, and allows visitors to experience the wonder of nuclear science.
The exhibit helps illustrate the research happening right down the street at Michigan State University at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and in the years to come at MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). At SMASH, visitors can smash atoms, create rare isotopes, and observe cosmic rays.
While I missed the media preview earlier this month due to our trip, I was graciously given the chance to visit Impression 5 with the girls when we were back home. With Stella having the day off for Labor Day weekend, it seemed like a great chance to check out the new exhibit (and of course visit old favorites) soon after its grand opening.
Stella audibly gasped when we entered the SMASH room. It’s different than any other area inside Impression 5, and includes several stations for learning different components of nuclear science.
Our girls are six and two, so a lot of the concepts were out of their reach, but they had a lot of fun checking out the different stations. I think Stella’s favorite area was the fragmentation section. And with a little help from me, we were building isotopes in no time.
I think the SMASH area is a great addition to the museum, making the work and research happening at MSU more accessible to the masses. I can especially see older children learning a lot about this field of science when they visit with their families or schools.
After we finished up in the SMASH room, we spent the rest of the morning enjoying our favorite areas around Impression 5. The girls had a great time as always!
Many thanks to Impression 5 Science Center and Kate Snyder of Piper & Gold for the opportunity to visit today with the girls. We also loved and appreciated this wonderful goodie bag:
Make sure to visit Impression 5 Science Center with your friends and family. Impression 5 is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. Impression 5 is closed Mondays.