Community Field Trips are an opportunity for you and your family to experience the nationally acclaimed, powerful RACE: Are We So Different? traveling exhibit at the Discovery Center this summer at no cost on five select Thursday evenings this summer thanks to Missouri State University, James River Assembly, the City of Springfield and many other generous donors .
Participants are encouraged to come early–a limited number of participants will be allowed in to the exhibit throughout the evening in order to provide adequate access to interaction with the exhibit displays. In addition to experiencing and exploring this nationally acclaimed exhibit, participants will be treated to light refreshments and be automatically entered to win a number of exciting door prizes.
Participants will fill out an anonymous pre and post survey, and end the evening with complimentary snacks.
COMMUNITY FIELD TRIP DATES for free admission to the exhibit, RACE: Are We So Different? dates are June 14th, June 28th, July 12th, July 26th and August 9th.
Community Field Trips will allow access to the RACE exhibit areas only. The remainder of Discovery Center will not be open. If you’d prefer to see the exhibit during Discovery Center regular hours, the RACE: Are We So Different? exhibit is included with your admission to the Discovery Center. (Please see information about Discovery Center at the end of this article.)
The RACE exhibit is part of a larger public education project from the American Anthropological Association and funded by the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation. The project is intended to inform and shape the national dialogue about race. In addition to the exhibit, the initiative includes a website, educational materials, and conferences designed to share research and information with the public.
Three perspectives on a wide-reaching topic
The RACE exhibit addresses the topics of race and racism from three different perspectives. The three sections are interwoven and tell a compelling story of science with deep and lasting social impact.
* Science: In this section of the exhibit, visitors will discover that human beings are more alike than any other living species, and no one gene or set of genes can support the idea of race.
* History: Ideas about race have been around for hundreds of years, and they have changed over time. This section of RACE demonstrates that, throughout American history, economic interests, popular culture, science, politics, and the struggle for power have played a role in shaping our understanding of race.
* Everyday experience: Though race may not be a real biological concept, it certainly is real both socially and culturally. In this section of the exhibit, visitors will explore the personal experiences of race in our schools, neighborhoods, health care systems, sports and entertainment industries, and more.
Thank you to the following Sponsors for this event:
James River Assembly
City of Springfield
Missouri State Dining – Chartwells
Missouri State University College of Arts & Letters
Missouri State University College of Humanities and Public Affairs
Missouri State University Student Development & Public Affairs
Missouri State University College of Education
Missouri State Bookstore
Missouri State Athletics
Community Foundation of the Ozarks
Ronald and Gwen Ponds
Community Partnership of the Ozarks
Springfield Public Schools
Gloria Galanes and Noah Karrasch
Fulnecky Enterprises, LLC
American Red Cross
Discovery Center of Springfield is a hands-on interactive science center located at 438 E St. Louis in downtown Springfield, Missouri. Completing an expansion project in September, 2006 to be the 1st LEED Gold Certified building in southwest Missouri. Discovery Center is open Tuesday-Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday-Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 1-5pm. Admission is free to members and children 2 & under. $9.00 adults, $8.00 seniors and $7.00 children (3-15).