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Popular Exhibition Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear Returns to the California Science Center on February 5, 2011

Image: CaliforniaScienceCenter.org
LOS ANGELES, USA /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear, a popular touring exhibition developed by the California Science Center, explores this universal emotion. Through fun, interactive challenges, guests can experience fear in a safe environment and discover the science behind their physical and emotional responses. The exhibit opens on February 5, 2011, and runs through April 24, 2011; admission is free.
The 6,000 square-foot exhibit includes immersive environments and full-body, interactive experiences that allow guests to test their own fears and rate their physiological responses. Leading scientists and their current research on the neurobiology, physiology and psychology of fear are also featured throughout the exhibit.
“We all experience fear, but many people do not understand why,” said Dr. David Bibas, California Science Center Curator of Technology Programs and exhibit organizer for Goose Bumps!  “This is the first comprehensive exhibit on fear that engages visitors with fun experiences that trigger an authentic fear response and then motivates them to learn how the brain and body work together in response to danger. “
Goose Bumps! begins with the Fear Challenge Course, where visitors can face four common fears in a safe environment. The first challenge, Fear of Animals, dares guests to reach into concealed terrariums that might be the home of creepy-crawly creatures. In the next room, Fear of Electric Shock, visitors may feel their heart pounding as they anticipate getting zapped by a jolt of electricity. In Fear of Loud Noises visitors test this innate fear that helps keep us out of harm’s way. Finally, the Fear of Falling challenge allows guests to experience a sudden loss of support and then watch a video recording of their reaction to the experience of falling backward.
Another exhibit highlight is the Fear Lab, a section which explores the brain’s structures and pathways that drive the fear response. Visitors will meet Mr. Goose Bumps, a larger-than-life figure that illustrates, through animation, how the brain and body work together in response to danger. Real brains and brain slices preserved through the process of plastination are on display showing similarities in a key fear structure in the brains of humans and animals.
Goose Bumps! has been touring Science Centers across the nation since 2007, including stops at COSI in Columbus, Ohio; the Boston Museum of Science; OMSI in Portland, Oregon; and the Arizona Science Center.
Design and Development
This exhibit was developed in cooperation with and partially funded by the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative, which includes the California Science Center, the Boston Museum of Science, COSI, Columbus, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, The Franklin Institute, the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
This project was supported, in part, by a grant from the Informal Science Education program of the National Science Foundation under grant ESI-0515470.
About the California Science Center
The California Science Center’s mission is as follows: “We aspire to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning in everyone by creating fun, memorable experiences, because we value science as an indispensable tool for understanding our world, accessibility and inclusiveness, and enriching people’s lives.” The California Science Center and IMAX Theater are located in historic Exposition Park just west of the Harbor (110) Freeway at 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles


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Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin ([email protected]) is a leading journalist, content marketing specialist and connector in the international attractions industry. She reports on design and technical design, production and project management, industry trends and company culture. From 2005-2020 she ran communications and publications for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2013, she was honored with the TEA Service Award. She was development director of IMERSA and publicist for the Large Format Cinema Association, and has contributed to the publications of PLASA, IAAPA and the International Planetarium Society. Judith joined World’s Fair magazine in 1987, which introduced her to the attractions industry. She joined InPark in 2010. Judith earned a BFA from Pratt Institute. She has lived in Detroit, New York, Oakland, and now Saint Louis, where she is active in the local arts community.

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