The Health Museum

infobox Museum
name= The Health Museum


established= November 16, 1969
location= 1515 Hermann Drive, Houston, Texas, USA
website= [http://www.thehealthmuseum.org/ www.thehealthmuseum.org]

The Health Museum, also known as the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science, is located in Houston, Texas, USA, and is the only interactive health science center in the United States. The museum opened in 1996. It features more than 15,000 square feet of exhibit space and sees 250,000 visitors a year. This health and science education facility features two permanent exhibit galleries as well as additional interactive features, public programming, and more.

The Amazing Body Pavilion

The first exhibit is the Amazing Body Pavilion, a larger than life walking tour through the human body.

Features inside the Pavilion include:
*A 22-foot-long backbone with ribs descending from the ceiling to the floor, creating the feeling of being inside a giant rib cage.
*27½-foot intestine
*Texas-sized, 10-foot-tall walk-through brain with memory games
*Skeleton riding a bicycle in tandem with visitors
*Look down the throat at vocal chords in action
*Clogged artery stations

You: The Exhibit

The first new permanent exhibition since the Museum opened is titled You: The Exhibit. It premiered June 7, 2008.cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/05/26/daily41.html|title=New exhibit will give visitors a look at their future appearance|work=bizjournals.com|accessdate=2008-06-25] . Museum visitors in a learning environment that allows investigation into the who, what, where, when, and how of YOU.

Using the multi-media and special effects technology, this experience takes museum visitors on a journey to explore their physical, mental and future selves. The sophisticated media nature of the exhibition will encourage group interaction and participation in the exhibition and visitors will discover their personality, see their internal organs and more.

Features inside the You: The Exhibit include:
* Mirror of Heredity: See how your physical traits make you unique from the thousands of other visitors to the museum
*Feature Change: Does changing your features change who you are? Use this machine to change your hair or your eyes to see how your outward appearance changes who you are
*Who Are You?: Find out how your outward appearance changes how people react to you in this immersive video environment
*Age-O-Matic: Through the use of sophisticated computer imaging, you can age yourself right before your eyes and see how you will look in 30 years time
*Life-Span-O-Meter: Find out how your habits today can affect what your statistical lifespan will be
*Global View: Experience how living in Houston can compare to life in other cities around the world and how your life would change if you lived there

4D Theater

Houston’s first 4-D theater, the McGovern Theater, opened September 2008. Guests will experience 3-D, surround sound, digital films in addition to environmental changes (such as wind, rain, lightning, fog and scents) as they correspond to the film.

The film currently playing is called, Expedition 3D: The Cell. Zoom through the body and push through the cell wall with our exploration team as they take a closer look at how cells fight disease.

Additional Museum Features

Other permanent exhibits include the Challenge Gallery, a variety of mental and physical challenges. Plus, Brain Teasers that focus on hands-on problem solving through a collection of 20 different games that include puzzles, number games and manipulating shapes. In addition to the permanent exhibits, the Museum also schedules public programming that includes organ dissections, live science shows, family science workshops and speaker series that change with each traveling exhibit.

Traveling Exhibits

The Health Museum offers traveling exhibitions on view for a limited time in the Sue Trammell Whitfield Gallery. These exhibitions are in line with the Museum’s mission to educate and inspire people about their health. Each limited-engagement exhibit features topics related to health and medical sciences.

The next traveling exhibit is Einstein. The exhibit explores the life and work of Albert Einstein by pulling together some of his most famous theories in interactive stations that explain the science behind them. It also gives visitors an up-close look at Einstein’s life and a chance to learn something about the man behind the famous theories. It will be on display October 11, 2008 – January 4, 2009.

The last traveling exhibit was Grossology, an exhibit based on the children’s book by the same name. The exhibit was on display until September 1st.cite web|url=http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detail?contentId=6642153&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=5.2.1|title=Live with Lanny! Grosses Out FOX 26 Viewers|work=myfoxhouston.com|accessdate=2008-06-23] .

Check the web site for an updated exhibit schedule.

Admission

The Museum is open 9 AM – 5 PM Monday – Saturday, 9 AM – 7 PM on Thursdays and 12 – 5 PM on Sundays. During the summer and on federal holidays, the Museum is open 9 AM – 5 PM Mondays.

The Museum is closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

The Health Museum is also a part of the Houston CityPass network, where visitors can purchase a discounted ticket booklet for multiple attractions in the area.cite web|url=http://www.visithoustontexas.com/media/press_releases.php?id=442&category=12865|title=CityPass Chooses Houston|work=visithoustontexas.com|accessdate=2008-06-23] .

Parking for Museum guests is available for $3 per vehicle (non-guests pay $7).

The Museum has a variety of educational programs, including field trips for children kindergarten through 12th grade, all levels of Scouts classes for Boy and Girl Scouts, home school classes for students of all ages and summer and Spring break camps for children ages five to 13 .cite web|url=http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080613_ac_summercamp.29ea4371.html|title=Still need a kids' summer camp?|work=khou.com|accessdate=2008-06-23] .

Extra Information

External Links

* [http://www.thehealthmuseum.org| The Health Museum]
* [http://www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org/| Houston Museum District]

References

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