Museum of Discovery and Science presents IKEA Design Nation

January 10, 2018, Fort Lauderdale, FL – The Museum of Discovery and Science presents IKEA Design Nation February 17-19, 2018 in celebration of National Engineers Week. The three-day event will offer families the opportunity to participate in challenges that unleash their kids’ ingenuity and get them thinking like engineers, allow them to learn how the science of your brain and engineering combine to create new technologies in the Florida Atlantic University Self-Driven exhibit and be among the first to download the new Museum of Discovery & Science app.

The weekend festivities will begin with the launch of an app for the Museum of Discovery & Science on February 17, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. The app was created by Broward County high school students as part of APP-titude, a two-year internship for high school juniors and seniors. The free Museum of Discovery & Science app will be available in the app store for both Android and Apple platforms. The app allows guests to explore ten exhibit areas in the Museum (Discovery Center, EcoScapes, Go Green, Storm Center, Prehistoric Florida, Otters at Play, Gems and Minerals, To Fly, Powerful You, Gizmo City) and includes augmented reality and video experiences. In addition, the app provides information on the Museum experience and IMAX, including a virtual tour. The overall design and launch of the app was supported by Daruma Tech.

Florida Atlantic University Self-Driven Team will help visitors explore amazing new brain-based technologies in this hands-on exhibit, which includes drones, underwater robotics, animatronics, Robo Pets, autonomous vehicles, AI Formula E Car, 3D selfie and more! FAU High School and University student researchers will be your guides to explain how artificial intelligence allows machines to learn from their experience, not from pre-programming. Machine learning and artificial intelligence will change the way we do just about everything! Did you know that the same information that makes your brain work can be used to power self-driving cars? Learn how the science of your brain and engineering combine to create new technologies. Many fields from engineering to medicine are being transformed!

Visitors can test their engineering skills in the IKEA build it challenge, participate in hands-on, friendly competitions and interactive activities, such as displaying teamwork to create a paper table sturdy enough to hold stacks of books, and build a roller coaster. The activities provide a unique opportunity to test family teamwork skills in constructing amazing creations and explore amazing new brain-based technologies, all while inspiring and motivating young students to excel in math and science.

IKEA Design Nation Activities
February 17 – 19, 2018 Noon to 4 p.m.

Download the free Museum of Discovery & Science APP from the APP store.

The Museum of Discovery & Science app allows guests to explore ten exhibit areas (Discovery Center, EcoScapes, Go Green, Storm Center, Prehistoric Florida, Otters at Play, Gems and Minerals, To Fly, Powerful You, Gizmo City) in the museum with augmented reality and video experiences. In addition, the app provides information on the Museum, IMAX, floor plans and a virtual tour.

ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers

Meet Engineers from South Florida and participate in a variety of engineering family activities.

Build a Table
Compete with other families to build a table that can hold the most weight.

Rollercoasters
Construct your own rollercoaster and keep the passengers strapped in so they cannot fall out.

Magnetic Levitation
Learn the newest technology trains will be riding on in this table talk demonstration.

Anki Cars
See some of the cutting-edge “board games” that involve technology, specifically apps on your phone.

MaxFlight Rollercoaster
If you are a thrill seeker then take a ride on our MaxFlight and be turned upside down and inside out in this two-minute experience. Purchase of a ticket is required.

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ABOUT IKEA

The IKEA Concept starts with the idea of providing a range of home furnishing products that are affordable to the many people, not just the few. It is achieved by combining function, quality, design and value – always with sustainability in mind. The IKEA Concept exists in every part of our company, from design, sourcing, packing and distributing through to our business model. Our aim is to help more people live a better life at home. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/

ABOUT UNITED WAY OF BROWARD COUNTY

United Way of Broward County is a volunteer driven, community-based, non-profit organization servicing Broward County for more than 75 years. United Way of Broward County mission is to focus and unite the entire community to create significant lasting change in the impact areas of Education, Income and Health, the building blocks for a better life, which positively impacts people’s lives. United Way of Broward County is the catalyst for change and convener of partnerships that unite the hearts, minds, and resources within the Broward community. For more information, visit www.UnitedWayBroward.org

ABOUT CHARLES E. SCHMIDT COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

The education and research programs of our College span the sciences and mathematics with major efforts in many fields ranging from biotechnology, bioinformatics and brain science to cryptology, developmental systems, dynamical systems, environmental sciences, geo-information science, marine science and space-time physics. The College’s programs are offered at FAU’s campuses in Boca Raton, Davie, and Jupiter and our buildings include more than 300,000 square feet of state-of-the-art instructional and research space.

Research and scholarship are central to our College’s mission and play vital roles in the life of the College as a whole. External research funding, the great majority of it coming from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, underwrites major programs of research by our faculty and students. Science faculty members throughout the college have developed state-of-the-art research programs in diverse disciplines and important new interdisciplinary areas. Our faculty members have active collaborations that extend not only across FAU’s colleges and campuses but also with local research institutions such as Scripps Florida, the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, and the Max Planck Florida Institute; as well as affiliations with National Laboratories such as those at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge and international collaborations that span the globe.

In the knowledge-based and innovation-dependent economy of the 21st Century, our College’s undergraduate and graduate programs prepare students who can enter the workforce ready to meet local, national and international needs in a globally competitive environment. We invite you to explore the many opportunities that await you in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science — where together we create the future! http://www.science.fau.edu/about.php

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY AND SCIENCE

The mission of the Museum of Discovery and Science is to provide experiential pathways to lifelong learning in science for children and adults through exhibits, programs and films. Founded in 1976 as The Discovery Center, the nonprofit facility serves approximately 400,000 visitors annually. Major operational support for the Museum is provided through generous support by Leadership Guild members including: JM Family Enterprises, Inc., Jet Blue and Wells Fargo.

The Museum is open seven days a week, 365 days a year; Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Exhibit ticket prices are $16 for adults; $15 for seniors 65+; $13 for active/retired military personnel; $13 for children 2 to 12. Children under 2 are free. All Design Nation and FAU Self-Driven activities are included with exhibit admission. The Museum of Discovery and Science is located downtown at 401 SW Second Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312. For more information about the Museum, visitors should call 954.467.MODS (6637) or visit our web site at www.mods.org