Calendar of Events

Visit The Discovery on the second Wednesday of every month for Tech!Night, a new program designed to put emerging technology in the hands of museum visitors. Tech!Nights will feature a variety of high-tech tools and techniques, gadgets and games – command a robot, print in 3-D, and even code a new game – happening monthly in Spark!Lab Smithsonian. Visiting Scientist: Joao Paulo Braz For this Tech!Night, Joao Paulo Braz, a Research Assistant in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nevada,…

Join Visiting Scientist Alan Gubanich for a look at a variety birds (taxidermy) and bird-related artifacts from around Northern Nevada. Visitors will learn about the habits of these birds and their diets. About Alan Gubanich Alan volunteers with the Lahontan Audubon Society, where he helps to preserve and improve the remaining habitat of birds and other wildlife, restores historical habitat, and educate the public, with emphasis on children, providing vision to all about our unique Nevada environments.

Join our friends from Animal Ark for an amazing encounter with birds of prey. From beaks to talons and habitat to history, you’ll learn about the incredible features these birds have that allow them to hunt so effectively, even in the harshest environments. Animal Ark is a non-profit organization, wildlife sanctuary and education center. Its mission is to inspire environmental stewardship through wildlife education.

In conjunction with the current Spark!Lab Smithsonian sustainability theme, visit the lab to view a showing of photography provided by The Nature Conservancy showcasing the many ways they work to keep the state of Nevada beautiful.

Join our friends from the Nevada Department of Conservation & Natural Resources for a variety of hands-on art projects in Spark!Lab Smithsonian. Create upcycled works of art by re-purposing a variety materials, and more!

Join our friends from the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society to explore the intricacies of amateur radio. Amateur radio, often referred to as “Ham” radio, is the ability to communicate—across the street, around the world, or even with people and satellites in space! Even when the power’s out, and the land lines and cell phones don’t work, with a battery, a radio, and a wire, Ham radio is there. At this event you can: Talk on the radio with other…

Dating all the way back to our time as hunter-gathers, humans have pondered their existence within the Cosmos. Join our friends from Tahoe Star Tours for a discussion of our place in Universe and then gaze at the night sky through powerful telescopes and formulate your own theories about whether we’re alone amongst the stars. Note: This event begins at the Downtown Reno Library (301 S. Center Street) at 8:30pm. Stargazing will take place in The Discovery’s parking lot beginning…

Join our friends from the Astronomical Society of Nevada to view the moon and other planets up close. They’ll be in the museum’s parking lot with a variety of telescopes pointed at the heavens. Stop by to learn about the Society and find out why they are so passionate about looking out into space. Note: The viewing will take place outside The Discovery. Museum admission is not required to participate. About Astronomical Society of Nevada The mission of the Astronomical Society of…

Approximately 13 times each century, Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun aligned so that the disc of the planet can be seen through a telescope crossing the Sun. On November 11, 2019 in Reno, the Sun will rise with the transit already in progress. Join our friends from Tahoe Star Tours to view the transit through computerized Celestron telescopes. The next transit visible from Reno won’t happen until 2049! Note: The viewing will take place outside The Discovery. The…

Join scientists from Nevada Division of Water Resources to explore research and planning related to floodplain modeling and stormwater management. View a floodplain model demonstration, check out a flash flood virtual reality simulation, play a video game called Flood Fighter: Nevada, and learn more about stormwater pollution & flooding.

As part of the 6th annual SPELLBINDERS Festival of Magic, Education Renaissance of Nevada Initiative (ERNI) brings Karl Koppertop to The Discovery. Koppertop performs internationally and has appeared on The Pete Holmes Show and his ideas have been featured on America’s Got Talent and Penn & Teller’s “Fool Us.” Experience the wonder of a live performance and watch as your children take a break from technology and react to real-life brain bending close-up miracles. Note: Seating for this special performance…

Join our friends from Envirolution to take part in a variety of hands-on activities related to sustainable energy. You can create your own circuit, electromagnet or shake light, and even generate electricity by peddling a bicycle!

Join our friends from Envirolution to take part in a variety of hands-on activities related to sustainable energy. You can create your own circuit, electromagnet or shake light, and even generate electricity by peddling a bicycle!

Join our friends from State of Nevada Division of Water Resources to experiment with a floodplain model and learn more about how we use infrastructure to align the need for new development with local flood hazards and flood control.

As part of the annual SPELLBINDERS Festival of Magic, Emmy nominated performer and 2017 Comedy Magician of the Year, Larry Wilson, will astound museum visitors with his science-meets-magic presentation: Secrets for Wizards In Training. Wizards of all ages will learn mind-bending magic and the science that makes it possible.

Join Tahoe Star Tours and The Discovery for the reading and awards presentation for this year’s winners of the Astro-Poetry Contest. Awards will be presented to the winners in three divisions: kindergarten – 2nd grade, 3rd – 6th grades, and 7th – 12th grades. The first place winner in each category will receive a Celestron telescope. For more information about the Astro-Poetry Contest, please e-mail tony@tahoestartours.com.