Calendar of Events
Past Events
Discover Your Way
On Sunday, October 2nd from 10:00am to 12:00pm, The Discovery is offering exclusive admission to families with children on the Autism Spectrum and with sensory processing disorders. This exclusive event provides an opportunity to enjoy sensory-friendly time at the museum and allows parents to network with one another. Discover Your Way visitors are welcome to stay and play when the museum opens to the general public at noon. For more information about Discover Your Way, please contact Catherine Van Dellen at…
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Do-it-yourself Costumes
An event every week that begins at 11:00 am on Sunday, repeating until October 16, 2016
Visit The Shop to get a jump on your costume for Halloween. Choose from a variety of cloth and materials and assemble your scary, silly or scientific costume using hot glue, needle and thread, or knots. And best of all, what your create is yours to take home! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this…
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Special Monday Hours
The Discovery will be open 10:00am to 5:00pm on Monday, October 3 in recognition of Washoe Country School District’s fall break. Be sure to check the calendar of events to find out what’s happening at the museum throughout the break.
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Play the Theremin
An event every week that begins at 9:30 am on Tuesday, repeating until November 15, 2016
It may sound like it’s from the future, but it’s actually from the past. The theremin, invented in 1920 by Léon Theremin, is an instrument you play by waiving your hands near two antennas—you never actually touch it! Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to try your hand(s) at creating a song of your own on a modern-day theremin!
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DNA Exploration
An event every week that begins at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, repeating until November 30, 2016
Inspired by scientist Rosalind Franklin‘s discovery of DNA’s double helix structure in 1952, museum visitors will extract, isolate, and observe the DNA of an ordinary strawberry to understand more about the building blocks of life and pursuits in the field of geneology.
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Do-it-yourself Costumes
An event every week that begins at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, repeating until October 12, 2016
Visit The Shop to get a jump on your costume for Halloween. Choose from a variety of cloth and materials and assemble your scary, silly or scientific costume using hot glue, needle and thread, or knots. And best of all, what your create is yours to take home! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this…
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Science Distilled: Fire Seasoned
Science Distilled, a new lecture series created by DRI and The Discovery, makes cutting-edge science approachable through presentations on current and curious topics held at hip locations in a social atmosphere. Fire: Friend of Foe? From our view at the edge of the Sierra, we face a fine line between fear of fire as a force of destruction and awe of the power of fire as a necessary part of nature’s cycles. This Science Distilled event showcases the curiosity and…
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Visiting Artist: Katie Packham
Join visiting artist Katie Packham of Copper Cat Studio for an introduction to the art of mosaic tiling. Learn the basics of design, assembly, materials & grouting. All tools and materials required for this class are provided. Best of all, you’ll create your very own mosaic work of art to take home. Visiting Artist program supported by:
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Pumpkin Racers
Put your automotive engineering skills to the test when you design, build and test a pumpkin racer in The Shop. Use available tools and materials, along with the pumpkins provided*, to create your Halloween-inspired racer and then test its speed and handling on The Discovery’s test track. Experts from the PumpkinPalooza will be on hand from 5:00 to 7:00pm to assist with your designs. Racers created at The Discovery will be eligible to race in a special “Discovery class” at…
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Pumpkin Racers
Put your automotive engineering skills to the test when you design, build and test a pumpkin racer in The Shop. Use available tools and materials, along with the pumpkins provided*, to create your Halloween-inspired racer and then test its speed and handling on The Discovery’s test track. Experts from the PumpkinPalooza will be on hand from 10:00 to 11:30am to assist with your designs. Racers created at The Discovery will be eligible to race in a special “Discovery class” at…
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Visiting Tinkerer: Rebekah Stetson
Rebekah Stetson is an educator and artisan. Her passion as an artist is in reusing things from nature by transforming them into a new creation. From local, organically grown chicken feathers for earrings to wild harvested materials for dream catchers, all of creation is revered in her work. Join Rebekah to explore a variety of ways to appreciate nature and nurture creativity. Our thanks to the Meyer family for their support of the Visiting Tinkerer program at The Discovery.
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Pumpkin Racers
Put your automotive engineering skills to the test when you design, build and test a pumpkin racer in The Shop. Use available tools and materials, along with the pumpkins provided*, to create your Halloween-inspired racer and then test its speed and handling on The Discovery’s test track. Racers created at The Discovery will be eligible to race in a special “Discovery class” at the annual Pumpkin Derby in Sparks. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials…
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Pumpkin Carving
Slice, scoop, sculpt and carve your very own Halloween jack-o-lantern in The Shop. Using a variety of tools and the pumpkins provided*, you can create a spooky, silly or downright scary Halloween icon. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this space safely. Pumpkins provided by: *Pumpkins provided while supplies last. Visitors are welcome to bring…
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Pumpkin Carving
Slice, scoop, sculpt and carve your very own Halloween jack-o-lantern in The Shop. Using a variety of tools and the pumpkins provided*, you can create a spooky, silly or downright scary Halloween icon. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this space safely. Pumpkins provided by: *Pumpkins provided while supplies last. Visitors are welcome to bring their own pumpkins.
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Pumpkin Carving
Slice, scoop, sculpt and carve your very own Halloween jack-o-lantern in The Shop. Using a variety of tools and the pumpkins provided*, you can create a spooky, silly or downright scary Halloween icon. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this space safely. Pumpkins provided by: *Pumpkins provided while supplies last. Visitors are welcome to bring…
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Flying UAV’s
Inspired by Naval fighter pilot Missy Cummings, test your piloting skills in Spark!Lab Smithsonian when you take The Discovery’s UAV for a test flight through a challenging obstacle course.
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Pumpkin Carving
Slice, scoop, sculpt and carve your very own Halloween jack-o-lantern in The Shop. Using a variety of tools and the pumpkins provided*, you can create a spooky, silly or downright scary Halloween icon. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this space safely. Pumpkins provided by: *Pumpkins provided while supplies last. Visitors are welcome to bring…
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Do-it-Yourself Clock
Time keeps on ticking, so why not create a way to keep track of it? Visit The Shop to use available tools and materials and a provided clock kit* to design and build your own timekeeper. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this space safely. *One clock kit per museum visitor while supplies last.
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Chemistry of the Cocktail
You’re invited to explore the artistry of mixology by taking a hands-on look at the science behind the craft of tiki-themed cocktails. At The Discovery’s premier annual fundraising event, you’ll explore your favorite libations in ways you’ve never experienced before. Add to that delicious fare from local culinary hot spots, silent and live auctions, and museum exploration, and you’ve got the recipe for a fundraising event unlike other! Help raise $100,000 in a single night to support The Discovery’s mission…
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Do-it-Yourself Clock
Time keeps on ticking, so why not create a way to keep track of it? Visit The Shop to use available tools and materials and a provided clock kit* to design and build your own timekeeper. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this space safely. *One clock kit per museum visitor while supplies last.
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Visiting Scientist: Wild Sheep Foundation
Bighorn sheep live throughout our state, including the mountains that border Reno and Sparks to the east. Representatives from the Wild Sheep Foundation will visit The Discovery to help you learn about this majestic animal and it’s adaptations, and explain the conservation efforts have led Nevada to have more sheep than any other in the U.S. with the exception of Alaska.
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Do-it-Yourself Clock
Time keeps on ticking, so why not create a way to keep track of it? Visit The Shop to use available tools and materials and a provided clock kit* to design and build your own timekeeper. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this space safely. *One clock kit per museum visitor while supplies last.
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Recycle Upcycle
Reno, NV 89501 United States
Make what’s old new again in The Shop! Repurpose a variety of materials into new, interesting and functional objects using available tools and your own creativity. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials in this space safely.
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International Science Center & Science Museum Day
November 10, 2016 is the first official International Science Center & Science Museum Day (ISCSMN), and The Discovery is a part of the celebration. Building upon UNESCO’s theme of “Science for Peace and Development,” ISCSMN’s goal is to create new ways for science institutions to proactively address global sustainability while reaching increasingly diverse audiences. Visit The Discovery on this special day to explore these sustainability activities: Can you create a sustainable future city? The game introduces the three pillars of…
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