Discovery Science Center

The idea of Discovery Science Center began in 1984 when the boards of the Exploratory Learning Center and the Experience Center joined and formed the Discovery Museum of Orange County (1). Simply stated, their goals were to teach kids what life was like at the turn of the century in Orange County in an interactive manner and to build a world class hands-on science center (1). Now, the concept for the outside was to use bright colors that grabbed people's attention such as yellow, red, orange, and brown. This gives the center an earth tone which makes it friendly. Also, the cube in the background has an important job. From February 2003 to May 2003, the solar Cube at Discovery Science Center underwent a top-to-bottom renovation to make the Cube produce more energy for the science center (1). The design/build construction firm, Advanced Structures Inc. took Fort-Brescia’s idea and “translated” it into a 64-foot-on-a-side structure (1). First a computer model of The Cube was designed, then, applying the design parameters, the size of the more than 3000 members (the struts and nodes) was determined (1). The calculations were so numerous they would measure three feet high on legal paper (1).
The center consists of having bright colored walls to make the environment easy to understand and nylon carpet. Nylon carpet is perfect for the center because it is a high-traffic area and it will be easy to maintain. The inside of the center produces many themes such as geology and science. Now a perfect example to grab a student's attention is the yellow Sun Stage. Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness (2). Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy, as well as spark creative thoughts (2). The Sun Stage is mainly used for school groups while they undergo a demonstration, if the Sun Stage had a different color then the behavior of the students will be different.

Another great theme that the center has is The Sesame exhibit. This exhibit is only seasonal, but everything ties in for learning about the body. Now because it is all about sesame, the room is filled with sesame street characters and it makes it feel that you’re in the “sesame world.” This space is not only great for children, but great for all adults of shapes and sizes. The exhibits are well distributed around the room that follows the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Now everyone can enjoy this exhibit while it lasts.

The second floor is known as The Science of Hockey, the center's newest permanent exhibition. A first-of-its-kind experience, this interactive look at the science of sport is presented by the Anaheim Ducks, the National Hockey League and USA Hockey (1). Now the name of the exhibit says it all, they have exhibits such as a Penalty Box, You Be the Shooter, Coaches’ Corner (shown above), and much more. The dominant color for the second floor is blue. Blue gives the whole room a cold feeling, the kind of feeling that you will get while visiting an ice ring. Also, it is the coldest room in the center.

Last, but not least is Dino Quest. Dino Quest is the world’s first interactive, electronic dinosaur exhibit where guests go on a scavenger hunt searching for fossils. The area is known as Dino Quest, but it is divided into areas where certain fossils can be found. The areas are called, Prehistoric Plaza, Predator Ridge, Cretaceous Climb, Fossil Dig, and Kids' Dig Site. Obviously the theme is dinosaurs so it is meant to look prehistoric and the center successfully conquered that by using earth tones. Usually Dino Quest is the last exhibit to be visited, but after seeing what the center has to offer you will walk away having learned something new.

 (1) Discovery Science Center.  About us. 
.  8 April. 2011 .

(2) Kate Smith. All About the Color Yellow. 2011.

10 April. 2011 .