'Dinos and Disasters' Feb. 24 at NU State Museum

The University of Nebraska State Museum and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Geosciences will host their annual family fun day, "Dinosaurs & Disasters," from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 24.

The program will be conducted at Morrill Hall, 14th and U streets, and provide a day of discovery with hands-on activities with UNL scientists under the theme, "Global Climate Change."

Demonstrations will show how scientists know that the climate is changing, what the climate was like in the past and give an idea of how it may change in the future. Scientists will demonstrate both the facts and fiction of global climate change.

There will be more than 20 stations throughout the museum. Visitors are encouraged to bring fossils and rocks for identification, and there will be games, activities and demonstrations on earthly disasters such as volcanoes and tornadoes and vertebrate paleontology discoveries about ancient horses, mammoths and dinosaurs. Stations will also include such topics as "What big teeth you have" (a mammoth and dinosaur teeth fossil investigation), "Itchy and Scratchy Paleontology" (prehistoric animal fights), a cloud in a bottle, 6-foot tornado, avalanches, water disasters and many more. UNL scientists, and graduate and undergraduate students will staff the stations.

Mueller Planetarium shows at 11 a.m., and noon, 2, 3, and 4 p.m. will feature "Mars: The Search for Water."

Admission to the NU State Museum is $5 for adults (19 and over), $3 for children (5-18 years, 4 and under are free), and $10 for families (up to two adults and children). There is an additional charge for planetarium shows. Parking is free. For more information, call (402) 472-2642 or visit www.museum.unl.edu.

CONTACT: Kathy French, Education Coordinator, NU State Museum, (402) 472-6647