Science exhibit opens June 25 at Columbia Basin College planetarium

A temporary science exhibit for children and families has set up shop at Columbia Basin College as a group of Tri-Citians seeks to build interest for a future hands-on kids’ museum.

“A View From Space,” which includes views of Earth taken from space and information about satellites, opens to the public at noon June 25 in the classrooms of the Bechtel National Planetarium on college’s Pasco campus.

The traveling exhibit, which was developed by the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry in Portland, will remain at the college through Labor Day weekend and will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Saturdays will also include special events, such as speakers and craft activities.

Admission is free for children 3 and under, $4 for ages 4 and up. Cash and credit are accepted at the door. There is a $1 discount off the ticket price for groups of 10 or more.

Hands In for Hands On Tri-Cities, or HiHo Tri-Cities, arranged to bring the exhibit to the region as part of a large effort to gauge interest for similar offerings, including a full-blown children’s museum with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.

Donations paid the $17,000 needed to bring the exhibit to the college. Students from New Horizons High School also chipped in by painting background panels for the exhibit materials, said Robin Wojtanik, a spokeswoman for HiHo Tri-Cities.

The group will analyze the traffic the exhibit generates after it concludes. If sufficient, it will then pursue bringing a bigger exhibit to the region next summer.

For more information about this summer’s exhibit and offerings, visit HiHo Tri-Cities’ Facebook page at bit.ly/hihotricities

This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Science exhibit opens June 25 at Columbia Basin College planetarium."