DENVER-October 4, 2010-The Expedition Health exhibition at the
Denver Museum of Nature & Science has received two prominent
national awards in the course of a week.
On Saturday, October 2, the Association of Science-Technology
Centers (ASTC) awarded Expedition Health its Roy L. Shafer Leading
Edge Award for Visitor Experience, one of the most prestigious
awards in the industry. The Leading Edge Award recognizes
excellence and innovation in new science-based exhibitions created
for informal science learning environments.
ASTC is an organization of science centers and museums dedicated
to furthering public engagement with science among increasingly
diverse audiences. The organization claims nearly 600 members in 45
countries. Members include not only science centers and museums but
also nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, botanical
gardens, and natural history and children's museums, as well as
companies, consultants, and other organizations that share an
interest in informal science education.
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has received the Roy L.
Shafer Leading Edge Award twice before. In 2005, the Museum's Space
Odyssey exhibition won the Leading Edge Award for Visitor
Experience, and in 2007, the Museum's president and CEO, George
Sparks, was awarded the Leading Edge Award for New Leadership in
the Field.
On Wednesday, September 29, the Hungry Hiker-Build a Meal computer
game featured in Expedition Health earned a Corporate Recognition
Award in the Apps for Healthy Kids competition organized by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and
Promotion.
Hungry Hiker-Build a Meal game teaches users the basics of
nutrition without relying upon the food pyramid or calorie
counting. The object of the game is to put together a nutritious
meal for a hiker avatar. A balanced meal will get the hiker to the
top of the mountain, an unbalanced meal will not. (Play the game at
www.dmns.org/nutrition.)
"Nutrition is a hard subject to learn, so the Hungry Hiker game
was created to boil it down to basic principles. For instance, at
every meal half your plate should be filled with fruits and
vegetables-the more colorful the better," said Dr. Bridget
Coughlin, the Museum's curator of human health and scientific
consultant on Expedition Health exhibition. "With nutrition, we
wanted to keep it simple and add a dose of adventure and humor to
keep children engaged with the topic."
For the contest, USDA officials screened entries and then accepted
95 submissions of games or apps from students, software developers,
designers, and organizations as part of First Lady Michelle Obama's
Let's Move! initiative to end childhood obesity by encouraging
healthy eating and physical activity. Dr. Nicole Garneau, also a curator of
human health, and Ian Holtum, the Museum's multimedia developer,
attended an awards ceremony hosted by the First Lady at the White
House this week.
A panel of 14 judges, including Apple Computer cofounder Steve
Wozniak, School Nutrition Association president Dora Rivas, and
Zynga Game Network CEO Mark Pincus, named the Corporate Recognition
Award winners based on creativity, originality, and potential to
impact, engage, and motivate the target audience. Other games and
apps were given popular choice awards based upon the number of
votes they received online.
About Expedition Health
Expedition Health, a permanent 10,000-square-foot health science
exhibition with hands-on, full-body activities and real anatomical
specimens, opened at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in
April 2009. Expedition Health is not about the human
body-it's about YOUR human body and how it is constantly changing
and adapting in ways you can see, measure, and optimize through the
choices you make. (The entire Expedition Health press kit is
available at www.dmns.org/press-room/press-kits.)
Since its grand opening, approximately 660,000 people have
experienced Expedition Health. Visitor surveys taken in the
exhibition show that the highly-personalized health lessons
presented in Expedition Health have impact and staying power.
- 93% of adults who visited Expedition Health said there was something they were doing differently as a result of visiting. Most responses related to staying active and healthy eating.
- 82% of students claimed Expedition Health made them care more about their own body and health.
- Approximately three-quarters of family groups said they intended to make changes in their lifestyle after visiting Expedition Health. The most frequently mentioned changes were getting more exercise, eating a healthier diet, and using sunscreen.
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Expedition Health is made possible by Kaiser Permanente Colorado
as part of its mission to help improve the health of the
community.
Expedition Health is a registered trademark of the Denver Museum
of Nature & Science.
About the Denver Museum of Nature &
Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain
Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety
of engaging exhibits, discussions, and activities help Museum
visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado,
Earth, and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado
Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum,
check www.dmns.org or call 303-370-6000.
Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are
made possible in part by generous funding fromthe citizens of the
seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural
Facilities District