McWane Science Center

The McWane Science Center, a non-profit organization, is a science museum and research archive located in downton Birmingham at 200 19th Street North. The state-of-the-art science center and aquarium are housed in the historic and refurbished Loveman's department store building, while the 280-seat IMAX Dome Theater is next door where a J.J. Newberry department store previously stood.

Inside are more than 9,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, including the Challenger Learning Center of Alabama, created in memory of the Space Shuttle Challenger Flight 51-L crew. The World of Water exhibit showcases more than 50 species of marine and freshwater aquatic life.

The Alabama Collections Center is the home for more than 500,000 artifacts from the former Red Mountain Museum. The center houses precious minerals, fossils and Native American artifacts. Highlights in the collection include the world's fourth-largest collection of mosasaurs; the Applachiosaurus (the Alabama Tyrannosaurus); and the state fossil of Alabama, the Basilosaurus (an 80 foot fossil whale).

The McWane Science Center is named after the McWane family and McWane, Inc. both of which helped fund the center.

References

• McWane Science Center. (2007, March 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:15, July 9, 2007 [1]

External links

• McWane Science Center
• Association of Science-Technology Centers
• IMAX Corporation