On Wednesday, December 17, come to NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts for a one of a kind evening of hands-on creativity! In collaboration with the American Geophysical Union, we will host activity booths from 8 national science organizations teaching about renewable energy, space, the polar regions and beyond. This is an all-ages program, so lovers of science, art, and learning can come together to expand their understanding of our world and universe. 

We are excited to host: 

• NASA Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) mission
• NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT) 
• SHIELD NASA DRIVE Center
• NASA PUNCH mission
• COFFIES NASA DRIVE Center
• Polar STEAM
• Adler Planetarium
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Before and during the activities, we invite attendants to visit our special exhibitions and permanent collection that connect to the Geophysical Sciences:

• Dawoud Bey: Elegy
• The View from Here: Women Photographers of the American Landscape
• Nicolas Floc’h: Fleuves-Océan, Mississippi Watershed
• Afropolitan: Contemporary African Arts at NOMA

This program is included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. Visitors with an AGU conference badge will receive a discount on admission with their badge. Registration is recommended for this program. 

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Schedule of Activities

NASA Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) mission will host a table where visitors can learn about the dynamic layers of the Sun using the water-marbling paint method. Get creative and take home your own unique creation!

NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT) is hosting an activity about how the sun affects everything and everyone in the solar system. Guests will be able to make a bracelet with UV beads to see how the sun affects us every day. Guests will also learn about the different experiences and perspectives people from Alaska to Navajo Nation have of the sun, seasons, and auroras.

SHIELD NASA DRIVE Center will have a table on “Heliophysics: Exploring the Outer Solar System and Beyond.” Learn about how NASA studies solar activity and its impact on the Earth, the other planets, and the outer portion of the solar system.

NASA PUNCH mission will be hosted by team members from NASA’s PUNCH mission! They will host hands-on activities related to the PUNCH Outreach Ancient and Modern Sun-watching theme.

COFFIES NASA DRIVE Center will host a table with activities and information. 

Polar STEAM staff and fellows will engage attendees of all ages with hands-on activities and interactive materials that highlight the science, art, and storytelling emerging from polar research. Visitors may also have the opportunity to try on Extreme Cold Weather gear and pose for photos, offering a fun and tangible glimpse into life and work in the polar regions.

Adler Planetarium will guide guest in assembling a fun tool to use in the art museum and to take home! Investigate light and color, decode secret messages, and see how astronomers use similar special tools in their telescopes to gather information about distant objects in space. 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will host live Micro-Demos from REDi Island—short interactive tours highlighting how water and related energy technologies appear in familiar community settings. Design Your Own Island is a creative mapping activity where visitors build their own mini version of REDi Island to explore how communities balance energy, environment, and design.

NREL will also host a table where you can Draw Your Future Energy Job — an imaginative art station inviting visitors to illustrate what their dream role could be on REDi Island (engineer, artist, diver, data scientist, designer, and more), encouraging curiosity about future careers and the intersection of art and science.

About the American Geophysical Union

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences.

Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.