You’re invited to our celebration of Darwin’s 213th Birthday. We’ll honor the discoveries and life of Charles Darwin through the exploration of science and life on Earth. There will be hands-on activities, a special presentation from the Institute’s Curator of Earth and Space Sciences, Dr. Andrew Gangidine, and our rare, first-edition, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, will be on display.

Dr. Gangidine’s presentations include:
Darwin 101: 11:00am (recommended for all ages)
Darwin and the Science of Evolution: 2:30pm (recommended for middle school ages and up)
Each presentation is approximately 20 minutes in length and followed by a Q&A.
Capacity is limited in the auditorium, seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Darwin’s book will be on display throughout the day from 10:00am – 5:00pm.

All activities are FREE with the purchase of general museum admission.

Shows will also be playing throughout the day in the Acheson Planetarium, including:
One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure
Birth of Planet Earth (only here for a limited time!)
Michigan Sky Tonight
Young Stargazers Sky Journey.

Tickets to the planetarium are an additional fee and can be purchased at the front desk upon arrival.

Our traveling exhibit, SPACE: A Journey to Our Future will be open! Explore the past, present, and future of human spaceflight in this hands-on, interactive exhibit, see a REAL piece of the Moon, tour a full-scale future lunar habitat, and more. This exhibit is only here until May 9!

Tickets to the exhibit are an additional fee and can be purchased at the front desk upon arrival.

SPACE: A Journey to Our Future is presented by PNC Bank with support from GM.