Science / Medicine : Exhibit Fights Fears in Medical Settings

Hospitals, doctors, dentists and the equipment used by health care professionals can often be very frightening to children. A recently reopened exhibit, “Hands-On Health,” at the Children’s Museum at La Habra is designed to help reduce some of this fear and anxiety.

The interactive exhibit helps children and adults explore a variety of health issues by giving children an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the equipment used in a hospital or dental office and play roles as doctors, nurses, dentists and patients.

Children can also maneuver wheelchairs, practice Braille and sign language and participate in related exercises to learn more about disabled people.

Programs on medicine and the disabled will also be held in conjunction with the exhibit, which runs through Jan. 6, 1990. Call (213) 905-9793.

NATURAL SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT

The Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society will make its annual overnight camping trip to Anacapa Island on Saturday and Sunday. Naturalists will introduce visitors to the environment and wildlife of the island and the surrounding waters. Boat leaves 9 a.m. on Saturday and returns at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Call (213) 548-8500.

The animals, environment and various uses of San Nicolas Island, farthest of the Channel Islands, will be discussed by wildlife biologist Ron Dow at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Farrand Hall, at 7 p.m. Oct. 19. Call (805) 966-7107.

HERPETOLOGY

Live snakes, lizards, turtles and frogs will be featured at the eighth annual Live Amphibian and Reptile Exhibit of the Southwestern Herpetologists Society on Saturday and Sunday at the Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Recreation Center in Sherman Oaks. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (213) 399-4621 or (805) 684-7716.

ASTRONOMY

Saturn will be the subject of the El Camino College planetarium show Friday evenings throughout October. Doors open at 7:45 and programs begin at 8. Call (213) 715-3200.

The constellations of the night sky will be the stars of the show at the Tessman Planetarium at Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana, Sundays at 2 p.m. throughout October. Call (714) 667-3097.

Although the publicity has died down, scientists continue to examine the data from the Voyager 2 mission. The Santa Monica College planetarium show will recap the spacecraft’s long mission through the outer solar system and its final encounter with Neptune on Friday and Oct. 20 at 8 p.m., after the Night Sky show at 7. Call (213) 452-9223.

Edwin C. Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory, will open the “Encounter With Neptune” lecture series at the observatory with a survey of ancient peoples’ view of the planets as gods, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Call (213) 664-1191.

COMPUTERS

William H. Gates, chairman and chief executive officer of Microsoft Corp., will discuss new directions of personal computing on Thursday at 8 p.m. in Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium. Call (818) 356-6256.

HEALTH

A new, non-surgical treatment for prostate cancer will be one of the topics discussed at a community education program on prostate disorders and men’s health at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, seventh floor auditorium, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Reservations are required, call (213) 829-8453.