Antarctica Featured in Film Exhibit

Antarctica, the coldest, windiest and driest continent on Earth is the subject of the first exhibit/IMAX film combination at the California Museum of Science and Industry in Exposition Park.

The multimedia exhibit includes videos of emperor and Adelie penguins, a mummified seal, dioramas and displays of artifacts, photographs and maps to tell the story of this icy continent.

Either before or after viewing the exhibit, visitors can be transported to Antarctica via the giant-screen IMAX film, which portrays the environment and the explorer-scientists who study the vast southernmost continent.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 7; the film is scheduled for a six-month run. Call (213) 744-7400 or (213) 744-2014 for IMAX information.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

Children ages 7 and older can learn about “The Way Things Work,” a workshop at Kidspace Museum in Pasadena on Thursday at 2 and 3 p.m. Call (818) 449-9144.

Nursery Nature Walks will be starting new nature programs this summer for 5- to 8-year-olds and their parents. The first class, “Discover Insects,” will be held on Wednesday mornings beginning July 1. Space is limited and registration is necessary. Call (310) 364-3591.

ASTRONOMY

Santa Monica College planetarium director Jonathon Hodge will examine the technology and history of planetariums in “Behind the Scenes, Under the Stars,” the college planetarium program on Friday at 8 p.m., after the night sky show at 7 p.m. Telescope viewing will be available after the program, weather permitting. Call (310) 452-9396 for tickets, (310) 452-9223 for information.

ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY

The natural science section of the Sierra Club will sponsor ecology workshops to explore the Jeffrey pine forest and alpine meadows of the Mt. Pinos area on July 11 and 12. Early registration is advised. Call (805) 967-0593.

Friends of the Big Bear Valley Preserve will take their sonar sensor into the night to view bats on July 11, after a slide-illustrated program. Space is limited and registration is necessary. Call (714) 585-0717.

SCIENCE FOR SKEPTICS

Michael Shermer, science historian and Skeptics Society director, will discuss “Altered States: Hypnosis, UFO Abductions, Out-of-Body and Near-Death Experiences and the Quest for Transcendence,” on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Caltech’s Baxter Lecture Hall. Call (213) 283-9773 or (818) 794-3119.