From shock absorbers and DVD players to the space program, advanced materials are part of our lives. To help promote a deeper understanding of the science behind advanced materials, we are supporting Strange Matter—an interactive, multimedia exhibit for aspiring scientists of all ages.

The Science of Everyday Stuff

The Strange Matter exhibition lets visitors explore the amazing world of modern materials and uncover the surprising science behind everyday stuff, providing a glimpse of where the future of materials research may take us.

Strange Matter's interactive experiences allow people of all ages to investigate the structure of exotic, as well as ordinary, materials and discover what gives them their remarkable properties.

Experience Strange Matter

Strange Matter includes the following experiences for visitors:

• The future of metals: watch a standard ball bearing bounce for an extended period of time on a platform made of amorphous metal
• "ZOOM" will take students on a voyage from the macro scale of the world to the atomic scale, where scientists investigate individual atoms using microscopes
• Children can play with amazing magnetic liquids to discover whether they are a solid, a liquid or both
• Guests will enjoy playing the xylophones made of different materials to see the tunes they will play

Other exhibit experiences include checking out one of the world's hardest materials in "Amorphous Metal"; watching crystals grow; discovering how scientists control structure and defects to create certain properties in materials; and finding out about silicon, the material that led to the computer revolution, in the "Sand to Supercomputers" area.

More Information

For more information about this exhibit, visit the Strange Matter Exhibition website.