Super Science Weekend will mark the first phase of the State Museum’s reopening, one that witnessed the completion of important environmental upgrades and other renovations. During the process, the Museum continued to provide exciting programming and exhibitions in others areas of the Museum campus and throughout the state. With the reopening, the Museum will provide further new, exciting and educational experiences for visitors of all ages.

Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells invites families to visit the Capital City to experience this year’s wide array of continuous science demonstrations, exhibits, performances and programs for all ages. This includes an opportunity to take a picture with a costumed “Haddy” as we observe the 150th Anniversary of the discovery of Hadrosaurus foulkii, the Official State Dinosaur of New Jersey.

The annual Super Science Weekend, sponsored in part by the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum and funded by PSE&G, provides visitors with hands-on, fun filled activities that explore paleontology, archaeology, astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, ecology, and many other interesting fields. Young children will also enjoy the Jurassic Moon Bounce, plus a variety of stimulating activities, such as making green slime with the American Chemical Society. Meanwhile, the Jurassic Moon Bounce is free to children who bring in a used printer ink cartridge for recycling.

During the two-day event, representatives will be participating from more than 30 science organizations, including the Philadelphia Area Space Alliance, Reynolds Middle School Science Super Stars, and the New Jersey Geological Survey. The Delaware Valley Paleontological Society will also present its popular Fossil Dig sand box for children of all ages.

New exhibitors include the Young Scholars Institute of the Trenton Community Charter School, Infineum USA-World of Chemistry, Professor Hoebel of Lambertville’s S.P.L.A.S.H. (Student Participation in Learning Aquatic Science and History), and a forensic science display from Drexel University’s Department of Medicine. Visitors can even bring their own natural history specimens or archaeological artifacts to be identified by the Museum’s professional geologists, paleontologists, and archaeologists.

In the State Museum Auditorium, adjacent to the Museum, a series of free science performances on topics ranging from live animals from the Philadelphia Zoo to Mad Science: Wacky Science will be performed both days. Finally, Billy B the Science Song and Dance Man of Young Audiences New Jersey will perform popular science anthems.

This year, several new exhibits will be open to the public. Cultures in Context: A Tapestry of Expression, the featured exhibition of the reopening, will be in the New Jersey State Museum’s main gallery at 205 West State Street, and the 225 West State Street galleries will host two new exhibits: 50 Years of Powwow and Come into a New World: Linnaeus and America, and tours will be available.

In the coming months, the Museum will continue to present new exhibitions and programs that will allow for a fresh experience with every visit. A wonderful example is “Rising Tide: Global Warming and New Jersey’s Changing Coastline.” Made possible by the generous support of PSEG, the exhibition will explore how global warming leads to rising sea levels and how that has altered New Jersey’s coastline.