China’s highest academic institution for natural sciences opened its doors to science lovers to share the latest scientific and technological achievements, with the goal of popularizing science and allowing the public to engage with noted scientists and key research facilities.

The institute featured dozens of exhibitions on China’s latest achievements in artificial intelligence, autonomous underwater vehicles, lunar exploration and experiments onboard the Tiangong space station.

The public were feverish since this was the first time in three years that the academy had been able to hold live activities on Public Science Day.

Parents and children began queuing outside the front doors of the academy’s Institute of Physics early in the morning. The Institute of Automation extended opening hours several times to accommodate visitors, and tickets were sold out in hours.

Children of all ages came to see the institute’s scientists conduct colorful and thought-provoking (发人深省的) physics experiments. After the show, they were able to use the instruments themselves and ask questions about their use.

Cao Ying, a Beijing resident attending the event with her 3-year-old son, said that she had previously only known about these scientific achievements through the news. She added that it had been eye-opening to experience them firsthand and to talk to the scientists behind them. “Science education should start at an early age,” she said. “Seeing these scientific achievements in person makes me appreciate the hard work and ingenuity (独创性) of our scientists even more.”

Chinese scientists and engineers have accomplished many great things, and the achievements should not be locked away in an ivory tower.

By communicating their findings to the public, scientists also learn more about the actual needs of the people, which helps open up new areas of research and use. One example is using humanoid robots to care for the elderly.

This is a new hand-on, interactive exhibit that invites visitors to step into a comic-book-inspired New York City. Designed for children, the 1,500-square-foot exhibit is developed with experts to both teach parents about functions like self-control and working memory.

Tickets: adults $15 pp; kids (aged 2-6) $16.50 pp

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

This exhibit highlights colors all around us, woven so tightly into our lives that we rarely stop to question what they are and how they work. You may wonder where the colors in diamonds and rainbows come from, how some animals have benefited by evolving to stand out while others survive by blending up, and why some colors make us happy while others bring us down.

Tickets $39 pp; kids aged two and under are free

American Museum of Natural History

The Exhibition is the world’s first and only traveling exhibit that provides practical, real-world and science-based techniques to prepare visitors of all ages for survival situations.

Tickets: adults $16 pp; kids $13 pp

New York Hall of Science

The exhibit is all about discovering wild animals and their unusual power. Kids get to explore five distinct habitats and try out various behaviors of different animals.

Tickets: adults $20 pp: kids $16pp

Liberty Science Center

Thanks for your interest in visiting the Los Angeles Zoo with your school group! Please read the following information before booking your field trip.

Requirements

Special discounted admission prices are available with advance reservations ONLY for California school groups, short-termed as CSG, (registered with the California Department of Education). They can enjoy 10% off.

PLEASE NOTE:

Reservation blackout dates(限制日期) may apply to all groups at certain times of the year (e.g. holidays and spring break). If your group comes on a blackout date or has not made the necessary reservations before arriving at the Zoo, your group will be charged the regular admission fees.

Docent(讲解员)-Guided Tours

Our docent guides lead educational walking tours for students and their teachers, beginning at first grade. A limited number of docent-guided tours are available. There is no additional fee for a docent-guided tour, but you must book your tour at least two weeks in advance. Do not assume you have a guided tour booked until you have received a confirmation number and packet from the Los Angeles Zoo. On the day of your field trip, your group will need to arrive at least 30 minutes before the confirmed start time of your tour to check in. Make sure to tell Zoo staff upon your arrival that your group has a docent-guided tour. If you are more than 15 minutes late for your tour, it may be canceled.

Maximum number: 150 participants Ages: K-12

Regular Pricing: $5 per student, 1 teacher per 10 students is included, $5 per additional teacher