Climate Change Exhibit at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Wins Museum Design Award

Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego

"Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge," Birch Aquarium at Scripps' newest interactive exhibit, has been named the Silver winner in museum design for the 2007 Event Design Awards. Sponsored by Connecticut-based Event Design Magazine, the annual awards recognize the best designs worldwide across events, exhibits and environments.

Designed by Bowman Design Group, in collaboration with design director Ed Hackley, "Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge" explores the scientific facts of climate change, highlighting a half-century of global leadership in climate research from UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The 2,600-square-foot exhibit opened in May with an official dedication by former Vice President Al Gore, who featured Scripps research in his Academy Award-winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."

The 2007 Event Design Awards drew entries representing every type of live event from designers and agencies worldwide. Deans from a dozen U.S. design schools judged the competition. Winners will be featured in Event Design Magazine's upcoming "Best of the Best" issue.

"We are thrilled that the exceptional work of Bowman Design Group and Ed Hackley is being recognized on such a large scale," Birch Aquarium at Scripps Executive Director Nigella Hillgarth said. "The designers understood the critical balance between good science education and entertainment. Our new exhibit has been very well received by our scientists, members and visitors of all ages."

"Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge" explores the forces driving dramatic environmental changes around the globe and challenges visitors to discover ways to reduce their carbon footprint. They can magnify microscopic fossils to see how scientists track temperature across centuries, test their knowledge of whether everyday activities impact the planet's temperature and deliver the climate report of the future in the California 2050 Newsroom.

The exhibit will be on display for at least two years.

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Visit Birch Aquarium at Scripps:

Location:
2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, Calif.

Phone:
858/534-FISH

Website:
http://aquarium.ucsd.edu

Hours:
9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily

Admission:
$11 Adult, 18+
$9 Senior, 60+
$7.50 Youth, 3-17
Free Children, 2 and under
Free Scripps Oceanographic Society Members

Directions:
From Interstate 5, exit at La Jolla Village Drive. West one mile. Left on Expedition Way.

Parking:
Birch Aquarium's parking lot offers three-hour courtesy parking.