Texas Museum of Science and Technology

The Texas Museum of Science & Technology (TXMOST) opened in March 2015 in an interim facility in Cedar Park, Texas, with the vision of creating a destination science and technology center for the Central Texas area, and inspiring and educating both schoolchildren and the general community in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. TXMOST is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Texas Museum of Science & Technology
Established2015
DissolvedTXMOST is now CLOSED due to a lack of funding.
LocationCedar Park, Texas
Coordinates30.541603°N 97.776136°W / 30.541603; -97.776136
TypeScience museum
DirectorEd Slane
Websitewww.txmost.org at the Wayback Machine (archived November 12, 2020)

The museum houses the Austin area’s first planetarium, traveling exhibitions, and the permanent Timewalk exhibit, created from a gift of fossil and dinosaur bone collections which has toured the world.[1] Plans for the interim facility include expanding the mobile planetarium outreach programs, conducting field trips and summer/holiday camps, and building a collection of permanent exhibits about science and technology.

History

Founded initially as the "Friends of the Austin Planetarium," then later shortened to Austin Planetarium, the project began its operations in the area by offering an outreach program through its mobile planetarium project. Due to the success of the program, support developed for a permanent facility for science and technology education.

On March 20, 2015, an interim facility (~30,000 sq ft) was opened to the public and the organization's name was changed to the Texas Museum of Science & Technology. The museum is the first of its kind in Central Texas, an area that is home to many companies and organizations related to science and technology.[2][3]

Exhibits
Museum exterior in 2015

Current

TXMOST is now CLOSED due to a lack of funding by the Board of Directors.

TXMOST’s two permanent exhibit spaces contain the 33 ft geodesic dome planetarium,[4] with live star shows and pre-rendered movies running throughout the day; and the Timewalk exhibit,[5] which showcases life on Earth from the earliest fossils to the Age of Mammals.

The museum also hosts traveling special exhibits. In late 2017, there were two traveling exhibits. Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion [6] features interactive machines created from his original designs. This exhibition gives you the chance to explore some of da Vinci’s works as recreated by modern-day engineers and artisans, including his visionary glider, armored tank, ornithopter, and more. Drugs: Costs and Consequences [7] is an exhibit from the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum that began a national tour in 2002. With content specific to each location where it is displayed, the exhibit presents both a global and historical overview of the many costs and consequences of drugs on society.

Past

The traveling exhibit Tutankhamun: “Wonderful Things” from the Pharaoh’s Tomb was on display from November 2016 through September 2017.[8]

Body Worlds - the Cycle of Life[9] was the main exhibit at the opening of the museum, and remained until November, 2015. In addition, TXMOST, in partnership with the Exploratorium, displayed a number of hands-on science exhibits demonstrating aspects of physics such as light or sound. The museum also hosted a traveling exhibit from NASA’s Johnson Space Center that explored space exploration and celebrated the opening of the museum’s 33 ft digital planetarium, and displayed the Nikon Small World Microphotography Competition winners for 2015.

Affiliations

The Texas Museum of Science & Technology is a member of:

  • Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)
  • Austin Museum Partnership (AMP)
  • Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations

References
  1. "Exhibit from collector Marty Martin finds final home in new museum in Cedar Park". Austin American-Statesman. February 26, 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  2. "First science and technology museum in Central Texas opens in Cedar Park". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  3. "Grand Opening of the Texas Museum of Science & Technology". PR Newswire. March 16, 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  4. "Austin Finally Gets a Planetarium - Sorta". The Austin Chronicle. February 16, 2015.
  5. "Dino Exhibit at Texas Museum of Science and Technology". Fox 7 Austin. February 10, 2016.
  6. "Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion". Evergreen Exhibitions. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  7. "Drugs: Costs & Consequences". Drug Enforcement Administration Museum. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  8. "Tutankhamun: "Wonderful Things" from the Pharaoh's Tomb". Do512. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  9. "Science Museum Opens Doors in Cedar Park". Time Warner Cable News. March 19, 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
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