Impression 5 Science Center
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The Impression 5 Science Center, is a science museum located in downtown
Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...
. Formerly known as the ''Impression 5 Museum'', the center is located in a historic wagon works factory on the Grand River. The name, ''Impression 5'', refers to the
five senses A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the world through the detection of stimuli. (For example, in the human body, the brain which is part of the central nervous system rec ...
.History of Impression 5
, Impression 5 Science Center, ''retrieved 2010-08-12''
The ''Impression 5 Science Center'' has ~3,000 Visitors per week.


History

The Impression 5 Science Center was founded by Marilynne Eichinger in her basement in Lansing, Michigan, in 1972. Eichinger graduated with a BA in sociology/anthropology from Boston University and an MA in counseling psychology from Michigan State University. As a mother of five she was influenced by the Montessori education her children received as well as the writings of Jean Piaget and Howard Gardner. Much of her life was surrounded by family and friends involved in physics and engineering and Eichinger became interested in developing a way to explain scientific principles that appeared so complex in a way that the general public could understand. She promoted the design and development of hands-on exhibits that challenged visitors thinking processes. The initial goal of Impression 5 was to develop fun, educational exhibits that focused on the five senses. A variety of approaches was offered to take into account individual learning styles. The museum's first headquarters were in Marble School, East Lansing where volunteers housed displays and traveled to schools and shopping malls putting on small science exhibitions. In 1973 a 15,000 sq.ft warehouse was rented and filled with a variety of interactive displays. Over time, the museum was able to attract national attention along with funding for permanent and traveling exhibitions. It was not long before the museum ran out of space in the small warehouse. Impression 5 moved into its current 80,000 square foot building located on Museum Drive in downtown Lansing in 1982. It now offers classes, camps, teacher training workshops and traveling school programs that complement the exhibitions within its building. In 1994 the Impression 5 Museum changed its name to the current, ''Impression 5 Science Center''.


Exhibits

Current Exhibits * Chew On This! * Spectrum * Nano * Build Zone * MI Nature * First Impression Room * POP! A Bubble Experience * Electricity & Magnetism * Simple Machines * Giant Eye * Spin * Throwing Things * FLOW: A Water Experience * Rotating Traveling Exhibits *Smash: A Nuclear Adventure *Think Tank


See also

* List of Museums in Michigan * Lansing, Michigan Museums *
Science museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in ...
*
Children's museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feat ...


References


External links


Impression 5 Science Center
(official site)
{{Lansing-East Lansing Museums in Lansing, Michigan Children's museums in Michigan Science museums in Michigan 1972 establishments in Michigan