Life Science Exhibits and Workshops bring the Science Museum of Virginia to you!

BioExpress brings unique life science adventures from the Science Museum of Virginia to schools and events throughout the commonwealth. This traveling science program presents informal educational experiences that are fun for all ages.

BioExpress travels to elementary and middle schools, fairs, libraries and special events.

School Programs
Students in grades K-8 will have a full day of hands-on science fun with classroom workshops and interactive exhibits.
The day includes:

• presentations by two BioExpress educators
• ten hands-on classroom workshops (limited to 25 students each)
• make-and-take science activities for each participant
• hands-on exhibits, displayed all day  

 

EXHIBITS  

More than 20 curiosity-provoking exhibits include:
Please Feed the Bear
Create your own food chains! Students learn how energy from the sun travels through an ecosystem.
Cell Explorer
Can you guess a cell’s function just by looking at it? Students identify scanning electron micrographs of different cells in their bodies.
Know Brainer
Brains, brains, brains! Which one belongs to the cat? Is the fish brain similar to the cat brain, or to the duck brain? Students compare and match the brains to the animals.
What’s in the Box?
No peeking! Students will explore the accuracy of their sense of touch by trying to identify four objects by simply touching them.

WORKSHOPS

Adaptations (grades K-2) and (3–5)
The way you see, hear and touch are important forms of adaptations often taken for granted. Learn how humans and other animals have special adaptations that help them survive in their environments.
Fun with Microscopes (grades K-2)  (3–5) and (6-8)
Learn how to use lenses and microscopes to make tiny things more visible. What really is in dirt? Can you actually see your skin cells? Explore the microscopic world through a variety of biological specimens.
You’ve Got Some Nerve! (grades 3–5) and (6-8)
How do neural signals get from your brain to your toes? Experiment with your own nervous system, test your reflexes, build a neuron, and discover the path messages travel in your body.
Food is Fuel (grades 4–6)
Food is full of energy … but how did it get there and how do we get it out? Find out with experiments and interactive models that illustrate the parts and processes of the digestive system.
Your Heart and Lungs (grades 5–8)
In this workshop on the circulatory and respiratory systems, measure your own individual lung capacity and heart rate while learning about how the body receives and transports oxygen.
Science Sleuth (grades 6–8)
Forensic scientists use many different kinds of biological clues to solve an archeological mystery. Become a detective as you gather and use information from skeletons, fingerprints and DNA.
It’s in the Genes (grades 7–8)
Do you look like your relatives? Just how are characteristics passed from parents to offspring? Create your own plant "offspring" to learn more about how genes, heredity and environmental factors influence organisms.

Click here for a BioExpress Application

Fees for school programs are based on a day that includes ten class periods of student workshops.

BioExpress is an ideal program for support from business partnerships and parent-teacher organizations. We may be able to assist your school in raising outside funds for this program.

In addition to student workshops, Teacher Workshops for recertification and/or endorsement credit may be arranged. Eisenhower Funds may be available for these programs. For more information, call (804) 864-1423.  

For more information on a BioExpress visit, call the coordinator at (804) 864-1423 or e-mail: bio@smv.org