EMS museum extends hours for football games, offers new exhibits

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) Museum and Art Gallery on the ground floor of Deike Building at University Park will extend its hours to be open prior to Penn State home football games. The museum and art gallery will be open from 9-11 a.m. for afternoon games and from 2-4 p.m. for evening games.

Admission to the museum and art gallery is free and open to the public. This week, the museum and gallery will be open from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, ahead of Penn State’s noon matchup against Purdue.

“We are working hard to upgrade and diversify our exhibits to reflect the history and research in all departments of the college — and to integrate art into the whole museum — as a reflection on science and a tool for deeper understanding,” said Jane Cook, new director of the museum. “While some exhibits and activities have been retired, or donated to the Discovery Space children’s science center in town, we hope that you’ll come and make new memories.”

Top exhibits include:

— “Women’s Work,” which highlights artwork from the EMS Museum’s Steidle Collection of American Industrial Art that was created by women artists, and research being conducted within the College of EMS by women scientists. The Steidle Collection, comprised of artwork depicting scenes related to extractive industries in early- to mid-20th century Pennsylvania, includes the work of 125 artists. Of the artists represented in the collection, more than 20% are women — an unusual statistic in the male-dominated genre of industrial art.

— Two interactive kiosks as part of the traveling pop-up exhibit “In Search of Earth’s Secrets,” in partnership with the Discovery Space. Visitors can learn about exciting science topics researched by JOIDES Resolution deep-sea research vessel scientists such as earthquakes, volcanoes and the extinction of the dinosaurs. The exhibit consists of six interactive kiosks that will be displayed at Discovery Space, Schlow Centre Region Library, and the EMS Museum.

— A newly prominent Blue and White minerals case, which encourage visitors to take and post selfies on social media using #EMSMAG and #blueandwhite.

Exhibits and enhancements are being completed with help from two student groups tasked with increasing involvement. For more information, visit the museum’s website.