Contact: Beth Boston, [email protected], (773) 947-6003 Renee Mailhiot, [email protected], (773) 947-3133

THINK EXHIBIT OPENS AT MSI Guests explore innovations, and how science and technology have improved our daily lives

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 10, 2014)–THINK, presented by IBM—an interactive experience designed to showcase some of the major scientific and technical advances of the last 100 years—is opening at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) on April 10, 2014. The 5,000- square-foot interactive exhibit, included in Museum Entry, will run through 2016.

Highly immersive, THINK combines hands-on interactive experiences, games and a film—all of which explore how progress happens and how technology and people, working together, can make the world work better. A 40-foot gesture wall highlights the flow of data in our daily lives with representations of information related to transportation, water, solar energy and air quality. A short film inspires guests to think about humankind’s quest to build a better world and how technological progress is made possible. Guests will be able to explore the use of predictive models to understand phenomena like tsunamis and hurricanes, and learn how we innovate and share information to drive human advancement.

THINK, developed for IBM’s Centennial, debuted at New York’s Lincoln Center and has also been recently featured at ’s Innoventions Pavilion, .

“This exhibit takes guests on a compelling journey from how we observe the world around us, collect information and analyze it, and ultimately visualize the results to better understand large scale challenges like energy, crop production, climate change and water,” said Kurt Haunfelner, MSI’s vice president of exhibits and collections. “The goal is to use resources more efficiently and to create a healthier, more sustainable and more vibrant planet”

Gesture wall Guests will be drawn in by striking patterns displayed on a 40-foot gesture wall. The wall tells the stories of systems around us, transforming into an interactive space where guest movement creates unique images in dynamic shapes and colors. To illustrate the complex systems that are a part of daily life, the wall also visualizes data from traffic, solar energy and air quality.

Immersive film In a theater space, a 12-minute immersive film tells the story of progress through inspiring stories of the past and present—the history of space exploration, the ability to protect our global food supply through genetic mapping, the development of personalized medical care, and the monitoring of traffic patterns. The film reveals how this kind of human progress was made possible by a combination of people and technology, and by taking a distinct approach to making the world work better through seeing, mapping, understanding, believing and acting.

 Seeing how our world behaves  Mapping what we find  Understanding causes and effects  Believing we can create new outcomes  Acting to design, build and improve the systems around us Interactive experience In the next area, guests will explore a media field composed of 16 seven-foot interactive touchscreens where they can:

 Engage an interactive timeline that chronicles how the simple act of measurement has evolved since prehistoric times: measuring length in 2,000 BC, time in 1657, the Earth’s rotation in 1851 and atoms in 1981;  Explore our quest to see more about the world from clocks and scales, to microscopes and telescopes, RFID chips and biomedical sensor;  Learn how maps have been used to track data, from early geographical maps to the most recent databases and data visualization platforms;  Interact with the models used to understand the complex behaviors of our world—from weather prediction algorithms to virus spread simulations;  Hear from leaders of world-changing initiatives about how they built belief in their projects; and  Discover some of the most inspiring examples of global systemic progress.

“The Museum of Science and Industry is an excellent venue for IBM’s THINK exhibit,” said Duffy Gaynor, IBM Illinois senior state executive. “The exhibit features stories of progress. It is designed for both young children, as well as adults, and offers an aspirational view how people and technology can improve our daily lives.”

At home, guests can further explore how progress happens with the THINK exhibit app, available on iPad or Android tablets. Educators can bring THINK to the classroom with exhibit lesson plans and an exploration in the process of innovation available on teacherstryscience.com.

About the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI), one of the largest science museums in the world, offers world-class and uniquely interactive science experiences that inspire inventive genius and foster curiosity. Through groundbreaking and award-winning exhibits that can’t be found anywhere else, to Live Science Experiences that make you the scientist—a visit to MSI is where fun and learning mix. Through its Center for the Advancement of Science Education (CASE), MSI offers a variety of student, teacher and family programs that make a difference in communities and contribute to the Museum’s larger vision: to inspire and motivate children to achieve their full potential in science, technology, medicine and engineering. Come visit and find your inspiration! MSI is open 9:30–4 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Extended hours, until 5:30 p.m., are offered during peak periods. The Museum is supported in part through the generosity of the people of Chicago through the Chicago Park District. For more information, find MSI online at msichicago.org or call (773) 684-1414 or (800) GO-TO-MSI outside of the Chicago area.

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