Liberty Science Center's "LSC in the House" Provides Fun, Interactive Virtual Content During COVID-19 Closure

JERSEY CITY, N.J., April 30, 2020 – Despite the facility being closed to the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Liberty Science Center is still open for children, educators, students, adults and families to avail themselves virtually of its array of interactive, fun and engaging science-related content. Indeed, its LSC in the House initiative offers such diverse programming as science experiments that can be done at home, live visits with the Center’s unique animal collection, and interactive science trivia. LSC educators also present live planetarium shows and medical-focused programs inspired by the Center’s flagship Live From Surgery program which offers an insider's-view of an operating room in action.

“Today’s scientists and healthcare professionals are the heroes on the front line of the fight to defeat the coronavirus,” said Paul Hoffman, President and CEO of Liberty Science Center. “But the world needs more scientists, innovators, and problem-solvers to ensure that we win future fights. LSC’s mission—to inspire and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers—is more urgent than ever. These are the kids who will one day cure diseases, study Earth’s changing climate, create lifechanging technologies, and so much more. And that’s why our virtual programming is so important right now.”

As part of LSC in the House, the Science Center’s educators are streaming live each weekday via the Center’s Facebook page. Moreover, LSC continues to work directly with schools to provide curriculum aligned virtual programs for students, as well as online professional development for teachers.

LSC in the House Facebook Live Highlights

Every Monday at 11:30 am, young learners can enjoy LSC Junior sessions featuring age-appropriate science lessons and easy-to-follow experiments that can be done at home. Often led by Mr. Kengo, a popular LSC educator with the under 6 set, LSC Junior sessions are geared toward kids in PreK through second grade.

Each Tuesday at 1:00 pm, the Live From Surgery team delivers programs inspired by the popular medical-based experience which allows guests to peek inside the operating room to see real procedures in intricate detail. Presentations include organ transplants, animal dissections, and interviews with professionals working in the medical field. Upcoming sessions will educate viewers on 3D prosthetics and feature a sheep’s heart dissection.

Liberty Science Center may be temporarily closed, but there are still over 100 species to care for! Every Wednesday at 11:00 am, LSC’s Animal Update invites viewers to join an LSC team member and visit the cotton-top tamarins, naked mole rats, degus, black spot piranhas, and the rest of the animal ambassadors who call LSC home.

Planetarium Online happens every Thursday at 1:00 pm, when LSC in the House offers awe-inspiring live shows under the aegis of the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, the largest in the Western Hemisphere. These amazing programs include tours of the evening sky, explorations of black holes, and interstellar trips to exoplanets. Virtual guests on May 7 will be treated to a look at the controversial former planet, Pluto.

Science Trivia invites trivia lovers across the region to compete against one another in a variety of science-related topics including space, animals, health, science-centric pop culture, and beyond! General science trivia for adults happens Thursdays at 6:00 pm, with a family-friendly version taking place Fridays at 11:30 am.

LSC in the House is available anytime on the Center’s website. Visitors can check out a digital version of LSC’s popular Bees to Bots exhibition, get a 360-degree view of the famed naked mole rats, conduct experiments at home using common household materials, find inspirational video profiles of acclaimed scientists, and stream full-length educational films.

The LSC in the House initiative is made possible through the generous support of LSC Members and supporters of the LSC Sustainability Fund. New content is added to LSC in the House daily and live streams happen every weekday on LSC’s Facebook page. Please visit lsc.org/lscinthehouse for more information.

About Liberty Science Center
Liberty Science Center (LSC.org) is a 300,000-square-foot not-for-profit learning center located in Liberty State Park on the Jersey City bank of the Hudson near the Statue of Liberty. Dedicated to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers and bringing the power, promise, and pure fun of science and technology to learners of all ages, Liberty Science Center houses the largest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, 12 museum exhibition halls, a live animal collection with 110 species, giant aquariums, a 3D theater, live simulcast surgeries, a tornado-force wind simulator, K-12 classrooms and labs, and teacher-development programs. More than 250,000 students visit the Science Center each year, and tens of thousands more participate in the Center’s off-site and online programs. Welcoming more than 750,000 visitors annually, LSC is the largest interactive science center in the NYC-NJ metropolitan area.