The New Frost Museum of Science

On Aug. 30, 2015, the Patricia and Philip Frost Museum of Science located at 3280 S. Miami Ave closed. The new Frost Science Museum is being built downtown now and promises to bring many new features in comparison to its predecessor. The museum will have many new exhibits that will make visitors’ experiences much more enjoyable and informative.

“[The building of the new museum] is amazing, and I really like the approach that [it] is taking to get people interested in science,” freshman Framil Diaz said.

The roof of the museum will provide both food and power to the building. There will be a garden on the rooftop that will produce fruits, vegetables and herbs that will be used in the cafeteria of the museum. A 4500-square foot, 66-kilowatt array of solar panels installed on the roof will be generating tons of power. Another component that people are very excited for is the new planetarium. The planetarium will have 8K full-dome projection and will be capable of rendering 16 million colors. The state of the art facility is tilted at 23.5 degrees – matching the tilt of the earth – and will have stadium style seating to provide a more immersive experience. These features will make visitors feel as if they were inside space, rather looking up into it.

“In our existing planetarium, we are able to show you the nightime sky . . . but we are bound to the view from within the solar system. With the new planetarium, we’re going to be able to literally fly you out . . . to the edge of the universe and then bring you back and then take you down into the subatomic world – down to to the atoms,” planetarium manager Mark Bennett said.

A 500 thousand-gallon aquarium that will hold all sorts of sea life from the gulf stream is being built. This will create an opportunity for local, national and international researchers to study the marine life up close. The main viewing window, or “the oculus,” is under the aquarium and will have 13-inch thick acrylic glass separating visitors from the water. However, visitors can also stroll around the top of tank to get a bird’s eye view.

The Living Core aquarium, immediately next to the gulf stream tank, will feature three levels: an outdoor vista, an indoor dive and an indoor deep level. These levels explore the habitats and science around different ecosystems in South Florida. At the deepest level, there will be clusters of flexible furniture elements and exhibits for a closer, more hands-on experience.

The new Patricia and Philip Frost Museum of Science is expected to open around summer 2016 next to the Perez Art Museum Miami in downtown Miami.