By Julia Crooijmans, news correspondent
Thousands of college students gathered at the Museum of Science Sep. 22 for its annual College Night, a public event where students are invited to explore and engage with exhibitions, programs and presentations related to science, technology, engineering and math.
The event allowed students to enjoy free admission into the museum, and the opportunity to visit the Omni Theater, 4-D Theater, Planetarium and Butterfly Garden at reduced prices.
“Unfortunately, we don’t typically offer college pricing at the moment or free admission like other museums do,” said Ryan Thomas, a member of the museum’s marketing team. “So this is our big draw at the museum, to let college students in, experience it and show them a side of the museum that they don’t always see.”
Grace Dobbs, a fourth-year health science major, said the free admission and reduced rates made this event attractive.
“[Students] don’t come here as often as we like, because it is expensive,” Dobbs said. “If there is an event where I can get in for free, I’ll go.”
College Night also gives students who are new to Boston the chance to begin exploring the many attractions the city has to offer. Kate Rupar, a first-year computer science major, said she was new to the city, so she came with friends to see what the Museum of Science had to offer.
“It is my first time living [in Boston], so I thought it would be good to go [to College Night] and see the Museum of Science with my friends,” Rupar said. “We got to see the porcupine and we learned that it doesn’t shoot quills.”
Member of the museum’s marketing team, Chelsea Alexander, said College Night draws many more students to the museum.
“Maybe they came here when they were younger and they wonder what the museum has for them now,” said Alexander. “It is a great opportunity to bring them here and let them discover the resources we provide and the event we are holding.”
This year, the museum’s marketing team invited its visitors to take a closer look at its new permanent exhibit “Wicked Smart: Invented in the Hub,” a collection of innovations developed and tested in Greater Boston. Local projects, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Cheetah 2 robot, 3-D Printed Glass and tiny pollinating RoboBees, highlighted the city’s innovative nature.
According to the museum’s marketing team, “Wicked Smart,” the Planetarium’s “Music Under the Dome,” and the “Lightning! Show” were some of the most popular presentations throughout the night.
“One of my hobbies is music and the Theater of Electricity (“Lightning! Show”) was really interesting,” said Khalid Hasi, a first-year computer science major. “The way they made music with sparks — I never thought about it that way before.”
For students returning to the museum, like Dobbs, it was pleasant to appreciate the newer exhibits and revisit the old ones.
“I just forget how big [the Museum of Science] is,” Dobbs said. “I forget about what is here and then I come back and I discover the green wing all over again. I don’t ever usually make it in there. Being an engineer, I kind of just stick in the blue wing, it’s got all the technology.”
With over 700 exhibits, the Museum of Science left students with plenty to see after College Night, and James R. Preiss, the museum’s marketing manager, said he hopes that many of the students who attended will return in the future.
“You can spend four hours in this place and still not see everything,” Preiss said.
Preiss said to look out for “Gridiron Glory,” a temporary exhibit coming out Oct. 8. The exhibit promises to showcase artifacts from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the New England Patriots.
