{"id":356719,"date":"2026-09-25T14:24:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T14:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/356719\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T14:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T14:24:17","slug":"immerse-yourself-in-climate-week-nyc-at-new-york-hall-of-science-in-queens-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/356719\/","title":{"rendered":"Immerse yourself in Climate Week NYC at New York Hall of Science in Queens \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) is diving headfirst into Climate Week NYC with several hands-on activities aimed at educating visitors about the effects of climate change and, more importantly, ways they can work together to prevent it.<\/p>\n

The science center, located within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Corona<\/a>, is hosting a Queens Climate Expo with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards today from 2-5 p.m., culminating the week of activities with family-friendly workshops and encounters with creatures from the Alley Pond Environmental Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Guests can RSVP for the event here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The expo marks five years since Hurricane Ida ravaged NYSCI and its neighboring communities. The historic storm brought more than one million gallons of water into the science center from overflowing sewage drains, forcing it to close for nearly a year.<\/p>\n

\"\"Students learn about sewage systems at one of the City Works exhibits.Bowery Image Group\/Courtesy of NYSCI<\/p>\n

Throughout the week, NYSCI hosted interactive learning exhibits focused on the everyday impacts of climate change, inviting participants to share their own first-hand experiences with ongoing issues their communities face, such as flooding and power outages.<\/p>\n

Through experiments and critical-thinking activities, NYSCI explored the science behind why extreme weather is becoming more common, whether it be Earth\u2019s temperature rising, its atmosphere eroding from pollutants or extensive deforestation that destroys 10 million hectares \u2014 25 million acres \u2014 of forests per year.<\/p>\n

Michaela Labriole, senior director of strategic education initiatives at NYSCI, said the center has used its resources to approach climate change for over 15 years. She said it\u2019s important NYSCI play an educational role in these critical issues to work toward solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, more than ever, museums are being seen as spaces that generate conversation,\u201d Labriole said. \u201cThere\u2019s such intentionality with how these topics are being presented.\u201d<\/p>\n

NYSCI partners with many city agencies and universities to create its exhibits, including the departments of environmental protection, sanitation, and parks and recreation. In-house designers then work to develop technology for the exhibits to ensure it aligns with the NYSCI experience.<\/p>\n

City Works, one of the science center\u2019s interactive exhibits, shows visitors how different parts of the city \u2014 many that residents don\u2019t often think about \u2014 operate behind-the-scenes. This includes transportation, water, sanitation, construction and urban development.<\/p>\n

Visitors learn how everyday activities, such as doing laundry or taking a shower, can overload underground water passages that cause flooding during heavy rainfall, or how different types of buildings and facilities strain the power grid.<\/p>\n

\"\"The combined sewer exhibit shows visitors what happens underground when the sewage system is overloaded.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

They can even design their own cities and parks, receiving feedback in real time about how their choices impact energy efficiency, water drainage and carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

\"\"Kids learn about integrated systems by designing their own city.Bowery Image Group\/Courtesy of NYSCI
\n\"\"Some of the interactive pieces included in the integrated systems exhibit.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

\u201cI love that City Works invites people to imagine the world they want to live in,\u201d Labriole said. \u201cThat\u2019s how action happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visitors can also view an interactive map to see how global warming is affecting sea levels, as well as where scientists are predicting high tides and coastal flooding will occur in parts of NYC and Long Island decades down the line.<\/p>\n

\"\"Visitors tinker with an interactive flood map.Bowery Image Group\/Courtesy of NYSCI
\n\"\"Predicted tide levels in 2060 based on current climate projections.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

NYSCI\u2019s Connected Worlds exhibit immerses visitors in four different ecosystems \u2014 desert, river valley, jungle and swamplands \u2014 displayed on 14-foot tall interactive screens. Visitors can use hand movements to control plant growth and animal life, demonstrating how different actions can either disrupt or balance water levels.<\/p>\n

The exhibit, which simulates real water systems, was created as a joint effort between scientists and design firm Design I\/O.
\n\"\"Connected Worlds exhibit at NYSCI.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo
\n\"\"Visitors interact with the Connected Worlds screens.Bowery Image Group\/Courtesy of NYSCI\n<\/p>\n

Armin Haque, an explainer at Connected Worlds, said that the goal of the activity is to allow kids to play \u201cMother Nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to put kids in a space where they normally don\u2019t have control and show them how they actually have a hand in ecosystems,\u201d Haque said. \u201cThe big idea is cause and effect, maintaining balance and having them understand their role in it\u2026 The older the kids get, the more we can talk about climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibit can also be programmed to different modes, modeling the impacts of flooding and droughts on each ecosystem.\n<\/p>\n

Last, the center\u2019s Design Lab hosts craft-making exercises with climate-related prompts designed to spark critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
\n\"\"Entrance to the NYSCI Design Lab.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo\n<\/p>\n

Visitors will have the opportunity to tell shadow stories about ecosystems, construct natural disaster-resistant structures, experiment with city planning using feedback from an AI model, and find creative ways to recycle and dispose of waste using everyday objects.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives you a chance to work with things you\u2019re familiar with, and some things you\u2019re not,\u201d Labriole explained. \u201cIt really makes you think.\u201d
\n\"\"Instructions for the Clean It Up workshop in the Design Lab.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo
\n\"\"A visitor uses everyday objects to design a tool to pick up garden waste.Bowery Image Group\/Courtesy of NYSCI\n<\/p>\n

NYSCI leadership explained that the science center is intent on presenting visitors with the facts, opening the space for discussion and questions rather than imposing an agenda. The center instead uses its space to host other organizations that specifically advocate for environmental justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe act as a convener,\u201d Labriole explained. \u201cNYSCI is a trusted space, but it\u2019s also playful. We can be having a hard conversation, like what we want to do about traffic. But when you\u2019re here, it takes the temperature of the conversation down.\u201d<\/p>\n

By acting as a venue for expos, such as today\u2019s Queens Climate Expo, the science center provides resources to support informed conversations about the state of the environment and how policy can impact its future.<\/p>\n

\"\"Visitors create shadow stories about ecosystems.Bowery Image Group\/Courtesy of NYSCI<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we\u2019re talking about a sensitive topic through the lens of education without an outside agenda, there\u2019s hope,\u201d said Delia Meza, director of family learning at NYSCI. \u201cThat\u2019s why working with community organizations is so significant to community members.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meza explained that NYSCI\u2019s approach is all about lived experience, which gives visitors control over the conversation. It also gives agency to those whose voices are not always included or heard in conversations about climate change \u2014 especially those in neighborhoods that most feel its impacts such as Corona, Flushing, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst.<\/p>\n

\"\"More visitors create shadow stories.Bowery Image Group\/Courtesy of NYSCI<\/p>\n

Through the NYC DEP Cloudburst Hub project, Meza has brought together members of the center\u2019s Family Advisory Committee \u2014 composed of parents and caregivers from the local community \u2014 to share their thoughts on what they feel the city needs to address in their neighborhoods.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the community that lives in and around NYSCI hasn\u2019t been brought into the conversation about why this is happening,\u201d Meza said. \u201cThe conversations I\u2019ve been hearing are about destruction happening on a much more frequent basis and the aftermath. But now we\u2019re in a place where we can bring more understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

NYSCI said it welcomes visitors of all ages to join the conversation and be a part of the Queens Climate Expo, and it will continue Climate Week activities through Sunday.<\/p>\n

For more information about the science center, visit NYSCI.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) is diving headfirst into Climate Week NYC with several hands-on activities…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-356719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}