Art, Science to Meet at Museum Festival

Many think of art and science as mutually exclusive. The Art and Science Summer Festival at the California Museum of Science and Industry in Exposition Park, however, explores their common ground.

The festival, which runs through Sept. 4, examines this commonality in exhibits including large-scale sculpture and computer graphics by artist Kenneth Snelson and stage and music performances. A musical exhibit complete with a walk-on keyboard similar to the one in the movie “Big” allows visitors to experiment with musical concepts such as pattern, harmonics, resonance and pitch.

In conjunction with the exhibits, a varied schedule of lectures, presentations and other activities are planned. Call (213) 744-7400.

PALEONTOLOGY

The annual summer excavation of Pit 91 at the La Brea Tar Pits near the George C. Page Museum is under way and open to public viewing Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Sept. 3. Tours of the grounds begin at 1 p.m. Call (213) 936-2230.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

Children can learn lifesaving procedures and practice on a CPR doll in a “Junior CPR” program at the Children’s Museum at La Habra on Aug. 12 at noon. The program complements the “Kid’s Clinic” exhibit where children can also pretend to be doctors, dentists, nurses and patients. Call (213) 905-9793.

Kidspace Museum in Pasadena is sponsoring hands-on workshops for youngsters to learn about the animals and plants of the nearby foothills. Raccoons, bobcats and rattlesnakes are some of the local denizens children will discover, along with edible plants. The animal workshops will be held Aug. 8 to 11 at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.; the plant workshops are scheduled for Aug. 12 and 13 at 1:30 p.m. Call (818) 449-9144.

Budding space travelers can get a head start on the space program in the “Young Astronaut Program” at the California Museum of Science and Industry. Children in grades 3-9 will study astronomy, mathematics and engineering and make and launch their own model rockets in the hands-on program on Aug. 13 and Aug. 27. Call (213) 744-2049.

ZOOLOGY

Adventure Island at the Los Angeles Zoo will be the setting for a UCLA Extension class for teachers of elementary school children on Aug. 11 and 12 and Aug. 25 and 26. Teachers participating in either of the two-day workshops will learn about plants and animals of the Southwestern United States, conservation issues and how to present this information to students. Call (213) 825-4191.

ASTRONOMY

A total eclipse of the moon will occur in the early evening hours of Aug. 16. When the moon rises at 7:35 p.m., it will already be in total eclipse. Totality will end at 8:56 p.m. The Griffith Observatory will be open for this event, and members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society will have telescopes set up for free public viewing. Call (213) 664-1191.

The telescopes at Moorpark College’s Charles Temple Observatory will also be trained on the lunar eclipse in a special summer show on Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. On Aug. 11 at 8:30 p.m., the college observatory will present a slide program entitled “The Perseid Meteor Shower, the Moon and the Planet Saturn.” The evening will end with participants viewing the Perseid meteor shower, which will occur for several days around Aug. 12. Call (805) 378-1408.