New exhibit Venture to Earth’s Spectacular Eco-zones opening May at the Grand Rapids Public Museum

Journey around the world at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) in the new exhibit Earth Explorers opening May 21, 2016! Organized around Earth’s eco-zones, Earth Explorers brings the unparalleled adventures of National Earth Explorers allows visitors to let their imaginations run wild as they become explorers and embark on an adventure to discover new species, study animal behavior and learn about the important roles technology, innovation and ingenuity play in making and documenting these discoveries.

Explore an arctic cabin and test your ability to live in an ice-covered world. Descend into the deep ocean in a 3-D submersible and explore how life forms at varying depths, even coming face-to- face with a great white shark. Identify incredible insects from the Amazon while learning the benefits of biodiversity. Ascend into the thin air of the Himalayas. Soar in a hot air balloon over the Savanna while learning about the life of elephants and other mammals.

“Earth Explorers gives our community a chance to visit places most are never able to go,” said Kate Moore, VP of Marketing and Public Relations. “This exhibit is highly interactive, allowing visitors to engage in the various eco-zones, making it a fun learning experience for all ages.”

National Geographic Earth Explorers, Science Center of Iowa. (Christopher Gannon/Gannon Visuals) — shot by Christopher Gannon on 9/25/13 in Des Moines, IA Shot for GES

Visitors will learn about the daring men and women who venture into dangerous and remote parts of the world to discover new places, help protect our planet’s biodiversity and unearth new scientific discoveries.

Admission to Earth Explorers will be included with general admission to the GRPM and is free to Museum members. For more information, please visit grpm.org/EarthExplorers.

Museum members have the chance to see this exhibit before the public! On Friday, May 20 from 4 to 8 p.m., embers can visit the GRPM to see Earth Explorers during a member only preview.

Earth Explorers is sponsored by Steve & Amy Van Andel Foundation, Meijer and WOOD TV8, David & Carol Van Andel Family Foundation, Ada Hospital for Animals, BDO USA, LLP, Cascade Engineering, Lacks Enterprises, Inc., Jim & Barb Haveman, Berends Hendricks Stuit, Kennari Consulting, David & Amy Leonard, Option 1 Credit Union and Switchback Gear Exchange.

CHILL: The Polar Regions

Experience life on ice in Earth’s extreme Polar Regions. Covered with icicles, battered by winds and harsh weather, an Arctic cabin invites hands-on discovery about surviving and thriving in the Polar Regions. Assemble the right mix of protein and carbohydrates in “What’s for Dinner?” Watch a polar bear pace outside a window and flip through the Explorer’s Notebook to learn first-hand survival strategies from photographer Paul Nicklen. Compare your own “thermogram” heat loss signature to a polar bear’s and test out how well different gloves protect your hands from the chill of an ice plate. Can you handle life under pressure? Find out in the Oceans eco-zone, where you’ll descend into the deep in a 3-D submersible. Mysteries of life under pressure and at great depths are revealed through stunning National Geographic videos. Learn the science behind submersibles and how life forms at varying depths. Get up close and personal with AIR JAWS, an 11-foot long sculpted great white shark—one of the ocean’s oldest and most misunderstood predators.

TREK: The Rain Forests

Hang out in a prep tent for fun, self-guided discovery about life in the tropical rain forests – the wet, wild and wonderful ecosystem that provides much of the air we breathe, safeguards Earth’s incredible biodiversity and may well hold the key to new life-saving remedies. Try your hand at identifying incredible insects from the Amazon and get “grossed out” with realistic creepy-crawlies while discovering the benefits of

CLIMB: Mountains and Caves

Descend closer to the Earth’s core and ascend to its highest peaks. Meet Carsten Peter, an explorer who takes on Earth’s most challenging caves to share photographs with the rest of the world. Then, ascend into the thin air of the Himalayas, but be careful, you might be caught by a camera trap, the same technology used by explorer Steve Winter to capture photos of the elusive snow leopard.

SOAR: The Savanna

Take a hot air balloon ride to witness “Life On the Move.” Through seamless video production, surround sound and other atmospheric effects, you’ll soon have the sensation of flying over a savanna where wild herds still roam. Next, put your animal tracking and migration mapping skills to the test, and meet explorers who document the incredible life cycles and stories of elephants and other endangered mammals of the savanna.

Earth Explorers is produced by Global Experience Specialists (GES) in partnership with National Geographic.