How Despicable Are You?

Enter to win a pair of tickets to the new Steve Carell film DESPICABLE ME! Take a sinister photo of yourself in front of the DESPICABLE ME display at the Detroit Science Center. Then post your photo on our Facebook page! Contest ends Friday, June 25 at 3 PM.

MEMBERS-ONLY Contest: Follow the yellow brick road to Facebook!

Follow the yellow brick road to the Detroit Science Center’s Facebook page for your chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience with our cultural attraction friend the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. See the cinema classic The Wizard of Oz like you have never before in an up-close and personal setting on a massive screen situated above the orchestra with the score played live by the DSO on June 19 at Orchestra Hall. Contest ends June 12. Open to members-only, this Facebook contest is one of many upcoming social media give-aways from the Detroit Science Center. Become our fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add MyDSC.org to your RSS feed so you don't miss out!

Enter to win a chance to see Gordon Lightfoot live in concert when you see Mysteries of the Great Lakes at the DSC

Enter to win a chance to see Gordon Lightfoot live in concert on Sun., June 13 at the Fox Theater when you see Mysteries of the Great Lakes at the Detroit Science Center!

About the film:
It takes a drop of water nearly 400 years to travel from the headwaters of Lake Superior to the edge of Lake Ontario. Along the way, the water passes by towering cliffs dotted with early Native American pictographs, caribou and moose grazing on the shores, over giant prehistoric sturgeon lurking among thousands of shipwrecks and past nearly 40 million people who live along the more than 10,000 miles of coastline. It is a dramatic journey through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Now, you can witness the Mysteries of the Great Lakes on the only screen large enough to reveal them – IMAX!

Click here for more info and Mysteries of the Great Lakes show times.

For more information about Gordon Light foot live in concert at the Fox Theatre click here.

Contest ends Sunday, June 6! Winners will be selected on Monday, June 7, 2010.

Win an IMAX field trip to the Detroit Science Center for your class!

The film Arabia recently made its world debut on Michigan’s largest IMAX® screen taking viewers deep into the heart of a precious land few outsiders will ever visit, a world cloaked in myth, mystery and misinformation. We now invite teachers to give their classes a deeper understanding of this most fascinating culture and way of life by registering to win a free field trip to Michigan’s largest science center.

The Detroit Science Center is giving schools the opportunity to ask questions and get answers about this distant land along with a chance to win a free field trip to see Arabia now showing in their Chrysler IMAX Dome Theatre. Explore what your students have to ask and e-mail questions to contest@sciencedetroit.org. We’ll draw and notify one random school on May 12 to receive an Explorer plus Theaters field trip for up to 30 students before the end of the school year. This field trip also includes a bus allowance of up to $400 with the Detroit Science Center’s transportation vendor (no cash value).

Film student and Arabia main character Hamzah Jamjoom will answer many of the questions asked by our area students and teachers here on our blog mydsc.org. Arabia will have your students riding the dunes with a camel caravan, diving into the treasure-laden Red Sea, exploring the ruins of a towering lost city, hurtling back into the Islamic golden age of invention, and joining the Hajj, where each year 2-3 million Muslims arrive in the holy city of Makkah to reaffirm their faith, creating the largest single human gathering on Earth.

Who is HAMZAH JAMJOOM?

Hamzah Jamjoom is a passionate young Saudi Arabian film student who returns to his home country in Arabia to take an eye-opening journey through its past and present. Born and raised in Jeddah, Hamzah came to the U.S. at the age of 17, accompanying his college-age sister. Now 25, and approaching the end of his own graduate film studies at Chicago’s DePaul University, his driving dream is to join a youthful generation of scientists, thinkers and innovators in Saudi Arabia who he believes will fulfill on the potential for a new Golden Age for his country

Click here to learn more about this IMAX® experience or download the Arabia educator guide from the programs area on our website

Contest time: Win tickets to IRON MAN 2!

The Detroit Science Center has teamed up with Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment to give you a chance to win a pair of passes to the advance screening of IRON MAN 2 on Tuesday, May 4th at the Emagine Theatre in Novi. Click here, answer IRON MAN 2 trivia questions and email your answers to ironman2moviescience@gmail.com for your chance to win.

Contest ends on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 12:59PM. Winners will be notified via email on Monday, May 3rd.

Congratulations to all of our Nickelodeon Presents StoryTime Live contest winners!

Congratulations to all of our Nickelodeon Presents StoryTime Live contest winners! This fun filled show will be running at the Fox Theatre Friday April 23 through Sunday April 25. More details here.

Here’s what our contest winners had to say about how they make story time come alive in their home by sharing with us their child’s favorite books by StoryTime Live characters:


K. Lount of Rochester, MI - My daughters' favorite books to read are Dora's Bedtime Wishes and Good Night, Dora! which are contained in the Dora's Bedtime Adventures book.

L. Myrick of Detroit, MI - My daughter Cianna loves Dora the Explorer. She especially loves when we read her favorite book, Dora and the Little Duck. Cianna received this book for her second birthday. The book is an interactive book, where Cianna can press the buttons and add sound effects to the story. Over the last year, Cianna has learned to “read” along and press the button that matches the picture on the page I am reading. We usually read this book every night.


J. Sparks of Metamora, MI - We have four children, ages 6, 9, 10 and 11. Our youngest, Bradley, still reads Nickelodeon, whereas the older ones simply like to watch the cartoons these days (they've moved on to chapter books). Bradley also has an April birthday and would love to celebrate with some of his closest friends at this event. His favorite Nickelodeon character is Diego the Explorer, but he also enjoys The Backyardigans.

T. Berry of Detroit, MI - My daughter, Kaili Berry’s favorite book is Dora the Explorer. She started reading Dora book at the age of 3 on her own.

Stay tuned to our blog, Facebook and Twitter pages for more contests soon!

Contest: Make StoryTime Come Alive!

The Detroit Science Center is giving away a family 4 pack to StoryTime Live at the Fox Theater playing Friday April 23 through Sunday April 25! We want to know what makes storytime come alive at your home! Tell us about your child’s favorite books by any of these StoryTime live characters; Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans, Wonder Pets or Ni Hao, Kai-lan! Photos of your child reading are welcome!

How to Enter
Email your entry to contest@sciencedetroit.org. All entries must include name, address, phone number and email address. Winners will be featured in the Detroit Science Center’s MYDSC blog on Tuesday, April 13.

Limit 1 prize per household. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 11, 2010. Winners will be contacted by 3 p.m. on Monday, April 12, 2010.

Take our survey to help the DSC and win prizes!

The Detroit Science Center in partnership with other museums across the country, is launching a study to find out what you expect and want from museums so that we can serve you even better.

Would you be willing to share about 8 minutes of your time to help us with this important survey? Our museum will greatly benefit from this study by having access to the overall results as well as the results from our visitors. We’ll be using the results to make our museum more interesting, relevant, and fun for you and your family.

In exchange, Reach Advisors, the audience research firm administering the survey, will be selecting some of the participants to win gifts ranging from museum memberships to gift certificates to Amazon.com. In addition, the Detroit Science Center will give one winner 4 passes to our SciQuest IMAX film festival on March 20-21. Includes tickets to all movies plus museum admission!

Your individual information will absolutely be kept confidential and will not be shared or used for any solicitations. To take the survey, click here!

If you have any problems with the survey, please feel free to e-mail Susie Wilkening, of Reach Advisors, at Susie@reachadvisors.com. She is happy to help you out. Thank you!

Take the DSC Domes of Detroit Challenge!

The Detroit Science Center is home to two of Detroit’s most famous domes – the Chrysler IMAX® Dome Theatre and the Dassault Systèmes Planetarium. But did you know there are more than a dozen famous domes around Detroit?

Take the DSC Domes of Detroit Challenge for your chance to win FREE museum admission, including the IMAX® and planetarium, for an entire year!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Download and print the Domes of Detroit contest entry form. Match the pictures of the various domes to the names provided.

2. Bring your completed form to the Detroit Science Center between Feb.1- 12, 2010. (You can also find the forms at detroitsciencecenter.org)

3. Guess all 10 domes correctly and you will receive one free admission to the Detroit Science Center (including the IMAX® and planetarium). Offer expires Feb. 12, 2010. Cannot be combined with any other offers. No cash value.

4. All contest forms will be entered into a drawing to win a grand prize of FREE Museum admission for a year (IMAX® and planetarium included). Please include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address with your entry. One grand prize winner will be selected and announced on Feb. 15, 2010.

Good luck!

Introducing our Elmo's Green Thumb Grand Prize Winners!

Thanks to everybody who entered our "Going Green for Elmo" contest! Though we had quite a few entries, here's the entries of the grand prize winners! Congrats to Kelsey and Reilly - you'll have a blast at Elmo's Green Thumb!


Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle: The Tales of a Toddler Saving Our Earth
We are teaching Kelsey, our 2 ½ year old toddler the importance of saving our earth, because we want it to be around forever!
We REDUCE yucky stuff going to landfills by using rechargeable batteries. Kelsey knows how to load them up, but only adults plug them in!
We REUSE envelopes and papers from old mail as drawing paper, stained clothing as rags, old burp clothes as napkins, and water from her swimming pool to water our flowers and tomato garden she and her Daddy planted last summer.
We RECYCLE with Kelsey by allowing her to place paper, plastics, glass jars, and cardboard into the recycle bin. She loves to sing a song she created called, “Pick It Up, Clean It Up” as she completes her tasks. Lastly, she donates old toys, sippys, and clothing to friends, family, or others who need it. A family that conserves together plays together!


I use my Green Thumb like Elmo
My name is Reilly and I live in Detroit, Michigan. I love to play outside. I watch the ladybugs and ants. Daddy helps me plant the flowers when it is warm. We water them unless it rains. The flowers are little, then get big, like me. The colors are pretty. The bees are stingy. The butterfly likes the flower. Mommy says butterflies kiss the flower to make them grow. When it is cold the flowers go away. I will help Elmo with his flowers. I know how to give them water so they can grow!

Click here for more information or to buy tickets!

Win tickets to see Elmo’s Green Thumb at the Fox Theater!

Elmo's Green Thumb is showing at the Fox Theater January 29-February 15 and the Detroit Science Center is giving away tickets! Want to win? Show us how your family is going green!

Are you reducing your carbon footprint, bicycling instead of driving or teaching your children how to recycle garbage? Tell us what you’re doing to help your child go green and enter to win a chance for your family to see Elmo’s Green Thumb at the Fox Theater! So, reduce, reuse, and recycle and show us how you go green! There are two ways you can enter to win!

• Write up to a 150 word summary of how you teach your children to go green and drop off your entry along with a photo at the Detroit Science Center or e-mail it to contest@sciencedetroit.org. All entries must include name, address, phone number and email address.

• Tiny tots can win big too! Visit Kids Town during regular business hours and let your tiny tot color a photo of Elmo for a chance to win a family four pack.

Limit 1 prize per household. Entries must be submitted no later than January 25 by 12 p.m. Winners will be contacted by 4 p.m. on January 25.

First Prize: Second row seats to Elmo’s Green Thumb on Sunday, January 31 at 5:30 p.m.

Second Prize: Third row seats to Elmo’s Green Thumb on Sunday, January 31 at 5:30p.m.

Third Prize: Win a family four pack for general seating at any Elmo’s Green Thumb stage show from January 29-February 15

For more information or to buy tickets, click here!

Nominate a Geek of the Week!

The Detroit Science Center is looking for children and adults with a passion for engineering, science and/or technology to highlight here in our new blog, My DSC. If you (or someone that you know) loves logarithms, jumps for gyroscopes, is moved by math or is terrifically techie, we want to know! We will feature a new “geek” in our blog each week.

Of course we mean “geek” in the GOOD way because at the DSC, we're geeked about Science! For your nomination, send us a short paragraph describing what gets your nominee geeked about science, along with a photo*. We suggest one taken at the DSC, or a pic that displays your nominee in their geeky glory if possible.

Please include age and city, as well as an email address and phone number. Feel free to nominate yourself or somebody else! Featured Geeks will receive free IMAX® passes and the right to brag about being in our blog! Email us at membership@sciencedetroit.org to be Geek of the Week!

*By submitting a photo you are agreeing to give the DSC the right to post and use the photo promotionally in any manner the DSC deems appropriate and that you are the sole originator and owner of the photo and any copyright related thereto and that no third party has any rights to the photo.

Parents' Pick 2009: vote for the DSC!

Nickelodeon's excellent Parents' Connect site is hosting its yearly Parent's Pick Awards, and we're asking for your vote for Best Museum! The Parents' Picks Awards is the only awards program that lets parents (like you!) vote on the best family-friendly resources in their community - everything from Best Dentists and Best Family Restaurants to Best Playgrounds and Parks - in 52 cities across the U.S. You can vote once a day from now until 15th. Click here to vote!

Win a DSC Premium Membership and Prize Pack!

Video your visit to Michigan’s largest science center this summer and you might win a premium Detroit Science Center membership and prize pack. E-mail a video*, two minutes or less showing how you had fun, with "GET GEEKED VIDEO" in the subject line to contest@sciencedetroit.org. Looking for video ideas? Check out the science center on Yelp for inspiration. Videos must be submitted by July 31st, 2009.

Visit detroitsciencecenter.org Aug. 7- Sept. 4, 2009 to vote for your favorite from the top 5 videos!

"Get Geeked Video contest" is sponsored in part by our friends at Yelp: The fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what's great - and not so great - in your area.

*Please note that video taping is not permitted in the Star Trek exhibition or in the Science Center's theaters.