Now Open: "Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause"

MOSI recently opened its newest exhibit, Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause. This exhibit created by the Drug Enforcement Administration has been seen by over 20 million people since it first opened in 2002 and started its national tour.

The exhibit’s main goal is to educate visitors on the dark side of drugs and their impact on the human body, families and on the world as a whole. The exhibit has also been expanded to educate visitors on Florida’s history as a drug gateway and local drug issues such as “pill mills.” As visitors enter the exhibit, the grim wreckage of a drug-related car crash greets them and immediately shows the damage drugs can cause to users and innocent bystanders. To the right of the crash wreckage is the section of the exhibit detailing the various ways drugs will damage the bodies of addicts.



Throughout the exhibit, visitors can view informative displays on topics ranging from drug production to money trafficking as well as re-creations of an Afghan heroin “factory,” a jungle cocaine lab and a methamphetamine motel cook room.




The damage to the environment caused by drugs is also featured in a section of the display which details the destruction left by drug production across the globe.



One of the most emotional sections of the Target America exhibit includes a wall of lost talent and two thick binders filled with stories of the casualties of drug use. Here, photos of celebrities and average people remind visitors that the danger of drugs does not discriminate.




The final section of the exhibit has been tailored to feature Florida’s unique history and role in the war on drugs. Displays here include a quiz game on Florida’s role as a drug gateway to the United States, a display on the warning signs of a pill mill and a replica of a police surveillance operation for a drug bust.



The Target America exhibit opened at MOSI on September 16th and will be open until September 3, 2012. This run will be the longest the exhibit has stayed at one location and serves as a reminder of Florida’s importance to the war on drugs. Previous stops for the exhibit have included: the Louisiana State Museum, the California Science Center and the Museum of Science & Industry of Chicago.

Click here for more information on Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause. For ticket information please call MOSI at (813) 987-6000.

Our Favorite Things: Big Dipper

On the third floor of the main MOSI building, just to the right of the High Wire Bike there are seven small white balls that hang from the ceiling. When viewed from near the elevator or the balcony where you can enter Science Works Theater, this group of white globes goes mostly unnoticed and does not contain a familiar shape. Interestingly, this collection of orbs has a unique history at MOSI, which makes it one of our favorite things.

In 1995 MOSI opened its doors and contained exhibits on Florida, health and space. The 3rd floor space exhibit eventually became timeworn and the information out-dated so it was removed in 2010 to make way for our new high-tech health exhibit called The Amazing You. Portions of the exhibit, like a model Apollo capsule were relocated to other parts of the museum and the outdated pieces of the exhibit were scrapped. This cluster of suspended globes is the last exhibit remaining in place from our selection of space science exhibits.

When viewed straight on from just to the right of the High Wire Bike, these orbs resolve into the familiar shape of the well known constellation the Big Dipper. These seven orbs represent the stars in the constellation and their relative distance to Earth:

Star	Magnitude	Distance (L yrs)
Dubhe	1.8	124
Merak	2.4	79
Phecda	2.4	84
Megrez	3.3	81
Alioth	1.8	81
Mizar	2.1	78
Alkaid	1.9	101

When viewed straight on from the 3rd floor, the shape of the Big Dipper is the same as it appears in our night sky, viewed straight on from earth. A walk down the balcony beside Science Works Theater shows us the distance of the stars from one another, especially the star Dubhe which is quite distant from many of the stars in the constellation. Also known as The Great Bear or Ursa Major this constellation has been referenced throughout history including in the Bible as “the seven stars” (Amos 5.8) and in Homer’s Iliad as “the Bear”.

Although there are no longer signs to reference this display, the stars remain in place and are a great talking point for MOSI interactors and a great bit of trivia for our members and guests. The Big Dipper display was the first permanent exhibit installed at MOSI and is the favorite exhibit of long-time MOSI staffer Brian Albury.

Brian is the Director of Facility Operations and Information Technology for MOSI and has been with the museum for 16 years.