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SAN MATEO, June 21, 2023–Beginning June 24, visitors to San Mateo’s CuriOdyssey will be able to take in a whole new perspective at ViewPoint, the science museum and zoo’s largest year-round exhibition to date.

Designed and produced by CuriOdyssey’s in-house exhibition development team, the 15 different hands-on experiences in ViewPoint will give visitors a chance to explore, observe, and play with their immediate surroundings in a unique setting overlooking the San Francisco Bay. “We hope that the exhibition will leave people with a new sense of place and renewed curiosity about the world around them,” said Eric Maschwitz, CuriOdyssey’s Director of Exhibits.  “We’re really excited to have visitors think about the natural phenomena in and around Coyote Point, as well as the greater Bay Area, by interacting with these new exhibits.”

One such exhibit is Data Window, where real-time flight data shows both the flights to and from nearby San Francisco Airport and the wind data that influences how the planes take off and land. From the exhibition’s vantage point at the edge of Coyote Point park, it is possible to watch the planes from the window as you simultaneously track them on Data Window’s screen. The pair of Undulations exhibits also examines the interaction between nature and manmade objects. In one exhibit, liquid simulates the slow roll of ocean waves onto an uninterrupted beach. In contrast, the other exhibit shows the waves hitting a sea wall built up on the simulated shore.

ViewPoint is installed in CuriOdyssey’s new Bay Gallery, the first building to be added to the science center’s campus in over 40 years. Adjoining the Bay Gallery, two flexible Student Labs provide state-of-the-art learning spaces where classes, camps, and workshops will engage kids year-round. On select evenings and weekends, the building will be available for private event rentals such as birthday parties, weddings, or corporate events.

The completion of the Bay Gallery & Labs closes out the first phase of CuriOdyssey’s campus expansion project, following the launch of the Whooosh! Science-in-Action Playground in November 2021. The Bay Gallery & Labs cost approximately $7M to build and were funded through private donations and by a grant from San Mateo County. The next phase of the campus expansion is slated to improve CuriOdyssey’s North American River Otter habitat, long a favorite amongst visitors.

Access to ViewPoint and the Bay Gallery are included with the cost of admission to CuriOdyssey. More information and tickets for the exhibition can be found at curiodyssey.org/viewpoint