Chemical Education Today
ACS National Meeting
Exploring Chicago by Paul S. Cohen and Brenda H. Cohen
Chicago, the most central and accessible city in North America, is the headquarters for the August 2001 convention. The weather in this city is known for its frequent changes, but it is likely to be hot and humid in the summer, although breezes off Lake Michigan make the city more comfortable. These breezes, however, did not give rise to Chicago’s nickname. In 1893 long-winded politicians boasted interminably about the Colombian Exposition in Chicago, so Charles Dana, editor of the New York Sun, dubbed Chicago “The Windy City”. Because Chicago is laid out in grid fashion, with most streets going either north–south or east–west, it is easy to find your way around. The McCormick Place Convention Center is located along Lake Michigan and just southeast of the business district and the famous Loop el-train (elevated tracks circling the heart of the city). In addition to the ACS convention bus, the city has good public transportation. The city has plenty to entertain: 29 miles of waterfront for those with a lust for sun and fun; science, art, theater, and music for those from 4 to 104; good food and shopping; and the ACS meeting too. Grant Park A short distance north of the Convention Center, Grant Park, like many Chicago parks, contains several museums. Among them is a superb science complex with three separate, top-flight science museums, the Field Museum, the John G. Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium. There are also free evening concerts at the Grant Park band shell.
Field Museum The Field Museum is a large science and anthropology museum of extraordinary quality. The wide range of exhibits include the Hopi people of Arizona, animals of Africa, Gems, Inside Egypt, and one of its newer exhibits, “Sue”, the world’s biggest and most complete T. rex dinosaur. When the famous taxidermist Carl Akeley worked at the Milwaukee Public Museum he invented the “diorama”. He went on to work at the Field Museum from 1896 to 1909. His work still forms the core of this fine collection, one of the most complete zoological collections in the world. Basic Information: The Field Museum, 1400 Lake Shore Drive, 60605; telephone: 312/ 992-9410; WWW: www.fieldmuseum.org. John G. Shedd Aquarium The John G. Shedd Aquarium is a premier aquarium, displaying more than 8,000 sea and freshwater species from around the world. One of the highlights in the main aquarium Find information about Chicago at http://www.chicago.il.org/
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Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park is one of Chicago’s most endearing landmarks. It is classified as one of the world’s largest decorative fountains and runs daily from May 1 to October 1, complete with colored water and light displays. Photo credit—Ron Schramm
building is the 90,000-gallon Coral Reef Exhibit with more than 350 tropical Caribbean reef fish in a naturalistic habitat that cycles from day to night to show fish behavior during different lighting conditions. Special programs this summer will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the extensive Oceanarium wing, where you will find whales, otters, seals, dolphins, and penguins. Basic Information: The John G. Shedd Aquarium 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive, 60605; telephone: 1-800/972-7000; WWW: www.sheddnet.org.
Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum The third site is the Adler Planetarium, built in 1930, the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. It features planetarium shows projected by the Zeiss projector Adler purchased in 1930 and programs in the StarRider Theater. Exhibits display pieces from a collection of more than 2,000 antique astronomical instruments, including an original telescope used by Sir William Herschel and his sister Caroline, who together discovered the planet Uranus in 1781. Just outside the entrance to the planetarium is a Henry Moore sculpture, a working sundial that commemorates the pioneering astronomical work of Nikolaj Kopernik (Copernicus). Basic Information: Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, 60605; telephone: 312/922-7827; WWW: www.adlerplanetarium.org. Hyde Park The University of Chicago began in 1892, about 35 blocks south of the present McCormick Place. Hyde Park grew up around it, looking much like a New England town.
Museum of Science and Industry Along Lake Michigan near Hyde Park stands an extensive discovery center know as the Museum of Science and Industry. It is filled with a potpourri of interactive science and technology displays in 75 exhibit halls on 15 acres. Among the popular exhibits are the 3000-square-foot model railroad with 1200 feet of track, a working reproduction of a coal mine, a walk-through heart, animated industrial gears,
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 78 No. 8 August 2001 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Chemical Education Today
ACS National Meeting a chick hatchery, and a human exploration in outer space exhibit featuring historic artifacts including an Apollo 8 spacecraft and a LEM along with an interactive ride aboard a space shuttle. Basic Information: The Museum of Science and Industry, 57th and Lake Shore Drive, 60637; telephone: 773/ 684-1414, 1-800/GO TO MSI; WWW: www.msichicago.org. Garfield Park Conservatory About a mile west of the Loop section of the city is the Garfield Park Conservatory built in 1907. The two-acre site houses the largest horticultural collection under glass in the world and contains more than 5,000 species. The circular walk through the conservatory brings you first to the Palm House, which features a rare double coconut palm. Seasonal specialties are displayed in the Show House, while popular house plants are in the Aroid House. The recently redesigned Children’s Garden has interactive explanations of how plants function. The next galleries are the Desert House, the Warm House, and the central Fern House. Basic Information: Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave. 60624; telephone: 312/746-5100; WWW: www.garfield-conservatory. org. There is a free shuttle trolley from Omni and Hilton Towers Hotels. Feet First Museum The Feet First Museum is part of the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, and is located a few blocks south of Lincoln Park. Two galleries make up the museum. The first is devoted to the foot, with exhibits on the structure of the foot and how it operates. Interactive exhibits allow visitors to explore how the brain and foot coordinate and to learn about various types of surgical procedures. The fluoroscope, an X-ray instrument for examining the interior of the foot, popular up to the 1950s, is on display. In the second gallery is a re-creation of a 1930s foot-care products shop. Basic Information: Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, 1001 N. Dearborn St. 60610; telephone: 1-800/8433059; WWW: www.scholl.edu. Lincoln Park Continuing about a mile north of The Loop you come to Lincoln Park, a large green zone bounded on the east by the lake and on the other three sides by homes and businesses.
Lincoln Park Zoo Moving from south to north, we first come to the Lincoln Park Zoo, a world-class facility that opened in 1868. It houses 1,000 species of animals from around the world, including African elephants, birds, small and large mammals, reptiles, and primates. Highlights are the children’s zoo, the sea lion pool, and a 5-acre re-creation of a working Illinois farm. Basic Information: Lincoln Park Zoo, 2200 N. Cannon Dr. 60614; telephone: 312/742-2300; WWW: www.lpzoo.com.
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Chicago, the birthplace of the modern building, is home to three of the world’s tallest buildings, including the Sears Tower, the John Hancock Center, and the Amoco building. From the 94th floor of the Hancock Observatory, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin are visible. Photo credit—Vito Palmisano
Lincoln Park Conservatory This conservatory is famous for its 19th century Palm House complete with a fiddle leaf rubber tree that is more than 100 years old, a Fernery, an Orchard House growing more than 20,000 species, and a seasonal Show House. Basic Information: Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2400 N. Stockton Dr. 60614; telephone: 312/742-7737. The Peggy Notebaert Nature Musueum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences Although the Chicago Academy of Sciences opened in a new nature center in the park in 1999, it is the oldest museum in Chicago (founded in 1857). It specializes in the ecology and natural history of the Midwest, from the Great Lakes to the prairie, using rare samples from its collections of the flora and fauna of the Chicago area gathered before the region was industrialized. Basic Information: Chicago Academy of Sciences, 2430 N. Cannon Dr. 60614; telephone: 773/755-5100; WWW: www.chias.org. International Museum of Surgical Science Just north of Lincoln Park is the International Museum of Surgical Science. Organized by both country and subject, the museum reviews more than 4,000 years of medical history and houses more than 7,000 medical artifacts. The relationship between culture and medical practice is explored. Exhibits range from ancient trepanning to Frenchman René Théophile Laënnec’s 1816 stethoscope to Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen’s X-ray equipment. Basic Information: International Museum of Surgical Science, 1524 N. Lake Shore Dr. 60630; telephone: 312/642-6502; WWW: www.imss.org. Suburban Chicago
Brookfield: Brookfield Zoo Brookfield is about 14 miles from downtown Chicago. The Brookfield Zoo is a world-class, full-service facility with many biomes: the Living Coast of Peru and Chile, the Cypress Swamp of southeastern U.S. and southern Illinois, the Tropic World of South America, Asia, and Africa, complete with Lowland gorillas. The Salt Creek Wilderness, which ex-
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 78 No. 8 August 2001 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
plores the natural history of Illinois over the last 200 years, is an excellent place to start any tour. Basic Information: Brookfield Zoo, First Ave. and 31st St., Brookfield 60513; telephone: 708/4850263; WWW: www.brookfieldzoo.org.
Lisle: Morton Arboretum Lisle, about 25 miles from Chicago, is home of the Morton Arboretum. The well-planted and well-maintained 1,700-acre Morton Arboretum was established in 1922 by Joy Morton, owner of Morton Salt Co., on the site of the home of his parents. The elder Morton was Secretary of Agriculture under President Cleveland and established Arbor Day as a national holiday in 1872. The facility specializes in trees, shrubs, and vines, all well labeled, and has more than 25 miles of paths. Basic Information: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle 60632; telephone: 630/ 968-0074; WWW: www.mortonarb.org. Batavia: Fermilab Batavia, home of Fermilab, is about 30 miles west of Chicago. The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is a 6,800-acre site where research at the frontiers of high-energy physics is conducted. The bottom quark (1977), the top quark (1994), and the tau neutrino (2000) were all discovered here. The main facility, The Robert Rathbone Wilson Hall, houses most of the visitor attractions on the 6,800-acre site. The 15th floor has exhibits explaining the nature of the facility and a beautiful view of the site. The grounds show the outlines of the mounds from the split beam lines, the 4-mile circumference of the main accelerator, and a prairie restoration project complete with a herd of bison. Basic Information: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, P.O. Box 500, Batavia IL, 60510-0500; telephone: 630/840-3000; fax: 630/840-4343; WWW: www.fnal.gov. Paul and Brenda Cohen are at The College of New Jersey, Chemistry Department. P.O. Box 7718, Ewing, NJ 086280718;
[email protected].
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 78 No. 8 August 2001 • Journal of Chemical Education
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