TULSA, Okla. — It is a true Tulsa-based project combining kids' love of bicycles with important lessons to set them up for future success.
The USA BMX Foundation teamed up with Discovery Lab to develop a new exhibit to promote STEM education by giving children new insights into the sport and science of BMX racing.
The two non-profits gave 2 News Oklahoma an exclusive preview and behind-the-scenes look at their plans.
"The bike is the hook," said Ray Hoyt, Executive Director of the USA BMX Foundation. "The physics of a bike. The geometry of a bike. They learn that through hands-on experience."
Since Discovery Lab is all about hands-on experience, the two non-profits teamed up using the BMX Foundation's certified curriculum.
"Taking that and creating experiences that are interactive, full body immersive, that are fun, educational," said Dr. Ray Vandiver, Executive Director of Discovery Lab. "It was perfect combination and partnership."
With funding provided by the Hardesty Family Foundation, they are deep into designs for an innovative new exhibit. The plans can be seen in a 3D computer animated program. Only, designers have gone far beyond the idea stage. The Discovery Lab exhibits team is working hard to bring STEM concepts to life.
"And our awesome exhibit builders are putting this all together using the equipment we have here in the shop. So, this is an original exhibit," said Lynnsey Childress-Wimp, Director of Exhibits and Community Engagement at Discovery Lab. "You can't find it anywhere else."
Each exhibit will offer a unique concept such as one that gives children the chance to use "tools of the trade" to make repairs to bikes, and even design their own track.
"We will have pieces of track that will all connect and you'll be able to watch on the screen as a BMX rider rides on your track," Childress-Wimp said. "The fun part of this is there's a little bit of an element of failure. You might put two pieces together that an actual rider can't jump, so you'll have to try again to get the right track for your rider to go through as quickly as possible."
Each station will look like the real deal, giving visitors the feeling of being on a BMX track on race day.
"That's exactly what we are going for but you'll also be able to see the cause and effect of adding air to the tire, deflating the tire," Childress-Wimp added. "All of the things that riders are having to do before they race to get those optimal conditions. That's what we are trying to bring to this experience."
The Discovery Lab exhibits design team is hard at work developing another portion of the exhibit that will teach children about the importance of wearing a helmet. Clearly demonstrating the impact risk by using a bowling ball that falls with a loud crash.
It is a visual lesson combined with concepts such as velocity, speed, and force. Yet another stop will cover the geoscience of the soil used on a BMX track.
"What we like to do is teach the kids about the geosciences of soil," Hoyt said. "So, there's compaction and percolation, density, volume and mass. All of these things around soil that a lot of kids are not learning these days."
The exhibit that will fill a 2,000 square foot space in the Discovery Lab in Tulsa is only the start. The collaborators are already talking with museums all across the country and in Canada that are close to BMX tracks to send the Tulsa exhibit on tour and inspire even more kids. Visitors who decide they want to give BMX racing a try will be able to type in their zip code and find one of the 311 BMX tracks in operation across the nation.
"It will remain in Tulsa for the Tulsa and regional audience for 12 to 18 months," said Dr. Vandiver. "And then will begin a nationwide tour across North America, educating the public - maybe millions of people on the science behind bike racing and bike freestyle."
The North America tour will last 7 to 10 years, a collaboration that will showcase the best of Tulsa. "Two Tulsa organizations coming together creating a world-class experience that will travel North America and drive tourism to Tulsa, awareness of Tulsa, and all of the great things happening here."
"It will really show Tulsa as this kind of innovative, creative place that we know it is," Hoyt agreed with a smile.
Using the lure of a growing sport, the partners hope to get kids off the sidelines, to have fun while learning, and maybe even to race into new dreams.
"If this is something they are curious in there's a lot of career connections. How cool would it be if you were interested in BMX that you would have a whole career in that? There's more to it - really learning there's more to it than just pushing the pedals," added Childress-Wimp.
The new BMX Exhibit at Discovery Lab will open on January 31, 2025, with a private party for VIP members and sponsors. It will then open to the public on February 1, 2025.
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