Omnimax film offers close-up look at tornados, volcanoes
PITTSBURGH – The same curiosity that pulls people out of their houses to watch thunderstorms and keeps them glued to television reports when turbulent weather strikes around the globe will propel them to the Carnegie Science Center’s Rangos Omnimax Theater for its latest release “Forces of Nature.’ Created by Graphic Films and National Geographic, “Forces of Nature’ features the work of scientists to offer stunning glimpses of an active volcano in the Caribbean, earthquakes in Turkey and tornados in America’s Midwest.
“This is a close-up look at the incredible forces of nature, how humans deal with it and how we recover from it,’ said John Radzilowicz, director of visitor experience for the science center.
This 40-minute film, narrated by actor Kevin Bacon and playing at the science center until June, focuses on the work of three scientists:
– Dr. Marie Edmonds watches over Soufriere Hill at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, where a volcano exploded in 1995, and there have been subsequent eruptions.
– Dr. Ross Stein studies the North Anatolian Fault in Turkey, where an earthquake hit Izmit in 1999, killing more than 17,000 people.
– Dr. Joshua Wurman logs thousands of miles each spring crossing America’s Tornado Alley in search of storms that spawn cyclones.
Armed with modern-day technology, these scientists do amazing work. Edmonds, a volcanologist from Great Britain, developed groundbreaking spectroscopic techniques to monitor gas emissions.
Stein, a geophysicist and earthquake hazards expert with the U.S. Geological Survey, focuses on earthquake stress interactions – “how one quake may promote subsequent shocks at some sites while inhibiting them at others.’
Wurman, whose specialty is mesometerology, travels the American Midwest with a Doppler radar, leading the way in mobile weather data collection on thunderstorms and tornados.
Yet, none of these scientists underestimates the force of nature that he or she studies.
“I think the message,’ said Radzilowicz, “is there is no way to control it. It’s a little humbling. We have the technology to figure out what happens and to warn people, but we cannot stop or control it.’
The idea behind the work of all these scientists is to be able to develop a warning system that will allow people time to reach safety.
The film notes this is already happening in volcano research where early warnings in the 1995 Soufriere Hills eruption and subsequent eruptions prevented any deaths in Montserrat.
If scientists can issue warnings, Edmonds noted, “There’s no reason for anyone to be harmed or lose their life.’
Predicting an earthquake is more difficult, with Stein noting in the film, “The most important thing you can do is build safer structures.’
But in the face of the extreme loss of life and homelessness, he persists, “What I want to do is improve the ability to forecast when and where an earthquake will strike.’
In the United States, tornados kill dozens of people each year and Wurman said, “The thing that fascinates me is that only some storms spawn tornados. If we could figure out which ones, we could better warn people.’
Bacon said, “We have to explore, learn and find ways of surviving no matter how powerful the forces that confront us.’
And these are indeed powerful forces as this intriguing IMAX film shows: a volcano explosion with clouds rolling 10 miles high, computer-generated footage that shows how an earthquake forms deep inside the earth and closeups of actual tornados as they fly over the land.
These images are fascinating but even more so on a screen that’s four stories high with a sound system that creates one of the closest experiences short of actually being there.
The film also shows the aftermath – how these forces touch and destroy.
“Everybody says what it sounds like is a freight train,’ said a man caught in an Oklahoma tornado, “but you were under the freight train.’
There is footage of the rubble and the people who have survived. Although most people don’t experience these forces, Radzilowicz noted, “The universe is an extremely violent place.’
“Forces of Nature’ ties in with many science center exhibits, including SciQuest, a hands-on gallery that explores earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, seismic waves and wind. Designed with an advisory group of teachers, the exhibit is meant to complement middle school curricula.
The science center also recently unveiled its new Skybox, a private setting in the Omnimax theater that can now be rented for parties and meetings.
Located in space originally built as a projection room, the Skybox can be rented for $300 for a two-hour period. Completely private, the room allows up to 25 people to comfortably watch an Omnimax film while eating and talking.
Catering and movie tickets are additional and priced separately.
For more information on “Forces of Nature,’ Skybox and SciQuest as well as tickets and operating hours, call the Carnegie Science Center at 412-237-3400 or visit the Web site at www.CarnegieScienceCenter.org.