Exhibit invites viewers to take risk
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    Fort Worth Museum of Science and History dares the public to take a risk.

   Risk!, a new interactive exhibit, challenges visitors to test their limits when faced with risk.

   In the Beam Walk, visitors find out what it is like to walk across a steel beam 17 stories high while being bombarded with wind, noises and a flock of birds flying by.

   Visitors can experience the painful truth in Bed of Nails. While the visitor lies on a Plexiglas bed, thousands of nails are slowly raised to lift the individual up.

   How Old Are You Really?, a computer program designed to compute a person’s true “health age,” shows how certain choices people make can affect their lives. One can find out the risks eating fatty foods and not exercising will have on a person’s age.

   In Ball of Danger, visitors can see how probability works when emotions and intuition come into play. Visitors must decide which of two containers is more dangerous.

   The Extreme Gallery showcases inventions designed to help cope with risk.

   Game show enthusiasts can find their limits on how far they will go to win in Switches. Players are put in a hot seat, where they try to earn points by pulling a series of switches.

   Visitors can voice their concerns about everyday issues regarding the economy, environment and health in You Judge the Risk!

   To better understand risk, interviews with astronaut Barbara Morgan, auto racer Johnny Rutherford, bullfighter Rob Smets, Mount Everest survivor Beck Weathers and other adventurers are shown.

   “Life is all about taking risks, and the decisions we make about risk affect the quality and nature of our lives,” Charlie Walter, project manager of the exhibit, said.

   “Our hope is that Risk! will help visitors better understand and deal with risk using science, mathematics and critical thinking skills,” he said.

   Designed by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in the collaboration with Hands On, Risk! will tour six other museums across the country, all members of the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative. SMEC is a group of seven museums that create and share exhibits.

   Risk! is geared toward children ages 12 and up. Ticket prices are $7 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, $5 for children ages 3-12 and free for children under 3. For more information, call 817-255-9300 or visit www.fortworthmuseum.org.