NOAA’s Science on a Sphere exhibit has been installed in locations around the world.

A new exhibit at the Sabana Center will give children a visual understanding of how environmental and earth systems function.

The exhibit, titled “Science on a Sphere,” will feature a hologram of Earth projected onto a 6-foot-diameter sphere, with an interactive kiosk featuring more than 600 databases depicting weather patterns, water currents and many other related topics about the planet.

Once a database is selected, the data is displayed on a sphere, allowing students to visualize various phenomena on Earth in real time.

“Science on a Sphere is an incredible exhibit,” said Brandt LaPish, director of development at the Saban Center. “It really shows how Earth systems move around the globe. We’re very excited about this exhibit. We’re happy about it and we feel like it’s going to be very important.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration developed the exhibit technology that can be used worldwide as an educational tool to bring Earth science to people of all ages.
“We are especially pleased to be able to use this gift to expand our agency’s understanding of water hazards and forecasts for water resources essential to life,” said Edward Clark, director of NOAA’s National Water Center.
The exhibit is in 195 locations worldwide. According to NOAA, more than 60 million people visit institutions that house the exhibits each year.

Tuscaloosa residents will be able to view the exhibit when the Saban Center opens in 2027.

To adapt the sphere in Tuscaloosa, NOAA is working with the Alabama Water Institute to use data to increase water awareness.

LaPish said the Saban Center is grateful to the partners who helped make it possible.

“We’ve seen it (Science on a Sphere) in a few different places. We thought it would be cool, but we want to do it better,” LaPish said. “If we can do it, that would be great.”

The exhibit will be in the Saban Center’s discovery section, which is called IGNITE. It will be one of the main exhibits in that section and will allow for teaching and tours.

“We hope this piece will be a really fascinating lesson that will bring us closer to these incredibly complex science issues that are happening in our world,” LaPish said.

Lanna Nations, AWI’s director of education and outreach programs, said students are the focus of the exhibition.

“Our goal is to bring the history of water and environmental science to life with this impressive instrument, and we hope that students will be interested in the work we do at UA that focuses on water,” Nations said.