The Nature Research Center is now officially open. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences held a grand opening for the new wing over the weekend.
Dave DeWitt: About 70,000 people attended the 24-hour grand opening of the Nature Research Center. Those who made it inside the 80,000 square foot facility touched animal skeletons, conducted robotic surgeries, and interacted with scientists.
Betsy Bennett is the director of the Museum of Natural Sciences.
Betsy Bennett: We want families and students to have conversation with research scientists and they’re doing that throughout this whole building. We have some fabulous research scientists on staff. We have a lot of partners here. So it’s been fabulous.
Bennett says such activities will only grow as the museum welcomes regular, daily visitors.
Bennett: So once today ends, we are open. The Nature Research Center and of course, the museum, are open forever.