GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR SENSE OF SMELL ON NATIONAL SENSE OF SMELL DAY

New York, NY, 4/12/2002 –
Follow your nose to a participating museum or science center on April 27th, 2002 and discover the powers of our most mysterious sense and its important role in our well-being . The Sense of Smell Institute (SOSI) will sponsor its 9th Annual National Sense of Smell Day on April 27, 2002. Twelve children's museums and science centers across the nation will participate in this one-day salute to the olfactory sense.

Scheduled "smelly" activities at each location focusing on the theme "Get in Touch With Your Sense of Smell" will be both entertaining and educational and are designed to teach participants about the sense of smell. While activities will vary at each location, some sample activities include:

"Animal Noses Know A Lot"- demonstrates how animals use their sense of smell for survival

"Jellybean Taste Test" - visitors discover for themselves how the senses of taste and smell are closely linked

"Smelling Bee" - participants try to correctly identify a range of odors from the familiar to the unusual.

Scented Treasure Hunts - visitors search for the hidden treasure using only scent cues

"Nosey Memories" - demonstrates the idea and significance of "fragrant memories."

Essay Contest - contestants will be asked to write a story about the adventures of The Smellephant and have a chance to win the $500 National Grand Prize.

Craft activities - range from making potpourri & perfumes to making synthetic nasal mucous.

This year, SOSI is introducing Professor Nosetradamus, a cartoon character created especially for Sense of Smell Day. The Professor will teach event attendees all about the sense of smell through a pamphlet that will be available for participants to take home along with other goodies.

Participating museums and science centers for 2002 include:

Arizona Science Center (www.azscience.org) - Phoenix, AZ

Discovery Center Museum (www.discoverycentermuseum.org) - Rockford, IL

The Discovery Place (www.discoveryplace.org) - Charlotte, NC

Explora Science Center and Children's Museum(www.explora.mus.nm.us)- Albuquerque, NM

Lawrence Hall of Science (www.lhs.Berkeley.edu)- Berkeley, CA

Lied Discovery Children's Museum (www.ldcm.org) - Las Vegas, NV

Louisiana Children's Museum (www.lcm.org) - New Orleans, LA

Maryland Science Center (www.mdsci.org)- Baltimore, MD

Minnesota Children's Museum (www.mcm.org) - St. Paul, MN

New York Hall of Science (www.nyhallsci.org) - Flushing Meadows, NY

Science Central (www.sciencecentral.org)- Fort Wayne, IN

SciTrek (www.scitrek.org) - Atlanta, GA

To find out more about the day's activities at each location, please visit the Web sites listed.

For additional information contact:
Terry Molnar (212) 725-2755 ext. 228
email: tmolnar@senseofsmell.org