A ribbon-cutting Thursday at the Buffalo Museum of Science unveiled a new $3 million sports exhibit called Science Stadium.
The exhibit celebrates the Buffalo Bills, Sabres, and Bandits professional teams with a combination of sports and science.
It includes a replica of the new Highmark Stadium, a sports simulator, and an opportunity to view careers in sports outside of just being an athlete.
Visitors can sit at an anchor desk, allowing them to record their own highlight reel sportscast as a broadcaster.
There is a sports medicine lab, where you can take on the role of a medic and evaluate on-field injuries, and a mascot design studio.
Gary Siddall, president and CEO of the Buffalo Museum of Science, said the goal was to make it as authentic an experience as possible.
"We wanted you to feel like you left the museum and were transported into the environments of the stadium, into the environments of the arena. And so you'll notice some really choiceful decisions around the types of colors that we use, the changes in flooring, walking onto the turf, stepping into a broadcast studio — these are all things that were done to be intentional and to make visitors feel like they were fully immersed in this new exhibit," he said.
The exhibit is for everyone, all ages and backgrounds, said Laurie Collins, vice chair of the museum board.
"Sports really does unite us here in Buffalo, and all ages will experience this incredible new exhibit together. So I have no doubt it's going to quickly become a fan favorite and a favorite destination here in the museum, of families, of students, sports enthusiasts, and science enthusiasts as well," said Collins.
Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera believes that, beyond the exhibit's entertainment value, it will also give some visitors new ideas for professional development.
"A visit to Science Stadium could spark an interest in science, in technology, medicine, another field, or maybe even help a child see a future career that they had never thought of before, and one of the great things about the Science Stadium is how it brings us together with something we love," she said.
This is the third ribbon-cutting at the museum in the past 12 months, and it’s also the first new permanent exhibit in nearly a decade.
The exhibit is open to the public Saturday, and you can purchase tickets now on the Buffalo Museum of Science website.
