The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Buttonwood Park Zoo will officially unveil Science on a Sphere at its new home at the Buttonwood Park Zoo on Thursday, April 13, beginning at 5:30 pm.

Keith Lovett, the zoo’s director, will join UMass Dartmouth’s Gerry Kavanaugh. The Sphere, which is owned by UMass Dartmouth, was previously a part of the Ocean Explorium in downtown New Bedford. The aoo and UMass have signed a formal partnership loaning the Sphere permanently to the Buttonwood Park Zoo for educational programming.

The event is open to the public and will include a demonstration by zoo education staff of the numerous data points available. The event runs through 7:00 p.m. in the zoo’s Wildlife Education Center.

Science On a Sphere was developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Sphere is an educational tool to help illustrate Earth System science to people of all ages. Science On a Sphere uses computers and video projectors to display planetary data onto a giant animated globe.