The Franklin Institute Extends Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS 2 & The Brain Through April 2010

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Due to popular demand, The Franklin Institute announced earlier today that Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS 2 & The Brain, will continue its run for an additional eight weeks, providing Philadelphians with extra time to see the dramatic specimens display. Originally scheduled to close next month, the exhibition will now close on April 18th.

To kick off the second half of the exhibition, BODY WORLDS and sponsor Main Line Health welcomed students from The Health and Life Sciences Academy (a division of Philadelphia Academies, Inc.) at Overbrook High School for a special interactive educational event.

Barry D. Mann, M.D., Chief Academic Officer of Main Line Health, stated, "Main Line Health has been proud to partner with BODY WORLDS in an effort to empower our community to take charge of its health.  We've forged amazing connections with these students and being able to show them the power and reality of the body through BODY WORLDS has been a tremendous experience for us all."

President of Philadelphia Academies Inc., Lisa Nutter, was on hand to meet and greet the students and discuss the Health and Life Sciences Academy program. Students had the opportunity to view real human bodies and apply their observations to the study of health topics pertinent in their own lives. "Central to Philadelphia Academies, Inc.'s (PAI) approach is cultivating and maintaining a safety net of adults who play a range of volunteer roles in our direct service model. Today's visit to BODY WORLDS sponsored by Main Line Health is a good example of an activity that engages students and volunteers alike.  Field trips that are directly connected to an in-school curriculum make the content real and provide students a vision of what their future can be," said Nutter.

Troy Collins, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Business Development of The Franklin Institute, is thrilled to have the popular exhibition continue its run in Philadelphia.  "To have this extended time to further support the health and wellness initiatives that BODY WORLDS represents is a wonderful thing, and it is amazing to see and hear the impact it has on our visitors, " said Collins.

BODY WORLDS is the original and acclaimed exhibition of real human bodies that have been preserved through a process called Plastination.  This all-new exhibition with a special feature, The Brain, features specimens never seen in Philadelphia -- with a special focus on the power of the brain in the body. Highlights include an exploration of how the brain develops through time-lapsed MRI's of the brain from childhood through adolescence; an exploration of the circulatory system and the brain's influence on the body; how a brain with Alzheimer's looks physically and a deep dissection of the nervous system, and much more.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets are timed and dated.  Exhibition hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, with the last entrance at 7:30 p.m.  Admission before 4:30 p.m. includes museum general admission and a Fels Planetarium show.  The evening ticket price begins with the 5:00 p.m. exhibition admission.  Advance ticket purchase is recommended by calling 1.877.TFI.TIXS or visiting www.fi.edu.  Information on tickets for groups of 15 or more is available at 1.800.285.0684. The exhibit runs through April 18, 2010 at The Franklin Institute.

About Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS

Dr. Gunther von Hagens invented Plastination in 1977 in an effort to improve the education of medical students. He created the BODY WORLDS exhibitions to bring anatomy to the public. The organs and whole-body plastinates in the exhibition derive from people who have, in their lifetime, generously donated their bodies for Plastination, to specifically educate future generations about health. More than 10,000 donors including more than 1,000 Americans have bequeathed their bodies to von Hagens' Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany. More than 29 million people around the world have visited the exhibition.   For more information on BODY WORLDS visit www.bodyworlds.com.

About The Franklin Institute

Founded in honor of America's first scientist, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is a renowned and innovative leader in the field of science and technology learning, as well as a dynamic center of activity.  It is dedicated to creating a passion for science by offering new and exciting access to science and technology in ways that would dazzle and delight its namesake.  For more information, please visit www.fi.edu.

SOURCE The Franklin Institute