Natural History Museum will give patrons behind-the-scenes look at museum this weekend

SALT LAKE CITY — To celebrate its one-year anniversary in the new Rio Tinto Center, the Natural History Museum will take the public behind the scenes to several "off-limit" locations in its two-day event "Behind the Scenes: Science Up Close."

The event takes place this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. During that time, Museum admission will be discounted to $1 per person.

Visitors will be allowed to view and even touch some of the objects stored on the third and fourth floors. The items will be from The Paleo Collection, where items from the most recent digs can be viewed; the Anthropology Conservation Lab, where ceramics and different baskets can be seen up close; The Biology Labs, where guests can see exotic bats and use microscopes to find entomology specimens; along with many other collections, according to a press release.

This collection-viewing opportunity will provide a chance for the public to see the importance of the museum.

"Most people don't even think about the special care that goes into collecting and storing Utah's natural history," Sarah B. George, museum executive director, said in the press release. "Our museum is an integral part of the University of Utah's important scientific research and our 'Behind-the-Scenes' event will provide a unique opportunity to see and experience first hand how together we preserve, mount, catalogue, study and conserve the state's most precious scientific treasures."

Hands-on activities, such as creating a personal artifact, will be available as well as tours and presentations that display the tools used to build exhibits. Tours will be available at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Sarah Sanders Petersen is an intern for Deseret News where she writes for Mormon Times and other feature articles. She is a Communications major and editing minor.