DALLAS, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/  -- With a "goal to create the best energy hall in the world," officials from the Museum of Nature & Science today unveiled plans for the new Tom Hunt Energy Hall, which will become a signature exhibit area in the new Perot Museum of Nature & Science at Victory Park in downtown Dallas. Groundbreaking for the new facility is expected to begin in 2009.

"The Tom Hunt Energy Hall will explore every kind of energy resource found in nature, and it will delve into how humans have used science and technology throughout history to develop that energy," said Nicole Small, CEO of the Museum of Nature & Science. "As we confront critical energy issues now and in the future, the Hall's purpose becomes even more relevant. Our hope is that people will look to the Museum for the latest developments on everything from alternative energy sources to conservation tips, to the implications of energy at regional, national and global levels."

The Tom Hunt Energy Hall, named in honor of Hunt Petroleum Chairman Tom Hunt, recognizes the $10 million early leadership gift that Hunt Petroleum made to the Museum in 2005 to move the Expansion Project forward. World-class and Texas-sized, the new 6,500-square-foot gallery will be dedicated to telling the rich geological and historical stories of nature's energy sources and exploring how science and technology are used to capture the vast array of traditional and alternative energy resources. It also will focus on contemporary energy issues and challenges facing society today.

To make the exhibits stimulating, fun and educational, the Museum will use state-of-the-art video; 3-D computer animation; thrilling, lifelike simulation; hands-on activities; interactive kiosks and dioramas; energy IQ quizzes; tabletop landscapes; animated music videos; high-resolution, computer-generated flyovers; and more. The exhibits will be accessible and user friendly for everyone from preschoolers to lifelong learners.

The Tom Hunt Energy Hall, located adjacent to the Museum's Dynamic Earth Hall, will include six main galleries: the Geology Gallery, the Drilling & Production Gallery, the Barnett Shale Gallery, the Electrical Power Generation & Transmission Gallery, the Alternative Energy Sources Gallery, and the Future Energy Challenges Gallery. Also on tap is the North Texas Energy Hall of Fame, a tribute to the pioneers in the local industry -- spanning the early years of the 20th century to the Barnett Shale developments to the alternative energy discoveries being made in North Texas today.

"The Tom Hunt Energy Hall will be more than a state-of-the-art exhibition hall, but also serve as a focal point for all energy-related events in North Texas -- from distinguished lecture series, town hall meetings, public forums and seminars, to youth education programs, professional society meetings and other industry-related functions," said Frank-Paul King, chairman of the Museum's Board of Trustees. "If the topic is energy, the 'place to go' will be the new Tom Hunt Energy Hall at the Perot Museum of Nature & Science."

The Perot Museum of Nature & Science will be constructed on a 4.7-acre site at the corner of Woodall Rodgers Freeway and Field Street adjacent to Victory Park in downtown Dallas. In January 2008, the Museum named 2005 Pritzker Prize Laureate Thom Mayne of Morphosis as architect for the new facility.

For more information, please go to

http://www.natureandscience.org/