Ten Doric pillars frame the weathered, burgundy brick walls of what was once a Baton Rouge train depot backed against the Mississippi River. Today, the station’s occupants are counting years rather than listening for a train’s arrival. The Louisiana Art and Science Museum, situated in the former Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Company depot, is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The historic site, built in 1925, was listed as a National Register landmark in 1994. Carol Gikas, LASM president and executive director, has held her position at the museum since before most University students were born. Gikas said change is a cornerstone in the museum’s agenda. “To succeed as a museum, we must seek to display art in new ways, enjoy uncertainty and relish the opportunity to create new ways to foster learning,” Gikas said. LASM will hold a train memorabilia exhibit that opens Saturday to honor its anniversary. Gikas said the anniversary serves as a time to remember the past and look toward the future. She said museum representatives have met with an exhibition design firm and plans on rearranging the space in the next six months. “Our interpretive plan will focus on exhibits for multi-generational visitors and object-based exhibits, among other things,” Gikas said. She said the museum is evolving in response to its most important influence ­- its audience. This philosophy helps explain why entrance to the LASM became free for University students last spring. Students also receive a discount to shows at the planetarium, which was added to the LASM’s historic site in 2003. Tara Kistler, LASM communications coordinator, said she has noticed several returning customers at the visual music performances the planetarium holds, which features music from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. “We really are more than the museum you were dragged to as a child,” Gikas added. ____ Contact Josh Naquin at [email protected]