In May of 2006, Science on a Sphere (SOS) was set up in a permanent exhibit space at the Science Museum of Minnesota. With the new installation of the Sphere, came the addition of a variety of features that were not included in the initial front-end study. These new features included an expanded playlist, new audio for some of the visualizations, accompanying labels projected on the wall describing the visualization, indication on the labels of what image will be playing next, and seating for visitors so they can sit and view the sphere. The new master playlist was composed of three smaller
The California Academy of Sciences will develop, evaluate and disseminate exhibits and programs designed to communicate to public audiences the results of research including a biotic inventory of the amphibians and reptiles of Myanmar. Using innovative trading cards for kids, updates to current research exhibits, a poster highlighting research, a pocket guide to venomous snakes of Myanmar and a posting of research -related materials on the CAS website, the project will inform the public about biotic inventory research and conservation in Myanmar. Designed specifically for target audiences of children and adults, the exhibits and programs will serve several hundred thousand CAS visitors annually.
This report presents the findings of a summative evaluation of the Conservatory for Botanical Science, conducted by Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A), for the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. The Conservatory exhibits and this evaluation were funded by the National Science Foundation. Data collection took place in December 2005. The summative evaluation examined visitors’ affective and cognitive experiences in the Conservatory, using exit interviews and focused observations and interviews at select exhibits.
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Johanna JonesHuntington Botanical Gardens
The Listen exhibition at The Exploratorium, which opened in October 2006, deals with the production and physical characteristics of sound, the reception of sound in the ear and its perception in the brain, and the human capacity to interpret and act on the information transmitted by sounds. Summative evaluation of Listen consists of two parts: tracking and timing and exit interviews. Instruments for the studies were developed by Minda Borun. Data were collected by Exploratorium staff members Mary Kidwell, Emily Pinkowitz, Heather Posner, and Deborah Siegel, and were tabulated by Mary Kidwell
In 2005, the Exhibit Operations Department at the Museum of Science, Boston became concerned by the number of visitor comment cards that cited frustration with broken exhibits. As a result, they approached the Research Department to carry out a study to determine the visitors' perspectives of maintenance issues. The Research Department addressed this matter by seeking answers to the following questions: 1. Where is the discrepancy between what visitors and maintenance workers call broken 2. What factors related to broken exhibits frustrate visitors most? 3. What counts as broken in the eyes of
During Year 1 of the Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) Network, the Exhibits and Programs group, led by the Science Museum of Minnesota, conducted a marketing survey in an effort to find out what kinds of nano exhibits and programs institutions would find most useful, and what other forms of assistance the NISE Network could provide. Individuals from a total of 34 institutions (out of 48) completed the online survey for a 71% response rate. Key Findings: Respondents were most interested in the topics of nanoscience applied to biology, human body, and medicine (94%) and environmental
Assessing the Impact of a Visit to a Zoo or Aquarium: A Multi-institutional Research Project will create a functional taxonomy of zoo/aquarium visitors' entering knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. This taxonomy, in conjunction with data about the specific experiences visitors have during their visit, will enable investigators to understand and predict the contribution of zoos and aquariums to the public understanding of animals and their conservation. The results will clarify the role of zoos and aquariums as centers of informal learning and point to ways to strengthen their educational impact. The AZA convened a national advisory committee that commissioned and completed a thorough review, confirming a critical need to conduct more research, particularly research that attempts to ask broad questions, collect data systematically, and includes sufficient number and types of institutions to permit community-wide generalizations. Twelve AZA institutions of various sizes, geographic regions and types will participate in the study. The net result of the study will be a descriptive model of zoo and aquarium visitor learning experiences and development of a set of diagnostic tools to help zoo and aquaria staff understand and enhance the nature and extent of their public impact.
Partnering with National Musical Arts, the Science Museum of Minnesota seeks to develop BioMusic, a 4,000 sq. ft. traveling exhibition that explores the origins of music in nature and the connections between music and sound of living things. This project is based on planning grant ESI-0211611 (The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music) awarded to NMA. The project is based on the emerging interdisciplinary research field of biomusic, which includes musicology plus aspects of neuroscience, biology, zoology, environmental science, physics, psychology, math and anthropology. The exhibit sections -- "Humanimal" Music; Natural Symphonies; Ancient Roots; Music, Body and Mind; and World of Music -- use both music and natural sound to explore biodiversity, cultural diversity, the physics of sound and the brain. BROADER IMPACT: The exhibition is expected to travel for at least six years, reaching some two million people in 18 communities. It is to be accompanied by a six-part radio series (Sweet Bird Classics) for young children. Because of the connection to music and many other areas of public interest, this exhibition has the potential to attract and engage new audiences to science museums and stimulate their interest in STEM.
This article explores the use of exhibit development as an instructional strategy in the school and in the museum and how both approaches offer innovative alternatives to traditional learning. Linda D'Acquisto, managing owner of Kid Curators, LLC, discusses her work and the value of school museums. Marie Scatena, Youth Programs Manager at the Chicago History Museum, discusses the Teen Chicago project.
In this brief article, Frank Madsen, President of Teller Madsen, Inc., describes how his team created stand-up labels--labels positioned at a nearly 80% angle immediately behind the flat object being described--for the Newberry Library's recent exhibition on Abraham Lincoln. Madsen describes how these unique labels improve the object/label relationship and provide more space in the display cases showcasing many flat documents and books.
The article is a summary of the comments and discussions from the NAME-hosted "What's Going On? Hot Topics in Exhibits" session at the 2006 AAM conference. Paul Martin, Vice President of Exhibits at Science Museum of Minnesota, Janet Kamien, President of Janet Kamien Museum Consulting, Tamara Biggs, Director of Exhibits at the Chicago Historical Society, and Eugene Dillenburg, Exhibit Developer at the Science Museum of Minnesota, as well as other participants addressed the diverging attitudes between new and older exhibit professionals.
In this article, Jay Rounds, Director of Graduate Program in Museum Studies at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, explores the growing concern within the museum field about (a lack of) of exhibit creativity. Specifically, Rounds explores why creativity seems to be diminishing despite enhanced technical competencies.