Introduction

        Let me begin by saying that I was not expecting to have a phenomenal time at the Museum of Science; however, I had an amazing time. I absorbed a prodigious amount of information whilst mindlessly retaining it because it was presented in a fun and creative environment. I went with two of my friends who heard I was going to the Museum of Science for class and expressed their ecstatic attitude in regards to the museum and professed how they wanted to tag along as well, so we went together. We focused on the four exhibits for class; however, I would be lying if I said we didn’t attend the Lightning Show or visited several other exhibits. Below I focus on the four that relate to this class, from what they consisted of to how interesting they were.

Investigate

            I’ll be honest and say we spent the least amount of time at this exhibit. Why? There were a lot of young children wanting to use the various amount of activities that explore several fundamental concepts and science, and we felt odd being the 20 year olds in their way, plus I’ll be honest we got a few concerned looks from the children’s parents so we thought it would be best if we left. Within the exhibit “Turn” was very interesting considering it involves closed circuit the minute anyone stands on the rotating platform with a spinning wheel and it delves into the concept of adding torque. The Conservation of Angular Momentum makes it so that as the individual rotates the wheel with the handles attached, the individual starts angular momentum and since there is no external force being added that spurs on the opposite movement to happen on the platform. That’s why when I was on the rotating platform I moved the opposite way. Something that always really confused me is the concept of torque, and “Balance” within this exhibit helped me in the explanation. Considering torque is weight multiplied by distance, and you could physically test this out with masses and balancing them on a seesaw made it an easier concept to understand why distance actually matters. Overall I think Investigate is an amazing exhibit because it engages the youth in science, and it leaves a positive association with concepts in science that is needed in making adolescents eager to learn in a subject that can be difficult for a plethora of children.

Conserve @ Home

            This exhibit delves into the reality of why certain resources are more efficient than others, and it shows the impact of individual’s choices when it comes to cost efficiency, but also to the environment. I think the fact that it doesn’t just focus on the impact it has on humanity is extremely important because children have been brought up in the presence of media that doesn’t cater to empathizing for other organisms and seeing inherent worth in everything. I mean a lot of the information one learns in this exhibit seems pretty basic; however, I will admit that no one ever took the time to teach me this and I went to one of the top public school systems in Massachusetts. One of these facts was that on average each person in America generates 4.4 pounds of trash a day generating 250 million tons of trash in 2010 alone. Isn’t that ridiculous? This exhibit also teaches children’s the importance of being creative, and not throwing away everything, and obviously the importance of recycling of transforming recyclable objects into other entities that reside on this earth. This exhibit also speaks about how light bulbs are important and how some of them are not actually that efficient. For example a Incandescent bulb produces 80 % of heat energy whilst only converting 20% of the energy to the light. This exhibit really makes one question where their money is going, and especially for children’s parents glimpsing these facts seems like it could be really enlightening to them.

Energized

            Energized delves into the reality that there is a lot of potential on this earth for a sustainable future. It focuses primarily on solar energy; however, it does express how not one energy can fulfill all our needs globally; however, with the usage of all of them there is a lot of potential for a prosperous future environmentally. What I learned is that the sun produces about a thousand times the energy we need on this earth; however, we are only utilizing a whopping 1% of that. Why? Partly because solar energy is difficult to utilize in all locations around this earth, and due to the fact that in order to attain enough energy to make it worth wild, you need a lot of room. There is a lot of potential that isn’t being used, and there’s a reason why solar energy is the fastest- growing power technology currently and its expected to augment 30-fold which is amazing, not only because it’s innovative, but it will protect the planet we inhabit. What I thought was really cool about this exhibit is that people could aim this mirror reflecting towards a photovoltaic panel and as the light increases the generator would go faster. For children this was a game, and unfortunately my friends and I act like children so we found this very entertaining. This exhibit was essential in visiting due to how much an individual learns about the potential that resides in solar energy considering we all know it’s renewable, but the average individual doesn’t know enough about the basic mechanisms involved, and why it hasn’t replaced harmful means of getting gas.

Catching the Wind

            Well this exhibit tells you what it is from the name, but to reiterate this, this delves into wind energy and specifically wind turbines. What really caught my eye about this exhibit is that it talked about the potential of Wind Energy in New England. I think this is extremely important because it speaks to a call for action for the observer visiting this exhibit because it addresses something so local considering there is so potential for it because we have so much wind! I also think its important that it speaks to not the generic concepts and general concepts involved with wind energy, but things people don’t really know. For example I never knew that wind is actually solar energy considering as sunlight hits earth the uneven manner of it creates a temperature difference, which starts moving the air. This seems so mind-blowing to me, but I feel like its something either children don’t know, or you have people like me that are close to their end of adolescencts who forgot. This exhibit delves into the parts of the turbine, which is interesting because you see how its put together, and how each component adds another aspect to the overall execution of creating electricity from a wind turbine. This exhibit essentially taught me the complexity that resides in wind energy and the usage of wind turbines.

Visit The Museum

            It’s worth it: believe me. Yes it might be nerdy, and you might not even love science, but you will learn something and if you go with friends it can be an enjoyable collaborative experience. University life is constant stress, and this can remind you why knowledge doesn’t have to be dry information you learn in a textbook, but something you can find a true passion for. I am forever grateful that I had to go to the Science Museum because I thought I hated science, and now I am sure I don’t.