Museum of Science Field Trip
At the beginning of this month our Contemporary Science and Innovation class made a visit to the Museum of Science in Cambridge, Boston, MA. We visited four exhibits; Catching the Wind, Conserve at Home, Energized, and Microbotics Takes Flight and the rest of out time was for exploring the various other displays and presentations. It was well worth it as there was an abundance of information on alternative fuel sources, personal ways to conserve energy, forward thinking regarding innovative energy sources and a robotics project.
Catching the Wind focused on the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust. They emphasized that wind, solar, hydropower, and biomass can be good sources for alternative energy. This exhibit cleared up some misconceptions on installing wind turbines. One display showed what a wind turbine feels like when you put your hand over the simulation plate. Interestingly it said that the wind only needs to blow between 5mph and 12mph in order to turn most of the wind turbines. In a graph it showed that we use 49% of coal as our energy source for electricity in the U.S. and showcased that the least used energy source is hydropower.
The Conserve at Home exhibit displayed information about the lights we use in our residences and how we might be able to conserve more energy with varying the type of light bulbs. It highlighted information on the measurement of a watt and how many watts it takes to turn on a generator. By using energy efficient bulbs homeowners can save money and help the environment. The exhibit focused on the rate over time in watts per hour measurements.
In looking to the future for energy alternatives the Energized exhibit discussed using renewable energy and the importance of driving new innovations within MA. One area showed a display of different solar panels and how they interact with light sources to produce energy. It talked about trying to re-define the science to make it a more stable solution. The displays focused on the importance of coming up with new ideas for solutions and discussed the significance of educating our society around how the environment is being impacted by our current sources. I really enjoyed the interactive touch screen showing how far technology has come today and looking at project projections. Through the screen display you could zoom in and look at other renewable energy projects that are going on now in Massachusetts; such as the landfill gas for clean energy.
The Microbotics Takes Flight area talked about a challenging project that a research team from Harvard is tackling regarding robotics. The project known as RoboBee is trying to figure out how to create and control thousands of tiny robots that can actually fly. Their use could potentially be valuable in numerous fields including energy. Important components that they are still trying to coordinate are an electrical engineer and balanced power, weight and sensor capabilities to establish a central console controlled by computers.
I had a fascinating time at the Museum of Science. There was an abundance of different exhibits and activities to explore and to interact with on each floor. Of course I had to stop at the colossal fossil room of the Triceratops Cliff and I encourage you too as well. The focus of the trip to better understand our environmental impacts from our energy sources and establish a sounder path towards creating sustainability made an impression. I encourage you to go to learn and see a beautiful view of the city of Boston from the 2nd floor. Attached below is a photo I took during my visit.
