Magic Planet
The Miami Science Museum (MiaSci), in collaboration with Ideum and the Institute for Learning Innovation, was awarded a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to acquire a new spherical display system. The project, entitled: Hurricanes and Climate Change: Local Impacts and Global Systems, will allow visitors to explore the global dimensions and local impacts of climate change. Planning for the project has already begun and the exhibit is scheduled to be open to the public at MiaSci in early 2011.
This grant gives MiaSci an opportunity to design and develop a multi-user, bilingual, user controlled interface that will advance the kinds of programming and technology currently capable with Magic Planet and other spherical display systems. This resource will also allow MiaSci to develop exhibits that draw visitors of all ages and educate visitors with different learning styles. The main goal is to raise public understanding of earth’s climate system, the human causes of climate change and the potential threats of global warming.
The project will support NOAA’s Climate Literacy goals and Education Strategic Plan, bringing together informal learning experts, climate change experts, and public officials involved in climate adaptation planning, including Miami-Dade County’s Office of Sustainability, who will be supplying relevant County data and informational resources that will be used to develop the exhibit.
A particular focus of the project will be on climate-related impacts here in South Florida, including the dangers posed by rising sea levels and more intense hurricanes. The development of the Hurricanes and Climate Change: Local Impacts and Global Systems exhibit is part of the Museum’s ongoing effort to develop interactive and educational content for the future MiaSci in downtown Miami scheduled to be opened in 2014.
Energy Jam
What would you do if you lost power after a natural disaster, like a hurricane or earthquake?
This past summer, kids from Miami's Little Haiti community were asked that question as part of the Energy Jam workshop. In response, they worked with Miami Science Museum staff to assemble tools to meet basic needs using renewable energy sources like solar, wind, water, and "people power". On exhibit are their amazing and beautifully made projects. Now these kids have the know-how to capture energy and charge a cell phone or power a light.
Special thanks to:
- The Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs
- Youth Arts Enrichment Program Grant (YEP-10)
- The Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and The Children’s Trust Summer Arts and Science Camps for Kids (SAC-C)
- The United States Department of Energy
- The Little Haiti Cultural Center
- Paul Orselli
- Audrey Golaub
- Edouard Duval Carrié
Downloads (PDF):
Miami Science Museum and MetLife: Staying Sharp
Miami Science Museum is begining to prototype and develop a new and innovative method to engage and inspire people of all ages with how scientists make discoveries about aging and the brain. Working with the University of Miami's Center on Aging, we are developing this exciting new exhibit in partnership with local elders who bring a unique perspective to the process.
For more information visit: Staying Sharp
Heart Smart
The Miami Science Museum has partnered with the University of Miami’s,Behavioral Medicine Research Program, in the Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences to create Heart Smart, an interactive bilingual exhibit about cardiovascular health. Heart Smart raises awareness about factors associated with heart health and strategies for improving heart health through diet, physical activity level, and stress management skills. The exhibit informs visitors about the research process and invites them to participate in a research project by contributing anonymous data on measurements related to heart health i.e., height, weight, waist size blood pressure, and habits.
Besides the interactive exhibit, the project includes a research study to determine whether a museum-based health exhibit and a discussion based health activity are effective in increasing heart health knowledge among students in Miami-Dade County Public High Schools.
Downloads:
Links
Life Changes:
Communicating Pre-evolutionary Concepts To Young Children in Informal Settings
The Miami Science Museum, The New York Hall of Science, The North Museum, and the Association of Science-Technology Centers are working together with the University of Michigan Center for Human Growth and Development to address a well-documented crisis in contemporary science – that large numbers of the public do not understand the scientific basis of evolution, or reject it outright.
NSF-funded research conducted at UM by E. Margaret Evans suggests that if children are introduced to evolutionary tenets (variation, inheritance, selection, time) at an early age, they are more likely to see the natural world with a scientific perspective. Based on this research, the project will develop age-appropriate opportunities to move children ages 5-12 toward scientific reasoning. The result will feature a bilingual traveling Life Changes exhibition that, when combined with staff development and discovery boxes, will offer a flexible learning laboratory for museum practitioners to increase their capacity to deliver pre-evolutionary concepts.
Downloads
An evaluation was conducted to gage museum visitor response to a story created for the exhibition.
The Miami Science Museum is a member of the National Association for Museum Exhibition
