Gever Tulley founder of the Tinkering School talk from TED on “5 dangerous things for kids”.

I am currently in Saigon, Vietnam, and visited the War Remnants Museum, a very powerful experience! As I am walking through the Museum I keep noticing small issues that are easily changed, but have a large impact on the visitor experience such as lighting, wayfinding and heights of graphic panels. Recently I have completed an exhibition audit for the Mobius Science Center preview facility.  The  Review included:

• Interviews with visitors
• Mapping of the visitor experience
• Review of exhibition lighting
• Suggestions for changes to visitor flow
• Review of graphics
• Review of wayfinding
• Review of audio visual systems
• Review of exhibition media
• Review of exhibit maintenance and repair program
• A review of the mix of types of exhibit, static, highly interactive, simple manipulatives
• A written report containing, recommendations for changes

If you are interested in a $1000 objective exhibition audit send me an email;

Mark’s Email

for a copy of a sample exhibition audit.

Let’s remake Science Centers, how about this as a model:

“Inspired by cartoonist Rube Goldberg, college students nationwide compete to design a machine that uses the most complex process to complete a simple task – put a stamp on an envelope, screw in a light bulb, make a cup of coffee – in 20 or more steps.

The competition is sponsored by the Purdue University campus chapter of Theta Tau, a professional engineering fraternity.”  – Purdue Website

Every Science Center in the country… in the world, should be doing the same!

Rube Goldberg Contest at Purdue University Website

http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_Hacker_Spaces

Hackerspaces are communites of people that gather for “Do it yourself projects” or Maker Movement projects.

Most science centers lose visitors at age 12, Hackerspaces is a great way to extend participation for teenagers and adults.

Read Museum 2.0 article for more information

Machine Project Loves Me from Jeremy Quinn on Vimeo.

Machine Project

1200 D North Alvarado
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213-483-8761
http://machineproject.com

from website

“Machine Project exists to encourage heroic experiments of the gracefully over-ambitious. We provide educational resources to people working with technology, we collaborate with artists to produce site-specific works, and we promote conversations between scientists, poets, technicians, performers, and the community of Los Angeles as a whole.”