ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Jonah,
I ran one of these 'disassembly lines' while I was the Associate
Director at the Flandrau Science Center a number of years ago. They are
immensely popular, messy, produce a lot of junk and require a fairly
high amount of staff time to stock, watch over and clean-up after.
Still, it was great fun for the visitors.
You do have to be very selective in what you put out. I liked
'mechanical' things - typewriters, small copiers, electric can openers,
mixers, etc., and stayed away from things that contained glass or only
electronic circuit boards. TV's were definitely on the list of things
avoid. Each item was carefully inspected and 'prepared' - electric cords
were removed and anything else that was an obvious hazard was taken off.
Still, it is impossible to anticipate how individual visitors will
behave on a particular item. You can't assume that tools will be used
appropriately - screwdrivers as pry bars or pliers as hammers or only
examples. (of course knowing how to use a tool correctly doesn't mean
you yourself will use it appropriately all the time - I've used
screwdrivers as pry bars for years.)
I didn't think there was much to learn from disassociated electronic
circuit boards, other than the fact that they looked like tiny cities
and must be wondrous places where electrons played their mysterious
games. Pulleys, gears belts and motors were more in my personal
vocabulary and therefore more likely to be on my table.
We always had safety glasses on the bench - and mostly always had a
staff person keeping an eye on it to make sure that visitors used the
tools appropriately and wore the glasses.
I felt that learning how to use tools appropriately was an important
part of this exhibit's purpose. I spent hours holding a flashlight for
my dad while he worked on the car. I played with his tools down in the
cellar. These early experiences are probably a big reason why I do what
I do today (which may or may not be a good thing). Kids today get fewer
and fewer of these experiences. So much of what we have around us now
really can't be fixed - you throw stuff away and buy a new one (like I
am about to do with my Epson printer) They often don't even realize that
things can be taken apart. Generations of kids are growing up not
knowing the first thing about using tools.
This is a real loss. I think that facility with tools helps you solve
all kinds of problems. It helps you investigate, explore, form opinions
and find answers. It helps develop a way of thinking about the world and
one way into seeing how it works.
Joe Ruggiero
www.TheExhibitGuys.com
Jonah Cohen wrote:
>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>Howdy n hi. Yet another query about engineering stuff:
>
>
>
>We've been fidgeting with the idea of a program where people would get to
>take tools and take apart various machines (TVs, speakers, pagers, VCRs,
>hard drives etc) and see what's inside. Initial testing looks promising -
>those neodymium magnets in computer hard drives sure are boss!
>
>
>
>But I wanted to consult my more mechanically minded cohorts about the
>potential hazards of this activity. I know that some contraptions have
>capacitors whose charge needs to be drained. It was pointed out to be that
>some devices might also contain hazardous materials one might not want to be
>mucking about with.
>
>
>
>Any safety advice from those who have done this kind of thing?
>
>
>
>Soon to be underwater,
>
>Jonah Cohen
>
>Outreach and Public Programs Manager
>
>The Sci... er... The Children's Museum
>
>
>
>
--
ÐÏࡱá
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