ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Kathy,
On a similar note (pun intended), the Denver Art Museum has musical sinks in
some of their restrooms. When water runs down the drain it triggers a
recording of people singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".
Cheers,
Susan
------------------------------------------------
Susan Van Gundy
Director of Education and Outreach
National Science Digital Library
P.O. Box 3000
Boulder, CO 80307
PH: 303-497-2946
FAX: 303-497-8336
[log in to unmask]
http://nsdl.org
NSDL: the National Science Foundation's online library of resources for
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kathleen Krafft
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 11:13 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: musical staircase exhibit
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
****************************************************************************
*
I was contacted by a chemistry professor who would like to include a musical
staircase in a new college science building. Our Sciencenter musical
staircase is based on your motion through space and uses an overhead camera
& computer, but he wants to be able to "play" notes and explore musical
scales, etc.
I told him I'd forward his request to the listserve. See following message
below, which includes his email address if you'd like to reply directly.
Thanks!
Kathy Krafft
Director of Exhibits
Sciencenter, Ithaca NY
-----
St. Olaf College is in the planning stage for a new science building. Being
a
college with strong music, science, and math programs (among others...), and
being a violinist myself, it occurred to me that it would be a neat idea to
install in this new building an interactive science/music/math display. My
idea
is a musical staircase. I've seen a wonderful example of this at the Science
Museum of Minnesota, and I've talked with several people - Larry Ralph at
the
Boston Museum of Science, John Bowditch at the Anne Arbor Hands-On Science
Museum, Kathy Krafft at the Sciencenter (Ithaca, NY), among others.
Kathy suggested I contact this list and ask what people know about such
installations, what suggestions they might have, what they think it should
cost,
etc. Really, any comments you have regarding this idea would be greatly
appreciated.
Parameters include:
Timeframe: We're about 2-3 years to construction.
Context: Building plan is roughed out only, but includes a nice central
two-floor atrium with staircase. I don't know how many steps, but if I had
88,
I'd use them all.
Capabilities: We have superb cabnetry carpenters here on campus, I'm pretty
computer-savvy, we have a great electronic services division with lots of
know-how.
Funds: I'll probably have to fund this myself, unless you have a better
idea.
Ideas: So far my idea is to modify an electronic keyboard (Yamaha
clavinova?)
and use infrared beams on individual channels tying into the action of a
keyboard.
Comments? Suggestions? Wild ideas?
Thank you,
Bob Hanson
-
Robert M. Hanson, [log in to unmask], 507-646-3107
Professor of Chemistry, St. Olaf College
1520 St. Olaf Ave., Northfield, MN 55057
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/hansonr
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
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To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
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