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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Hi all,
This is neat project. I told him that we had such staircase and that it runs very well. The college is St. Olof's which has a noted music school. I therefore suggested they consider tying the staircase to a small pipe organ. Then the whole thing could be very grand (a grand staircase?) and fun too. The mechanics behind doing this aren't complicated and the Physics behind pipes is sort of fun. Anyone ever try this? It seems so much classier than oscillators or electronic keyboards.
John Bowditch
> ----------
> From: Kathleen Krafft
> Reply To: Informal Science Education Network
> Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 1:13 PM
> 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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