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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I'm far from expert on this subject (insert your own joke about barely
getting my own brain to function), but I do know that the Arizona Science
Center had (has?) a keen psychology/cogn. sci exhibit. It included the Most
Dastardly Exhibit Component Ever.
Also, for another resource, check this:
http://www.brainsrule.com/partners/plan_expo/index.htm
The things you learn at the ASTC conference.
Jonah Cohen
Outreach & Public Programs Manager
Science Center of Connecticut
"On blind faith they place reliance,
what we need more of is science"
-MC Hawking
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Pearce [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 4:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Mind science in museums
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
****************************************************************************
*
At the Exploratorium weıre working on an NSF funded project to develop
exhibits and programming on the human mind and brain. While a number of
institutions have done exhibitions on psychology, the brain, memory, risk,
perception, etc., psychology and neuroscience still feel like a pretty new
frontier in the museum field, and they certainly have their own special
challenges. A few of these challenges are:
1. Many of the phenomena of the mind and brain are hard to demonstrate in a
"standard" hands-on, stand-alone exhibit.
2. In the culture of science museums staff scientists and exhibits people
are more likely to be specialized in physics and biology, and take more
interest in making exhibits in these areas.
3. Itıs not clear that visitors to science museums are easily amenable to
exhibits whose purpose is to facilitate introspection into their own mental
processes. It may be that, even in common and popular science exhibits, e.g.
visual illusions, visitors perceive the exhibit more as a clever and fun
device than as a window into their own minds. (Weıre designing a research
project to learn more about this.)
4. Cognitive science is a younger discipline than biology or physics, and is
still trying to define its main theories and to establish its framework and
methods. How do we present and explain phenomena whose import and
implications may not be well understood?
5. There is little or no mind/brain science in the curricula of the K-12
institutions that we most typically support, so those who staff our teaching
programs usually donıt have special training in cognitive science.
I donıt mean to paint the situation with too broad a brush, and the above is
certainly not put forward as a complaint. Rather I want to suggest that
museum work on the mind and brain has its own set of challenges, methods,
knowledge base and skill sets, and--perhaps--community of people doing it.
In this spirit Iıd like to find out if there are some folks with special
interest in this area who would like to participate in a loose network for
sharing ideas, knowledge, visitor experiences, resources, and so on. Iım not
sure what forms this network will take, but some obvious, quick, and
not-too-difficult possibilities are shared on-line data bases, periodic
get-togethers (annual ASTC and elsewhere), and blogs. A little further down
the line might be exhibit and research collaborations, museum studies
classes, etc. (Some of these things may already be going on--all the more
reason to spread the word.)
I should mention that when we developed our NSF proposal I scouted around
for some sympathetic souls who might be interested in such a loose network,
and did find a few (y'all know who you are), so I know thereıs some interest
out there.
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