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This is why I like this list so much and why it has stayed so active.   
That is a great post David.  Straight up and experienced.

Thanks!

Eric Siegel
Director and Chief Content Officer
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Queens, NY 11368
(718) 699 - 0005 x 317
www.nyscience.org
esiegel at nyscience dot org

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On Aug 21, 2009, at 12:00 PM, David Savory wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Here's a cautionary thought coming from someone who curates a  
> gallery with a laser maze in it (me): the coolness factor of lasers  
> and the difficulty maintaining that coolness is unrelated to any  
> learning outcome usually associated with them. We think we're using  
> lasers in a laser maze to teach people about total internal  
> reflection or Snell's law but everything we do to make the exhibit  
> interesting to look at is related to the scattering of  
> monochromatic, coherent light by suspended particles. There are lots  
> of critical angle-type exhibits that are cheap to build, easy to  
> maintain and don't use lasers at all. The whole laser story is best  
> told with a presentation rather than an exhibit in my opinion.
>
> David Savory
> Community Extensions Program Developer and Exhibit Curator
> Science World British Columbia
> TELUS World of Science
> 1455 Quebec Street
> Vancouver, BC
> Canada V6A 3Z7
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> t: 604.443.7561
> f: 604.443.7434
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> organization which engages British Columbians in science and  
> inspires future science and technology leadership throughout our  
> province.
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> This e-mail may be privileged and confidential. Any unauthorized use  
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>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Informal Science Education Network [mailto:[log in to unmask] 
> ] On Behalf Of Jon Haavie
> Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009 12:53 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Laser, mirrors and smoke! How to make it work?
>
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and  
> related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Hi,
>
> We have made a sort of laser labyrinth, with adjustable mirrors and  
> smoke. The smoke is used in order for the users to see the laser,  
> the mirrors are used to direct the laser throgh the labyrint. But  
> we've hit a couple of snags that have stopped the development. The  
> mirrors get covered with residue form the smoke, so I had to wipe  
> them off every day or so. Even though we mounted an extraction tube  
> on the table, so the smoke would be sucked out.  I know there's  
> different kinds of theatrical smoke, but I've tried a few and they  
> all seem to have the same problem.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Best regards,
>
> Mvh. Jon Haavie
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Prosjektutvikler
> Vitensenteret, Norsk Teknisk Museum
> http://www.tekniskmuseum.no/
> Kjelsåsveien 143, N-0491 Oslo, Norway
> Tlf. +47 22 79 60 77, Mob. +47 93 87 77 63
>
>
>
>
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