THE SCIENCE PLACE

Teachers seem to find science centres such great motivators for pupils (and
themselves), that a school seems a good location for such an activity. In the
search for such a project to include in this book we obviously hit on the right
people. Glenn Leto and Christopher Chiaverina responded quickly to our
request for information and have highlighted the value of constructing
interactive exhibits as a problem solving exercise for students. Words like
'intrigued' and even 'obsessed' describe the students' zeal.
The development of exhibits to unlock creativity in pupils is seldom
mentioned and yet it must be a powerful tool for a teacher to have at his or
her disposal. Leto and Chiaverina draw freely from exhibits described in the
Exploratorium's Cookbook to provide the basic ideas from which the exhibits
were made, but they emphasise the need for problem solving with these
exhibits. Other groups have started in this way; somehow knowing
beforehand that there are exhibits which work and to which the visitor
responds, gives a great boost to a project and injects confidence to branch
out and develop new ideas.

Location: Currently setting up new location. Originally sited

at Woodland School, Carpentersville, Illinois 60110,
USA

Date opened: November 1981

Floor area: 250sq m

Number of exhibits: 75

Number of staff: 2 permanent

2 part time volunteers

Number of visitors: 300-400 per day

approx 30:1 child:adult ratio

Opening times: Not yet open at new location. Previous times were
Weekdays 9-3 or by appointment

Entrance fees: $3 adults

$1.50 children

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Glenn K Leto and Christopher J Chiaverina
Glenn Leto is a member of the National
Science Teachers Association, the National
Association of Biology Teachers and the
American Association of Physics Teachers.
He has written extensively for scientific
publications and is the co-author of 'Physics'
1986. He is currently teaching biology at
Barrington High School, Illinois.

Christopher Chiaverina is a physics teacher

with 17 years teaching experience. He has
written several articles on physics and
physics education and has served on the
editorial board of The Physics Teacher'. He is
also the co-author of 'Physics', 1986

^^^^^^^'
^Ks

The duck-in kaleidoscope where even one is a crowd.

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THE SCIENCE PLACE

'It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern

methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the
holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside
from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without
this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail. It is a very grave
mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching
can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty' -
Albert Einstein.

Science is a method we employ to perceive our environment.

This particular method is employed because it consistently,
although not always, provides us with a perception in our
minds that is a faithful representation of reality. Science is a
participatory experience in which the individual interacts with
the phenomena being studied. A scientist, whether a profes-
sional, an amateur or a student, is an explorer searching for
new horizons to experience and to cross.
True exploration is a creative process in which new ideas
evolve from pre-existing knowledge. Just as Cook and Cortez
were guided by the explorations of Columbus, the explorer
scientist moves into new territory aided by the discoveries of
his predecessors. Yet, because of the very nature of science,
this experience is difficult to provide to large numbers of
students within the curricular confines of the traditional
classroom. Since its inception in 1981 The Science Place has
given more than 10,000 visitors of all ages the opportunity to
act as explorers in the world of natural phenomena.
In an attempt to touch our community with this feeling of
mental exploration, we have undertaken the development of
an interactive, participatory science centre. The Science
Place. Frank Oppenheimer, in his San Francisco based
Exploratorium, has created the ultimate example of such a
science centre. The Exploratorium provides numerous ex-
hibits which act as props demanding the interaction of the
observer, prompting thought, stimulating curiosity and pos-
ing questions. This interaction leads the observer ever deeper
into the mental arena of contemplating natural phenomena.
Oppenheimer and his staff have created the Exploratorium,
not only as a science centre, but also as an example to be
used in the development of similar learning centres through-
out the world. The Science Place, produced by high school
students, consists of over 60 hands-on science exhibits which
provide a much reduced but comparable experience.
The Science Place is an on-going project of our science
club. We feel that this is a unique opportunity for our club
members to gain creative problem-solving experience and it
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has long been recognised that teaching others is one of the

best ways to increase your own understanding. The creative
opportunity inherent in exhibit development is apparent, but
we feel that our visitors should also be included in the
creative endeavour. The club members take responsibility for
the development of exhibits which, after introducing the
phenomena, allow the visitors the freedom to explore. An
ideal exhibit not only presents a simple demonstration of
phenomena but it provides sufficient latitude to investigate
unique questions and pursue answers. This has been one of
the guiding principles in the development of The Science
Place.

Some exhibits
The Polarised Light Table, Coloured Shadows and Newton's
Cradle provide examples for visitor interaction, creative
potential and concept development at The Science Place.
Five in-line bowling balls suspended by cables form
Newton's Cradle. A familiar table-top toy was the inspiration
for this large scale device which provides the visitor with the

A large-scale Newton's Cradle made from bowling alley balls

suspended on cables.
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necessary tools for exploring momentum and energy. Usual-

ly, without reading the directions, a visitor is enticed to lift a
ball and release it to discover what will happen. After this
initial contact, even the youngest begins to question why the
intervening balls remain stationary while the outermost ball
springs outward. This experience leads the visitor to investi-
gate the phenomena through experimentation with various
combinations of balls.
When viewed on the Polarised Light Table, transparent
materials manifest their optical activity in a brilliant display of
colour. This exhibit provides a brief explanation of the
phenomenon and then allows the visitor to manipulate such
variables as the type of material, orientation of polarisation
and the nature of the light source. Especially intriguing to
younger visitors is the potential inherent in this device for
producing multicoloured works-of art using cellophane tape
as a medium.
Coloured Shadows provides numerous opportunities for
the visitor to establish and test personal hypotheses through
experimentation. A student is initially intrigued by a light on a
wall. As the student steps between the lamps and the wall he
is often startled by the discovery that he casts a multitude of
coloured shadows.
Not every exhibit in a science museum can act as the
catalyst for propelling the visitor into a creative mental
exploration. Collectively, exhibits must serve many purposes.
An exhibit may simply be an experience to enjoy, as is a work
of art or a toy. An exhibit may serve to communicate
information that enhances other exhibits or adds'to the
knowledge base of the visitor.
Some exhibits serve only as a demonstration of phe-
nomena because expense, space, time and/or safety con-
straints may limit the creative potential that can be built into
them. Experiences such as these form an integral part of The
Science Place because we feel that they tend to enhance the
creative potential of exhibits. An example is the exhibit
'Everyone is You and Me', which, though it does not provide
extensive opportunities for creative involvement, it does
convey scientific principles in an interactive and playful
manner. Based on the laws of reflection, this simple exhibit is
capable of producing startling results. Sitting on opposite
sides of a plate of window glass, two participants adjust the
intensity of spotlights shining on their faces. When just the
right amount of reflected light and transmitted light is
achieved, one operator will observe a rather fantastic sight -
an eerie composite of two faces. After experiencing 'Every-
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'Everyone is You
and Me'. Visitors
sit each side of a
half silvered
mirror. Changing
the light level
transforms the
reflection of one
into the face of
the other. An
uncanny
experience.

one is You and Me', one amazed visitor dubbed the device
'The Genetic Engineering Machine'.
While some exhibits in The Science Place are merely copies
of works found in other museums, there is ample opportunity
for the student builder to become part of the creative process.
Due to the financial, technological and space limitations
imposed on The Science Place, even faithful reproductions of
exhibits generally require some degree of creative problem-
solving on the part of the student developers.
Initially, the Exploratorium's 'Grey Step' exhibit appears to
consist of a large grey rectangle divided in half by a shaggy
rope. But, when the rope is lifted, the rectangle is seen to be
made of two distinctly shaded squares, one noticeably darker
than the other. Intrigued by this description, one student
decided to construct this exhibit. He began by trying to paint
the two squares with various shades of grey. Due to critical
parameters involved in demonstrating the phenomena of
lateral inhibition, his efforts were to no avail. Just as despair
was about to set in, he had an idea; why not produce the
shades of grey photographically. His solution to the problem
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resulted in the production of seven adjacent grey steps

instead of two. He found that a dowel rod of any colour, a
pencil, or even a finger would obscure the boundary between
any two shades of grey making them indistinguishable.
After a visit to the Exploratorium one of our students was
so impressed with their 4001b Resonant Pendulum that he
became obsessed with constructing one for The Science
Place. The problems inherent in building, much less support-
ing and transporting, such a massive device was obvious.
How to construct the pendulum bob? Since at that time we
could not attach the cable to the ceiling, what could be used
to support the 4001b weight? And finally, how could the
weight be easily transported?
In probably one of the most creative and imaginative
approaches to problem solving we have witnessed during
our involvement with The Science Place, the student arrived
at a viable solution to all of the problems. He decided that the
pendulum bob would consist of four cylindrical concrete
discs supported by a steel core and base. This would ensure
ease of construction as well as portability. To support the
pendulum, he designed and constructed a wooden structure
that was not only sufficiently strong but also could be
dismantled for transport.
The student involved in the development of this exhibit had
little or no experience in carpentry, steel or design skills. He
sought expert advice when appropriate but the design and
construction of this exhibit was essentially his. The fact that
this exhibit has been used for three years by approximately
10,000 visitors is a testimonial to the soundness of his
creative endeavour.
The aims of The Science Place
While we feel that the development of The Science Place is an
exceptional educational experience for its student designers,
this is not the primary reason for its existence. The Science
Place presents our school district with a unique opportunity
to deal with two significant problems which plague modern
science education: that students often feel intimidated by the
subject and that they have insufficient exposure to concrete
examples of phenomena prior to the development of abstract
concepts.
According to Mallow and Greenburg, '. . . these students
often create a self-fulfilling prophecy and do poorly in
science; or they may avoid science at all costs to avoid the
painful anxiety which they associate with it'. This situation is
so acute that science anxiety clinics have been established to
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deal with the problem. The Science Place is an attempt to

generate a positive attitude towards science and to help
alleviate science anxiety by presenting interactive exhibits in
a non-threatening environment. While fun is not a goal of
science education. The Science Place gives the visitor the
opportunity to explore science in an atmosphere that is less
structured and more play-like than can be achieved in the
traditional classroom.
It is the second goal of The Science Place to provide the
student and teacher with props to be used to generate
concrete examples of scientific phenomena. Our science
centre provides the visitor with these concrete examples.
Whether a visitor encounters live fish that appear to be made
of glass or a giant swinging pendulum, the exhibit provides
the concrete example that is the necessary first step in the
development of more abstract concepts; a concrete example
which is not always easily achieved in every traditional
classroom.
In addition to dealing with these two very important
problems, our faculty has used The Science Place as a
resource in developing concepts germane to other disci-
plines. During the past two years members of the English, Art
and Technology Departments have found uses for The
Science Place within the curriculum. Our exhibits have been
used as a basis for speeches and pieces of creative writing.

The Bernoulli
blower. A ball is
drawn into the
airflow from a
blower by the
Bernoulli effect
and held aloft.
Plans for the
blower can be
found in the
'Cookbook'
available from
the
Exploratorium.

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THE SCIENCE PLACE

Rather than building a shoebox according to the plans

supplied by the teacher, some technology students have
taken on the task of working from concepts to produce
exhibits that communicate ideas. We are coming to see that
The Science Place is not only a unique source of motivation
within the student body but that it can also be an exceptional
resource for interdisciplinary interaction both within the high
school and between various levels of the school district.
Each of our exhibits allows the visitor to delve into natural
phenomena to a level appropriate to their age and education-
al background. While many visitors may be experiencing a
phenomenon for the first time. The Science Place also
provides the serious student with the opportunity to experi-
ment in a more sophisticated way.
We feel that the 'delicate little plant' comprised of 'the holy
curiosity of inquiry' can be nurtured within the environment
of The Science Place. The sights and sounds of The Science
Place draw the visitor into our mental amusement park where
the student not only touches the exhibits but is touched by
them.

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