Editing Science museum

{{Short description|Museum devoted primarily to science}}
{{About|the type of museum|institutions named Science Museum|Science Museum (disambiguation)|a list of science museums|List of science museums}}

[[File:Science Museum of Virginia 20070916.jpg|thumb|Entrance to the [[Science Museum of Virginia]] ]]

A '''science museum''' is a [[museum]] devoted primarily to [[science]]. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to [[natural history]], [[paleontology]], [[geology]], [[Industry (manufacturing)|industry]] and [[Outline of industrial machinery|industrial machinery]], etc. Modern trends in [[museology]] have broadened the range of subject matter and introduced many [[Interactivity|interactive]] exhibits. Modern science museums, increasingly referred to as 'science centres' or 'discovery centres', also feature [[technology]].

While the [[mission statement]]s of science centres and modern museums may vary, they are commonly places that make science accessible and encourage the excitement of discovery.

{{quote box|bgcolor=#CCDDFF|align=right|width=25%
|quote=The public museum as understood today is a collection of specimens and other objects of interest to the scholar, the man of science as well as the more casual visitor, arranged and displayed in accordance with the scientific method. In its original sense, the term 'museum' meant a spot dedicated to the muses - 'a place where man's mind could attain a mood of aloofness above everyday affairs'.|source=[[Museum of Jurassic Technology]], Introduction & Background, p.&nbsp;2.}}

==History==
As early as the [[Renaissance]] period, [[Aristocracy|aristocrats]] collected curiosities for display. Universities, and in particular [[medical schools]], also maintained study collections of specimens for their students. Scientists and collectors displayed their finds in private [[Cabinet of curiosities|cabinets of curiosities]]. Such collections were the predecessors of modern natural history museums.

In 1683, the first purpose-built museum covering [[natural philosophy]], the [[Museum of the History of Science, Oxford|original Ashmolean museum]] (now called the Museum of the History of Science) in [[Oxford, UK|Oxford]], England, was opened, although its scope was mixed.{{clarify|date=November 2023}}{{R|MHS}}

This was followed in 1752 by the first dedicated science museum, the [[Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales|Museo de Ciencias Naturales]], in [[Madrid]], which almost did not survive [[Francoist Spain]]. Today, the museum works closely with the [[Spanish National Research Council]] (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas).{{R|EMdCM}}

The Utrecht University Museum, established in 1836, and the Netherlands' foremost research museum, displays an extensive collection of 18th-century animal and human "rarities" in its original setting.{{R|Utrecht}}

More science museums developed during the [[Industrial Revolution]], when great national exhibitions showcased the triumphs of both science and industry. An example is the [[Great Exhibition]] in 1851 at [[The Crystal Palace]], London, England, surplus items from which contributed to the [[Science Museum, London]], founded in 1857.

In the United States of America, various natural history Societies established collections in the early 19th century. These later evolved into museums. A notable example is the New England Museum of Natural History (now the [[Museum of Science, Boston|Museum of Science]]) which opened in [[Boston]] in 1864. Another was the [[Academy of Science, St. Louis]], founded in 1856, the first scientific organisation west of the Mississippi. (Although the organisation managed scientific collections for several decades, a formal museum was not created until the mid-20th century.)

==Modern science museums==
[[File:Μουσείο Arktikum (φανταστικό ^^^) - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The [[Arktikum Science Museum]] in [[Rovaniemi]], [[Finland]]]]
The modern interactive science museum appears to have been pioneered by Munich's [[Deutsches Museum]] (German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology) in the early 20th century. This museum had moving exhibits where visitors were encouraged to push buttons and work levers. The concept was taken to the United States by [[Julius Rosenwald]], chairman of [[Sears, Roebuck and Company]], who visited the Deutsches Museum with his young son in 1911. He was so captivated by the experience that he decided to build a similar museum in his home town.{{R|"MSI"}} The [[Ampère Museum]], close to Lyon, was created in 1931 and is the first interactive scientific museum in France. Chicago's [[Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)|Museum of Science and Industry]] opened in phases between 1933 and 1940.

In 1959, the Museum of Science and Natural History (now the [[Saint Louis Science Center]]) was formally created by the Academy of Science of Saint Louis, featuring many interactive science and history exhibits, and in August 1969, [[Frank Oppenheimer]] dedicated his new [[Exploratorium]] in [[San Francisco]] almost completely to interactive science exhibits, building on the experience by publishing 'Cookbooks' that explain how to construct versions of the Exploratorium's exhibits.{{R|cookbook}} 

The [[Ontario Science Centre]], which opened in September 1969, continued the trend of featuring interactive exhibits rather than static displays.

In 1973, the first [[Imax|Omnimax]] cinema opened at the [[Reuben H. Fleet Science Center|Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center]] in San Diego's Balboa Park. The tilted-dome Space Theater doubled as a [[planetarium]]. The Science Centre was an exploratorium-style museum included as a small part of the complex. This combination of interactive science museum, planetarium and Omnimax theater pioneered a configuration that many major science museums now follow.

Also in 1973, the [[Association of Science-Technology Centers]] (ASTC) was founded as an international organisation to provide a collective voice, professional support, and programming opportunities for science centres, museums and related institutions.

The massive [[Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie]] (City of Science and Industry) opened in Paris in 1986, and national centres soon followed in Denmark (Experimentarium),{{R|Exp}} Sweden ([[Tom Tits Experiment]]), Finland ([[Heureka]]), and Spain ([[Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe|Museu de les Ciencies Principe Felipe]]). In the United Kingdom, the first interactive centres also opened in 1986 on a modest scale, with further developments more than a decade later, funded by the [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]] for projects to celebrate the [[Millennium]].

Since the 1990s, science museums and centres have been created or greatly expanded in Asia. Examples are [[Thailand]]'s [[National Science Museum (Thailand)|National Science Museum]] and [[Japan]]'s Minato Science Museum{{R|Minato}}.

<gallery>
File:Mcdonnell planetarium slsc.jpg|The [[Saint Louis Science Center]]'s James S. McDonnell Planetarium
File:AHHAA.jpg|[[AHHAA|Science Centre AHHAA]] in [[Tartu]], [[Estonia]]
File:Vantaa-heureka.jpg|[[Heureka|Heureka Science Centre]] in [[Tikkurila]], [[Vantaa]], [[Finland]]
File:California Science Center (8089345453).jpg|upright|Space exhibit at the [[California Science Center]]
File:Science Museum London 1110466 nevit.jpg|Interactive exhibit at the [[Science Museum London]]
</gallery>

==Science centres==
{{redirect|Science center|the future Toronto subway station|Science Centre station
|a complex of science research institutes located in close vicinity to each other|Research institute}}
{{See also|List of science centers}}
[[File:Cloud chamber as science for general public.jpg|thumb|[[Cloud chamber]]s are very popular among science centres in explanation of [[radioactivity]]. Cloud chambers are able to visualise otherwise [[invisible]] [[particles]] of [[radiation]], thus allowing [[general public]] to grasp theoretical concepts in practice.]]
Museums that brand themselves as ''science centres'' emphasise a hands-on approach, featuring interactive exhibits that encourage visitors to experiment and explore.

Recently, there has been a push for science museums to be more involved in science communication and educating the public about the scientific process. Microbiologist and science communicator [[Wikipedia|Natalia Pasternak Taschner]] stated, "I believe that science museums can promote critical thinking, especially in teenagers and young adults, by teaching them about the scientific method and the process of science, and how by using this to develop knowledge and technology, we can be less wrong."<ref>{{cite web |title=Science Museums and Critical Thinking |url=https://blog.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/science-museums-and-critical-thinking/ |website=Science Museum Group |date=21 May 2024 |access-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref>

[[Urania (Berlin)|Urania]] was a science centre founded in [[Berlin]] in 1888. Most of its exhibits were destroyed during World War II, as were those of a range of German technical museums.{{R|DTB}} The Academy of Science of Saint Louis (founded in 1856) created the Saint Louis Museum of Science and Natural History in 1959 ([[Saint Louis Science Center]]), but generally science centres are a product of the 1960s and later. In the [[United Kingdom]], many were founded as [[Millennium Commission|Millennium projects]], with funding from the [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lotteries Fund]].

The first 'science centre' in the United States was the [[Science Center of Pinellas]] County, founded in 1959. The [[Pacific Science Center]] (one of the first large organisations to call itself a 'science centre' rather than a museum), opened in a [[Seattle World's Fair]] building in 1962.

In 1969, [[Frank Oppenheimer|Oppenheimer]]'s [[Exploratorium]] opened in [[San Francisco]], [[California]], and the Ontario Science Centre opened near [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada. By the early 1970s, [[COSI Columbus]], then known as the Center of Science and Industry in [[Columbus, Ohio]], had run its first 'camp-in'.

In 1983, the [[Smithsonian Institution]] invited visitors to the Discovery Room in the newly opened [[National Museum of Natural History]] [[Museum Support Center]] in [[Suitland, Maryland]], where they could touch and handle formerly off-limits specimens.{{R|Discovery}}

The new-style museums banded together for mutual support. In 1971, 16 museum directors gathered to discuss the possibility of starting a new association; one more specifically tailored to their needs than the existing American Association of Museums (now the [[American Alliance of Museums]]). As a result of this, the [[Association of Science-Technology Centers]] was formally established in 1973, headquartered in Washington DC, but with an international organisational membership.

The corresponding European organisation is Ecsite{{R|Ecsite}}, and in the United Kingdom, the Association of Science and Discovery Centres represents the interests of over 60 major science engagement organisations.{{R|ASDC}} The [[Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres]] (ASPAC) is an association initiated in 1997 with over 50 members from 20 countries across Asia and Australia (2022). Their regional sister organisations are the Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology in Latin America and The Caribbean (RedPOP), the North Africa and Middle East science centres (NAMES), and the Southern African Association of Science and Technology Centres (SAASTEC). In India, the [[National Council of Science Museums]] runs science centres at several places including [[National Science Centre, Delhi|Delhi]], [[Regional Science Centre, Bhopal|Bhopal]], [[Raman Science Centre|Nagpur]] and [[Ranchi Science Centre|Ranchi]]. There are also a number of private Science Centres, including the [[Birla Science Museum]] and The Science Garage in Hyderabad.{{R|SciGar}}

==See also==
* [[List of science museums]]
* [[Science education]]
* [[Science festival]]
* [[Science outreach]]
* [[Physics Outreach]]
* [[List of natural history museums]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="MHS">{{cite journal |last=Fox |first=Robert | date=January 2006 |title=The history of science, medicine and technology at Oxford |journal=[[Notes and Records of the Royal Society]] |volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=69–83 |doi=10.1098/rsnr.2005.0129|pmid=17153170 |doi-access= }}</ref>

<ref name="EMdCM">[http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/06/01/ciencia/1180686767.html El Museo de Ciencias Naturales alerta de su 'colapso por falta de espacio' | elmundo.es<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

<ref name="Utrecht">{{Cite web|title=Utrecht University Museum|url=https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/university-museum|website=Utrecht University}}</ref>

<ref name="MSI">{{Cite web|title=Museum of Science and Industry|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/859.html#:~:text=The%20museum%20chose%20as%20its,renovation%2C%20which%20began%20in%201929.|access-date=30 March 2021|website=Encyclopedia of Chicago}}</ref>

<ref name="cookbook">{{Cite web|date=30 March 2021|title=Exploratorium Cookbook Set, Volumes I, II and III|url=https://www.exploratoriumstore.com/products/exploratorium-cookbook-set#:~:text=The%20Exploratorium%20Cookbooks%20deliver%20everything,color%2C%20mechanics%2C%20and%20more.|website=Exploratorium Store}}</ref>

<ref name="Exp">{{Cite web|date=31 March 2021|title=Experimentarium|url=https://www.experimentarium.dk/en/|website=Experimentarium}}</ref>

<ref name="Minato">{{Cite web|date=31 March 2021|title=Minato Science Museum|url=https://minato-kagaku.tokyo/english/|website=Minato Science Museum}}</ref>

<ref name="DTB">{{Cite web|date=30 March 2021|title=Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin|url=https://www.zeuthen.desy.de/CHEP97/museum.htm|website=Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin}}</ref>

<ref name="Discovery">{{Cite web|date=31 March 2021|title=Smithsonian History|url=https://siarchives.si.edu/history/national-museum-natural-history|website=Smithsonian Institution Archives}}</ref>

<ref name="Ecsite">{{Cite web|date=31 March 2021|title=ecsite|url=https://www.ecsite.eu/|website=ecsite}}</ref>

<ref name="ASDC">{{Cite web|date=31 March 2021|title=The Association for Science and Discovery Centres|url=https://www.sciencecentres.org.uk/|website=The Association for Science and Discovery Centres}}</ref>

<ref name="SciGar">{{Cite web|date=31 March 2021|title=The Science Garage|url=http://sciencegarage.in/|website=The Science Garage {{!}} Walden Ecoversity}}</ref>

}}

==General references==

* Kaushik, R.,1996, "Effectiveness of Indian science centres as learning environments : a study of educational objectives in the design of museum experiences", Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Leicester, UK
* Kaushik, R.,1996, "Non-science-adult-visitors in science centres: what is there for them to do?", ''Museological Review'', Vol. 2, No. 1, p.&nbsp;72–84.
* Kaushik, R.,1996, "Health matters in science museums: a review" in Pearce, S. (ed.) ''New Research in Museum Studies'', Vol. 6, Athlone Press, London/Atlantic Highlands, p.&nbsp;186–193.
* Kaushik, R.,1997, "Attitude development in science museums/centres", in ''Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science'', Vol. 40, No. 2, p.&nbsp;1–12.

==Further reading==
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle= Museums of Science |volume= 19 | pages = 64&ndash;69 |last1= Holland |first1= William Jacob |author-link= William Jacob Holland }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Science museums}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Science Museum}}
[[Category:Science museums| ]]
[[Category:Types of museums]]