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 and industrial machinery , etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of subject matter and introduced many interactive exhibits. Modern science museums, increasingly referred to as 'science centres' or 'discovery centres', also feature technology .
39-601: Bloomfield Science Museum is a science museum in Jerusalem , established in 1992. The museum is located opposite the Hebrew University of Jerusalem , in the Givat Ram neighborhood. The museum is named for its principal donor, Neri Bloomfield. The museum features indoor and outdoor hands-on exhibits, among them a bubble-making corner in which huge bubbles are produced by chains and sticks. Special events at
78-963: 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), Sweden ( Tom Tits Experiment ), Finland ( Heureka ), and Spain ( Museu de les Ciencies Principe Felipe ). In
117-461: 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 Natalia Pasternak Taschner stated, "I believe that science museums can promote critical thinking, especially in teenagers and young adults, by teaching them about
156-854: A product of the 1960s and later. In the United Kingdom , many were founded as Millennium projects , with funding from the 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, Oppenheimer 's Exploratorium opened in San Francisco , California , and
195-530: A site for the project. In addition, exhibits began to arrive from Munich, Germany, and abroad including collections from the Bavarian Academy . As no dedicated museum building existed, the exhibits were displayed in the National Museum. On 12 November 1906, the temporary exhibits at the National Museum were ceremonially opened to the public and on November 13 the foundation stone was laid for
234-794: Is Ecsite , and in the United Kingdom, the Association of Science and Discovery Centres represents the interests of over 60 major science engagement organisations. 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),
273-487: Is located some 18 kilometres (11 miles) north of Munich's city centre close to Schleißheim Palace . It is based on the premises of one of the first military airbases in Germany founded just before World War I. It comprises the old air control and command centre as well as modern buildings added in the late 2000s after strong endorsement from Franz Josef Strauss, former prime minister of the state of Bavaria (1978 to 1988), who
312-452: Is the world's largest museum of science and technology , with about 125,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. It receives about 1.5 million visitors per year. The museum was founded on 28 June 1903, at a meeting of the Association of German Engineers (VDI) as an initiative of Oskar von Miller . It is the largest museum in Munich. For a period of time the museum
351-704: The 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.) The modern interactive science museum appears to have been pioneered by Munich's Deutsches Museum (German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology) in
390-427: The mission statements of science centres and modern museums may vary, they are commonly places that make science accessible and encourage the excitement of discovery. 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,
429-477: The 1903 meeting of the Society of German Engineers, Oskar von Miller gathered a small group who supported his desire to found a science and technology museum. In a showing of support this group spontaneously donated 260,000 marks to the cause and elected a "Provisional Committee" to get the ball rolling. In June 1903, Prince Ludwig agreed to act as patron of the museum and the city of Munich donated Coal Island as
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#1732776806495468-594: The 1950s and 1960s is unique. A range of Vietnam era fighter planes as well as Russian planes taken over from East Germany after the reunification are on display. This outstation also features a workshop dedicated to the restoration of all types of airplanes intended for static display. In 2003, the Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum was opened. Located at Theresienhöhe in Munich it focuses on transportation technology. The branch located in Bonn
507-476: The 1960s. In August 1969, the Apollo 8 space capsule was shown in a special exhibit entitled "Man and Space" and in 1970 the first full-time director, Theo Stillger, was appointed. In the 1970s the mission statement of the museum was modified to encourage the explanation of the cultural significance of science and technology in exhibits. The early 1980s saw severe damage to several exhibits due to arson resulting in
546-561: The Bavarian Government gave buildings at the historic Theresienhöhe site in Munich to the Deutsches Museum resulting in the creation of the new transportation museum, the Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum, which opened in 2003 and now houses the road vehicle and train exhibits that were removed from the original Deutsches Museum site. The Theresienhöhe quarter is a new area on the edge of the inner city of Munich, and
585-736: The College of Technology and the Post Office used museum space as their own buildings were being reconstructed. The Museum was also home to the Central Committee of the Liberated Jews , representing Jewish displaced persons in the American Zone of Germany after the war, as well as to UNRRA that operated a camp for displaced persons and later an International University with over 2000 students. In November 1945,
624-1045: 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 Delhi , Bhopal , Nagpur and Ranchi . There are also a number of private Science Centres, including the Birla Science Museum and The Science Garage in Hyderabad. Deutsches Museum The Deutsches Museum ( German Museum , officially Deutsches Museum von Meisterwerken der Naturwissenschaft und Technik (English: German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology )) in Munich , Germany,
663-942: 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. The new-style museums banded together for mutual support. In 1971, 16 museum directors gathered to discuss
702-639: 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 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 and Japan 's Minato Science Museum . Museums that brand themselves as science centres emphasise
741-424: 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. The Ampère Museum , close to Lyon,
780-474: The electrical technology exhibition at the Glaspalast in Munich. In 1883 he joined AEG and founded an engineering office in Munich. The Frankfurt electricity exhibition in 1891 and several power plants contributed to the reputation of Oskar von Miller. In the early years, the exhibition and the collection of the Deutsches Museum were strongly influenced personally by Oskar von Miller. A few months before
819-662: The experience by publishing 'Cookbooks' that explain how to construct versions of the Exploratorium's exhibits. The Ontario Science Centre , which opened in September 1969, continued the trend of featuring interactive exhibits rather than static displays. In 1973, the first Omnimax cinema opened at the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center in San Diego's Balboa Park. The tilted-dome Space Theater doubled as
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#1732776806495858-632: The island and, after the flooding of 1899, the buildings were rebuilt with flood protection. In 1903 the city council announced that they would donate the island for the newly built Deutsches Museum. The island formerly known as Kohleninsel (coal island) was then renamed Museumsinsel. In addition to the main site on the Museumsinsel , the museum has two branches in and near Munich, one in Bonn , and one in Nuremberg . The Flugwerft Schleißheim branch
897-651: The library was able to reopen, followed by the congress hall in January 1946. A special exhibit on fifty years of the Diesel engine opened in October 1947 and the regular exhibits began reopening in May 1948. Not until 1965, more than twenty years after the end of the war in Germany, did the exhibit area match (and then exceed) pre-war size. During the 1950s, the museum focused on natural sciences rather than technology and many of
936-457: The museum displays are backed up by documents available in a public library and archives, which are open seven days a week to ensure access to the working public. Before and during World War II the museum was put on a shoestring budget by the Nazi party and many exhibits were allowed to get out of date with a few exceptions such as the new automobile room dedicated on 7 May 1937. By the end of 1944
975-510: The museum include programs on science-related topics, such as biomedical research, in which the public is invited to meet stem cell researchers and discuss the ethical issues involved. A special night science program sponsored by the European Union has been held at the museum for several years. 31°46′41″N 35°12′02″E / 31.77806°N 35.20056°E / 31.77806; 35.20056 Science museum While
1014-456: The museum was badly damaged by air bombings with 80% of the buildings and 20% of the exhibits damaged or destroyed. As Allied troops marched into Munich in April 1945, museum director, Karl Bässler, barely managed to keep the last standing bridge to Museum Island from being blown up by retreating German troops. Following the war the museum had to be closed for repairs and temporary tenants, such as
1053-656: The museum works closely with the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas). 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. More science museums developed during the Industrial Revolution , when great national exhibitions showcased
1092-466: The permanent museum. The first name of the museum, the "German Museum for Masterpieces of Natural Science and Technology", was not meant to limit the museum to German advances in science and technology, but to express the importance of science and technology to the German people. Oskar von Miller opened the new museum on his 70th birthday, 2 May 1925, after a delay of almost ten years. From the beginning,
1131-544: 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
1170-705: The predecessors of modern natural history museums. In 1683, the first purpose-built museum covering natural philosophy , the original Ashmolean museum (now called the Museum of the History of Science) in Oxford , England, was opened, although its scope was mixed. This was followed in 1752 by the first dedicated science museum, the Museo de Ciencias Naturales , in Madrid , which almost did not survive Francoist Spain . Today,
1209-618: The scientific method and the process of science, and how by using this to develop knowledge and technology, we can be less wrong." 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. 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
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1248-565: The smallest exhibit space of 34,140 square meters (8½ acres). This was followed by an extensive reconstruction effort and additional building bringing the total exhibit space to 55,000 square meters (13½ acres) by 1993. The 1980s and '90s also brought agreements with the Science Centre in Bonn and the government resulting in the creation of Deutsches Museum Bonn and the Flugwerft Schleißheim airfield exhibit. In 1996,
1287-594: 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'. Museum of Jurassic Technology , Introduction & Background, p. 2. As early as the Renaissance period, 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 cabinets of curiosities . Such collections were
1326-593: The traditional large exhibits, such as civil engineering, were reduced in size to make way for more modern technological advances. At a speech on the donation of a Opel RAK 2 rocket-car replica to the Deutsches Museum, rocket pioneer Fritz von Opel summarized the history of rocketry ("Ein Pionier des Raketenantriebs berichtet", April 3, 1968) beginning with ancient rocket technologies over the world's first rocket program Opel RAK , initiated by Max Valier , Friedrich Wilhelm Sander and himself, to NASA's space missions of
1365-636: 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
1404-461: Was a passionate flyer. The Flugwerft Schleißheim displays various interesting airplanes for which there was insufficient room at the Museumsinsel site in downtown Munich. Among the more prominent exhibits is a Horten flying wing glider built in the 1940s, restored from the few surviving parts. A collection of the German constructions of VTOL (vertical take off and landing) planes developed in
1443-647: Was also used to host pop and rock concerts including The Who , Jimi Hendrix and Elton John . The main site of the Deutsches Museum is a small island in the Isar river, which had been used for rafting wood since the Middle Ages. The island did not have any buildings before 1772 because it was regularly flooded prior to the building of the Sylvensteinspeicher . In 1772 the Isar barracks were built on
1482-768: Was created in 1931 and is the first interactive scientific museum in France. Chicago's 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
1521-517: Was opened in 1995 and focuses on German technology, science and research after 1945. The latest opening of a branch was the Deutsches Museum Nuremberg - "Das Zukunftsmuseum", in September 2021. It focuses on future technology and its impact on humans and society. Oskar von Miller studied electrical engineering and is otherwise known for building the first high voltage line from Miesbach to Munich (57 km) in 1882 for
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