Science Museum Research Articles

A lesson in port citizenship

This article applies the framework of François Hartog’s regime of historicity to a comparative and historical study of three successive maritime museums in postwar Yokohama, Japan. Each museum was operated by the city to educate its citizens about Yokohama’s maritime identity, though through different affectively-laced temporal organizations that reflected evolving conceptions of municipal identity. The article distinguishes between “scientific universalism” in the Marine Science Museum (1961-1988), “romantic futurism” at the Maritime Museum (1989-2009), and “nostalgic presentism” at the Port Museum (2009-). As evidence of each historical regime, the article uses the form and content of exhibits, architectural changes to the museum building, and fieldwork when possible. Over the course of time, the spirit of the museum shifted from the natural sciences to romanticism and, lastly, nostalgia. These museums show how temporality-infused historiography has implications for the politics of identity.

Early virtual science museums: when the technology is not mature

This paper discusses three case studies of early science museum-related websites in the 1990s and early 2000s, when web technology was still relatively new and evolving. The Virtual Museum of Computing (VMoC) was a completely virtual museum, originally produced in 1995 as part of the Virtual Library museums pages (VLmp), an international online museum directory within the WWW Virtual Library, adopted by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The Science Museum in London was one of the first museums in the United Kingdom to have its own web server. The museum hosted an early meeting on web service provision by and for museums, concurrently with an exhibition on the Information Superhighway at the museum in 1995. Exhiblets were launched online in 1998. Ingenious was a multi-site digital collections transformation project, launched as a website in 2003. Virtual Leonardo and Leonardo’s Ideal City were two experiments conducted by the digital team of the Science and Technology Museum of Milan, between 1999 and 2001. The experiment consisted of the creation of a shared online 3D world, namely a reconstruction of the real museum in the first case and a completely imaginary world in the second case. This paper describes the above three case studies from the early World Wide Web and then draws some conclusions, from first-hand experience of developments at the time. We cover both the advantages and the challenges encountered by the various projects and illustrate why they did not necessarily become established, despite promising early results.

Creative Environmental Exhibition: Revealing Insights through Multi-Sensory Museum Experiences and Vignette Analysis for Enhanced Audience Engagement

In an era where an increasing number of people find it challenging to grasp scientifically accurate environmental data, the need for more engaging museum exhibits to convey this information has never been more crucial. This article discusses Daptec Flat Holm which is a data physicalisation technology project on Flat Holm Island, Wales. Flat Holm Island is designated as a site of special scientific interest and is a local nature reserve. This project aims to understand how we might improve people’s engagement with environmental data through a multi-sensory museum exhibit. To achieve this, the project team applied a new creative approach to make the presentation of environmental data more engaging to a diverse science museum audience. Employing a user-centered methodology, this study reveals insights derived from three distinct user experience investigations conducted during the summer of 2022. The main contribution lies in how the researchers have extracted the nuances from the audience reactions and then identified potential audience types, their points of engagement, as well as their challenges. In detail, the findings illustrate how the application of a vignette data analysis technique revealed distinct audience types, including passive observers, active users, engaged ambassadors, disinterested participants, critical friends, and enthusiastic collaborators. In summary, the paper offers recommendations into how we might further engage a broader audience in technology mediated environmental museum exhibitions.

SiLiBA: Building the geological chert lithotheque

Lithotheques collect and exhibit raw material used by human communities for the manufacturing of objects during the Prehistory and represents an important tool of their knowledge. These collections are essential in the procuring and provenance study of archaeological lithic industries. 
 This paper aims, firstly, to introduce SiLiBA, the lithotheque of the Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences Department of the University of Bari Aldo Moro (Italy), as reference collection in the archaeological field studies, and secondly to propose guidelines and rules to build a lithotheque. The collection consists of about 900 pieces of geological cherts, which are the result of an expanded collecting action of primary and secondary cherts across Italy (Apulia, Basilicata, Sicily), Croatia, and Switzerland, belonging to formations from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary Period. All the chert samples were described according to the non-destructive multiparametric protocol for chert investigation (NM-PCI), providing a modular dataset of binary, ordinal and continuous variables which integrates petrographycal, micropaleontological, chemical and physical data. Such results were summarized in suitable reports, with also geographic coordinates, geological description and photographic documentation, in a digital database, which will be soon online. Cherts are grouped in 37 suitable boxes, following geographic hierarchical organisation and reporting informative labels. Some representative samples are exposed in the Earth Sciences Museum of the same University. Furthermore, the lithotheque is equipped by a dedicated laboratory which includes optical microscopes, a glossmeter and a spectrophotocolorimeter. The promotion in the last years was guaranteed by dissemination activities for educational and academic communities, including an interactive laboratory of experimental archaeology.

Struggles and Triumphs of an Early Childhood STEM Educator:

This interview between a researcher (Poh) and an early childhood educator (Jade) delves into pedagogical approaches to teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) in an early childhood classroom setting, focusing on children aged 1 to 5 years. Jade's journey of understanding and exploring STEM teaching is a reflection of the challenges faced by many early childhood educators. The conversation highlights the significance of teacher self-efficacy and experience, as studies show that higher training in STEM results in higher confidence, leading to higher rates of implementation in the classroom. However, research indicates that early childhood educators often lack in-depth professional preparation in math and science, resulting in insufficient content knowledge and a lack of confidence to provide quality STEM experiences for young learners.
 The researcher, being a scientist and science educator, provides support to Jade's efforts in integrating STEM into her practices. Additionally, collaboration with the community, including volunteers from a science museum and the university, plays a crucial role in bolstering her confidence in engaging with STEM subjects.
 This interview sheds light on the importance of continuous professional development and support for early childhood educators to effectively implement STEM teaching strategies. By sharing her reflections and experiences, Jade contributes to the development and implementation of integrated pedagogies that bridge the gap between technology, pedagogy, and content. Overall, this interview showcases the transformative impact of collaborative efforts and support systems in empowering early childhood educators to confidently and effectively engage young learners in STEM education.

Common Content, Philosophy, and Programming Support Thriving Collaborations Between Cognitive Science Labs and Museums

AbstractUniversity research labs focusing on education, psychology, and cognitive development have been collaborating with museums more and more over the past decade. Nevertheless, cognitive science labs that primarily engage in basic as opposed to applied research may find it difficult to entice museums to collaborate, and existing collaborations may fall short of their full potential to garner benefits to labs and museums alike. Here, we focus on a kind of lab and museum collaboration that has common content, philosophy, and programming and impacts both scientific theory development and museum practice. By illustrating one example of a collaboration between the Lab for the Developing Mind at New York University and the National Museum of Mathematics in New York City, we offer practical tips and suggestions for other cognitive science labs aiming to achieve strong lab‐museum synergy.

IMPLEMENTATION OF STEM EDUCATION IN GENERAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The article investigates the fundamental characteristics of contemporary STEM education, encompassing integrated learning, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, as well as active communication and teamwork abilities. It presents a novel and imaginative strategy for project development, which aims to equip students with the necessary skills to engage in lifelong technological innovation by applying scientific and technological knowledge to real-world scenarios. Furthermore, the article sheds light on the core components of STEM education, drawing from the US government's initiatives aimed at integrating STEM approaches into the national education system. In addition, the article underscores the imperative to reassess the underlying philosophy of STEM education and the need for its actualization. This is accomplished through the introduction of a STEM education model that facilitates the seamless integration of STEM subjects with all other academic disciplines. Moreover, the article addresses crucial aspects of the US national policy on arts education. It delves into the development and implementation of the National Core Arts Standards and the National Visual Arts Standards, which play a pivotal role in supporting arts education initiatives. The article delves into an analysis of the theoretical and methodological principles underpinning the development of a STEM education model. This includes an examination of project-based and practice-oriented learning, as well as the utilization of flipped and blended learning approaches, alongside cloud technologies, to facilitate the transformation of traditional education into an innovative learning environment. Furthermore, the article outlines the anticipated steps involved in the implementation of STEM education, with a focus on fostering career autonomy and empowering students to make informed choices about their professions. These steps encompass the promotion and popularization of STEM specialties, the provision of support for gifted students, and the encouragement of youth engagement in creative and research-oriented activities. Expanding on the understanding of how STEM education can be effectively implemented, the article enriches the information field with innovative methods, tools, and organizational forms for the educational process. These include hackathons, marathons, online experiments, e-virtual laboratories, science museums, and platforms designed to facilitate the organization of research activities and international projects. It is noteworthy that the successful implementation of these innovations will not only enhance the quality of foreign literature courses within the New Ukrainian School but also serve as a significant catalyst for the development of competitive and creative graduates.

Science communication gets personal: Ambivalent effects of self-disclosure in science communication on trust in science.

In an attempt to display themselves as warm, approachable, and trustworthy, researchers might reveal personal details about themselves (i.e., self-disclosure) when communicating their science to the public. Here, we test whether self-disclosure in science communication can actually increase public trust in science. We present six online experiments (overall N = 2,431), integrate their results in a mini meta-analysis, and report a field experiment in a science museum (N = 480): In sum, our findings suggest that self-disclosure leads to small, but measurable increases in laypeople's feelings of closeness toward researchers and perceptions of researchers' warmth-related trustworthiness; yet, self-disclosure also leads to decreases in competence-related trustworthiness perceptions. The credibility of scientific findings was, overall, unaffected by self-disclosing communication. Findings from the field study further question whether self-disclosure in science communication has any practical relevance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

First report of powdery mildew on Euonymus japonicus caused by Erysiphe euonymicola in Taiwan.

The Japanese spindle (Euonymus japonicus Thunb.) is commonly used as an ornamental hedge plant in Taiwan. In March 2020, a severe powdery mildew disease was observed on E. japonicus surrounding a city park spanning six hectares in Taichung city, Taiwan. Around 90% of the plants showed symptoms on the leaves and pedicels of young shoots. Similar symptoms were observed in other districts of Taichung city and Taipei city between March to June in subsequent years. Initial signs of infection manifest as circular chlorotic spots on the leaves, which are subsequently covered by white mycelia on either the upper or lower surfaces of the spots. In severe cases, both sides of the leaves become entirely covered by dense mycelia. Hyphal appressoria were solitary or in opposite paired, lobed to multilobed. Conidiophores grow erectly from the hyphae, consist of 2-3 cylindrical cells, 38.9 to 78.6 × 6.31 to 8.28 µm (n = 30). Foot cells are usually straight or slightly flexuous, 23.6 to 43.2 µm (n = 30), followed by 1 to 2 shorter cells. Ellipsoidal conidia are produced singly on the conidiophores, 24.1 to 36.3 × 10.6 to 14.97 µm (n = 30), without fibrosin bodies. Germ tubes are mostly subterminal, sometimes terminal, occasionally exhibiting a longitudinal pattern. Chasmothecia were not observed. These morphological characteristics correspond to the description of Erysiphe euonymicola U. Braun (Braun and Cook 2012), one of the Erysiphe species reported on E. japonicus. Genomic DNA was extracted from seven isolates obtained from different plants in the affected regions. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 28S large subunit (LSU) of rDNA sequences (ITS accession nos.: OR073423-OR073429; LSU accession nos.: OR073448-OR073454) were amplified and sequenced using primer sets PMITS-1 / PMITS-2 (Cunnington et al. 2003) and NLP2 / PRM2 (Bradshaw and Tobin 2020), respectively. The resulting sequences exhibited identities ranging from 99.1 to 100% in ITS and 100% in LSU when compared to the corresponding sequences of E. euonymicola MUMH 133 (ITS: AB250228; LSU: AB250230) (Limkaisang et al. 2006). Phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated sequences of ITS and LSU clustered the seven isolates within the same clade as three E. euonymicola isolates (MUMH 133, MUMH 6999 and MUMH 7012). Pathogenicity assays were conducted on one-meter tall E. japonicus plants by gently smearing infected leaves on all leaves of four healthy plants. Four uninoculated plants were used as control. All eight assayed plants were enclosed in plastic bags to maintain high humidity at 28 ± 2°C for 3 days. Chlorotic spots began to appear on leaves younger than one month old at 7 days post inoculation (dpi). By 28 dpi, all inoculated plants showed symptoms. Spots expanded or merged and formed a dense mycelial layer on leaves younger than three months, while mature dark green leaves were asymptomatic. No symptoms were observed on any leaves of the control plants. The morphological characteristics and sequences of ITS and LSU of the pathogen from the inoculated plants matched the above information. Based on these findings, E. euonymicola was identified as the causal agent of powdery mildew on E. japonicus, representing the first documented report of this disease in Taiwan. A voucher specimen TNM F0037001 (isolate EPM-1) was deposited in the National Museum of Natural Science, Taiwan. The pathogen has been frequently reported in recent years and significantly impacts the ornamental value of Euonymus spp. (Abbasi and Braun 2020; Lee et al. 2015; Li et al. 2011; Pei et al. 2022). This report also provides an evidence of an ongoing outbreak of the pathogen.

Methodology of organizing astronomical observations of asteroids and comets within the extracurricular activities of students

In this article, the methodology of using a telescope and charge-coupled device camera for organizing astrometric observations of asteroids and comets, as well as photometric observations of asteroids, is presented. Since astronomy is not studied as a separate subject in schools in Romania and the Republic of Moldova (as well as in many other countries), this methodology can be used within extracurricular activities for students. The observations described in the article took place at the astronomical observatory within the ‘Răsvan Angheluță’ Natural Sciences Museum Complex in Galați, Romania.

Каталог слепков палеонтологических находок приматов Музея антропологии МГУ

Natural science museum collections are an important source of materials for scientific research. The Museum of Anthropology has a collection of casts from paleontological finds of primates. This catalog has never been published before. This work contains information about the composition and history of the formation of the collection. Materials and methods. Documents from the Archive of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University and articles in journals became the basis for writing this work. Analytical and chronological research methods were applied in the study. Results and discussion. The section "Brief information on the history of the formation of the collection" contains information about the sources of replenishment of the paleoprimatological collection, the names of the scientists who transferred the items, the geography of receipts are given. The items were combined into collections on the grounds that they came from the same source at the same time. The "Collection catalog" is represented by a table. The finds are divided by geological periods, listed in alphabetical order within the period. Conclusion. A catalog of casts of finds of representatives of the order Primates (excluding the genus Homo) is presented in the article. In the course of working with the documents, we discovered that not all the accompanying papers were preserved. Work on reconstructing the history of the receipt of paleontological casts of primates will continue. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

A multi-taxonomic survey to determine the conservation status of native pollinators

The worldwide decline of insects calls for understanding the conservation status of key insect groups at local and regional scales. Pollinators are widely recognized as especially important to native ecosystems and agriculture and their declines have been met with calls for inventory and monitoring. In New York State, we conducted a four-year survey effort to document the distribution and status of key native pollinators in four insect orders: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera. In this paper, we describe the process of designing and implementing the study in the hopes that other jurisdictions could follow a similar model. We combined systematic field inventories, surveys of special habitats, target species surveys, community science observations, and museum and partner data to create a comprehensive look at the distribution of each of 457 species in two time periods (2000 to present and 1999 and earlier). We used the conservation status ranking system developed by NatureServe and generated ranks and a series of distribution maps and phenology charts for each species. We describe the effort needed to carry out the study, as well as reasons for its success and areas for improvement.

What would aliens think of science on earth? Philosophical dialogues in the museum to help children reflect about science

Thinking about what makes science science can help people develop both an understanding of and a critical attitude towards knowledge. In this case study we explore how children participating in informal science communication activities can think about science by engaging in philosophical dialogues. The dialogue facilitator's inquisitive stance helps children develop arguments about knowledge, scientists, and science. The use of philosophical questions and a cover story involving alien scientists enthuses most children, but some find it frustrating. However, frustration acts as a motivator enhancing further reflection. Introducing this approach at science museums or science festivals challenges science communicators to question rather than to answer.

The role of embodied scaffolding in revealing "enactive potentialities" in intergenerational science exploration.

Although adults are known to play an important role in young children's development, little work has focused on the enactive features of scaffolding in informal learning settings, and the embodied dynamics of intergenerational interaction. To address this gap, this paper undertakes a microinteractional analysis to examine intergenerational collaborative interaction in a science museum setting. The paper presents a fine-grained moment-by-moment analysis of video-recorded interaction of children and their adult carers around science-themed objects. Taking an enactive cognition perspective, the analysis enables access to subtle shifts in interactants' perception, action, gesture, and movement to examine how young children engage with exhibits, and the role adult action plays in supporting young children's engagement with exhibits and developing ideas about science. Our findings demonstrate that intergenerational "embodied scaffolding" is instrumental in making "enactive potentialities" in the environment more accessible for children, thus deepening and enriching children's engagement with science. Adult action is central to revealing scientific dimensions of objects' interaction and relationships in ways that expose novel types of perception and action opportunities in shaping science experiences and meaning making. This has implications for science education practices since it foregrounds not only "doing" science, through active hands-on activities, but also speaks to the interconnectedness between senses and the role of the body in thinking. Drawing on the findings, this paper also offers design implications for informal science learning environments.

The showcase of salt rocks from Cardona in the Barcelona Natural Sciences Museum: conservation and adaptation for passive climate control

The results of the conservation work carried out on an exhibition set-up dating from the early twentieth century are presented. The exhibition set-up consists of a wooden showcase containing about twenty evaporite rocks from the collection of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (Spain). The work involved the remedial conservation of the rock specimens and showcase, and the improvement of the original environmental control system using sustainability criteria. An interdisciplinary team worked on the different phases of the project, which included prior historical and environmental studies. The remedial conservation of all elements in the collection has improved its accessibility and the monitoring of the environmental conditions of the new installation has confirmed the efficiency of the proposed passive environmental control system.

Science museum educators' views on object-based learning: The perceived importance of authenticity and touch.

Museum educators play an important role in mediating visitors' museum experiences. We investigated the perspectives of science museum educators on the role of touching authentic objects and replicas in visitors' learning experiences during educational activities. We used a mixed-methods approach including surveys with 49 museum educators and interviews with 12 museum educators from several countries in Europe. Our findings indicate the importance of context when presenting museum visitors with objects. Participating museum educators based their choices for including authentic objects or replicas in educational activities more often on narrative and context than on the authenticity status of an object. In addition, educators used various definitions of authenticity, which may hinder the discussion about the topic within the field.

Analysis of the value preferences of university students in the framework of their axiological education

Introduction. The axiological education of university students (including technical ones) is becoming relevant in the modern world. There is a need to educate an independent and responsible person who is aware of his hierarchy of values and correlates it with the values of modern society. The purpose of the study was to analyze the value preferences of students of a technical university based on the results of participation in the «Pushkin Card» program. Materials and methods. The materials for the study were the works of scientists, student`s reviews, who took part in the project "Pushkin Card – Culture Education (Axiological Aspect)" (154 people) and the results of a survey in which 126 students from the MIREA – Russian Technological University took part. Theoretical (analysis of research literature, analysis of student feedback after attending cultural events and their speeches at summarizing online seminars) and experimental (questionnaire) research methods were used. Methods of personal interest of students, a personal approach were used (students independently chose an event that can be paid for by the "Pushkin Card"), an activity approach (students were required to attend the event they chose), the method of axiological analysis (students in their reviews evaluated the event in terms of the values formed by it). Research results. The result of the study is the conclusion that, in general, students of the MIREA – Russian Technological University actively use the "Pushkin Card" program, are aimed at axiological education and are able to independently analyze the value characteristics of the cultural events they choose. 30% of students chose contemporary art to visit, 20% – classical art, historical museums were chosen by 17.5% of students, natural science museums – 12.3%. In terms of attendance, museums and exhibitions ranked first, cinemas ranked second, theaters ranked third, and folk music concerts ranked last. In the first place for students were cognitive and aesthetic values. 1/3 of the respondents attend cultural events 1-2 times every six months and 1/3 of the students – 1-2 times a year. Conclusion. The initial finding of young people in a situation of value pluralism and their ability to think critically allows us to make an assumption that it is possible for them to create a harmonious value worldview, which will be a synthesis of the positive features of different axiological discourses of modern culture.

STP4: spatio temporal path planning based on pedestrian trajectory prediction in dense crowds

This article proposes a means of autonomous mobile robot navigation in dense crowds based on predicting pedestrians’ future trajectories. The method includes a pedestrian trajectory prediction for a running mobile robot and spatiotemporal path planning for when the path crosses with pedestrians. The predicted trajectories are converted into a time series of cost maps, and the robot achieves smooth navigation without dodging to the right or left in crowds; the path planner does not require a long-term prediction. The results of an evaluation implementing this method in a real robot in a science museum show that the trajectory prediction works. Moreover, the proposed planning’s arrival times is 26.4% faster than conventional 2D path planning’s arrival time in a simulation of navigation in a crowd of 50 people.

The Impact of Virtual Museum on Learning Achievement: A Meta-Synthesis Study

This meta-synthesis study aims to explore the impact of virtual museum on learning achievement. With the advancements in technology, virtual museum and augmented reality museum applications have gained popularity in the field of education and museum studies. However, there is a need to examine their effectiveness in enhancing learning outcomes. This research reviews examines 17 studies to evaluate their effects on learning achievement. The findings reveal that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are frequently used in science, art, and history museums to support the acquisition of conceptual knowledge. These technologies are commonly employed for purposes such as integrating additional materials with physical exhibits, animating complex events or concepts, and simulating virtual exhibitions and story scenarios. However, the study also highlights some challenges and limitations of these applications. Technical issues, such as hardware requirements and connectivity problems, can hinder the effectiveness of the learning experience. Additionally, the availability of high-quality content and the need for instructional guidance are important factors to consider for successful implementation. Overall, this meta-synthesis study suggests that virtual museum and augmented reality museum applications have a positive influence on learning achievement. It emphasizes the potential of these technologies in enhancing the educational experience and recommends further research in this area to explore their long-term effects and address the identified challenges.

Can compression take place in working memory without a central contribution of long-term memory?

Information is easier to remember when it is recognized as structured. One explanation for this benefit is that people represent structured information in a compressed form, thus reducing memory load. However, the contribution of long-term memory and working memory to compression are not yet disentangled. Previous work has mostly produced evidence that long-term memory is the main source of compression. In the present work, we reveal two signatures of compression in working memory using a large-scale naturalistic data set from a science museum. Analyzing data from more than 32,000 memory trials, in which people attempted to recall briefly displayed sequences of colors, we examined how the estimated compressibility of each sequence predicted memory performance. Besides finding that compressibility predicted memory performance, we found that greater compressibility of early subsections of sequences predicted better memory for later subsections, and that mis-recalled sequences were simpler than the originals. These findings suggest that (1) more compressibility reduces memory load, leaving space for additional information; (2) memory errors are not random and instead reflect compression gone awry. Together, these findings suggest that compression can take place in working memory. This may enable efficient storage on the spot without direct contributions from long-term memory. However, we also discuss ways long-term memory could explain our findings.