Last night I gave a short talk at Museums Showoff. This is a slightly more coherent text version of my set. But first, here’s a picture of the world’s biggest tyre (ground floor of the Wellcome Wing). For several years in the mid-naughties, I was on the cover of the Science Museum guidebook. It was … Continue reading »
Tagged with museums …
Happy birthday Frank Oppenheimer!
The conservation of angular momentum being demonstrated at the Deutsches Museum, 1926. I’ve written about Frank Oppenheimer before, but as today marks the 100th anniversary of his birth, I thought he was worth mentioning again. Frank Oppenheimer had a fascinating life. I highly recommend KC Cole’s biography of him. The short version is that he was born into a reasonably wealthy American … Continue reading »
Climate Stories at the Science Museum
Pots of coal, Changing Climate Stories, Science Museum The Science Museum has a new art/ history of tech exhibition exploring issues of energy and climate change: Climate Changing Stories. It mixes a few re-interpretations of old exhibits with some dazzling new installations. It weaves through the museum as a whole, plotting new narratives, connecting previously … Continue reading »
There’s a nuclear missile on the roof above a vintage clothes shop on the Holloway Road…
There’s a nuclear missile on the roof above a vintage clothes shop on the Holloway Road. You have to look carefully, but it’s there. It’s that egg-like object in the photo above. Or at least that’s the top of it, the red thing next to it is the base. No, it’s nothing to do with … Continue reading »
“Do your pupils have an energy gap?”
The Big Bang Fair, a big science and engineering event for schoolkids was held in Birmingham last month. Led by Engineering UK and supported by various government departments, charities, learned societies and businesses, it’s an annual event that’s been going for a while. They seem to have taken down the list of 2012 sponsors, but … Continue reading »
Temples
As it’s Easter Sunday and friends and family are at Church, I dug out a piece on the idea of an atheist temple I wrote it for Comment Is Free belief a few months back (but got bumped by coverage of women Bishops). The photos are of the Occupy Camp by St Pauls before it was disbanded earlier … Continue reading »
Sue the TRex lipbalm
This was originally posted on our student blog, Refractive Index. This is a picture of some Sue the TRex lipbalm, on sale at the gift shop at the Chicago’s Field Museum. Behind it is the eponymous Sue: the largest, most complete, best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex in the world. If you look carefully, you’ll see a sign saying the … Continue reading »
Science and craft
Mendel’s pea, by some of last year’s science communication MSc students There seems to be more and more events happening which I can only describe as science-craft. I thought I’d write about it, and did a post for the Guardian Science blog. There are overlaps here with sci-art projects, just as there are overlaps (sometimes … Continue reading »
Funding science communication
This is a picture of a large plaque at the front of London’s Science Museum. It’s thanking their various sponsors. Most museums have them. It’s as normal as a gift shop and a cafe. I photographed it because I wanted to think of such signs not just as a vote of thanks, or as the … Continue reading »
Engaging audiences: rethinking “difference”
I’m blogging from the Co-Curation and the Public History of Science & Technology conference at the Science Museum (picture is of an exhibit) Saturday’s programme started with a “provocation” (or keynote talk) entitled “New Ways to engage people” from Andrew Pekarik of the Smithsonian’s Office of Policy and Analysis. Pekarik is an exceedingly smooth speaker. … Continue reading »
