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 Research Museums - An Interactive Experience | A recent study on museum attendance in Germany showed that German museums received a record number of visitors − over 109 million in 2010, representing an 2.2% increase from 2009.
With 6,380 established institutions and a rising number of virtual online museums, Germany's vast museum landscape provides countless interactive experiences in art, science and many other areas. Within the framework of the German Science Year 2012 "Project Earth: Our Future," the museum ship MS Wissenschaft (MS Science), will bring an exhibition on sustainability to more than 30 cities in Germany and Austria. On this side of the Atlantic, Das Haus, a pavilion that showcases efficient building standards from Germany, is currently touring 12 cities in the U.S. and Canada. In conjunction with the tour, there will be symposia, panel discussions and workshops with experts. Read this month's innovation section to learn more.
This edition of E-NNOVATION GERMANY also includes a contribution of the Vice President of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), one of the world's leading cultural organizations. In his piece, Prof. Dr. Günther Schauerte shares his thoughts on the purpose and role of research museums.
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Thoughts on the Purpose and Role of Research Museums By Prof. Dr. Günther Schauerte, Vice President of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Germany has a multifaceted museum landscape of 6,380 museums mostly run by municipalities or independent organizations. A small but significant group of approx. 200 museums is directly governed by federal states or the federal government and forms the "backbone" of collection-oriented basic research in Germany. For 180 years, these museums (beyond universities and non-university research institutions) have constituted a third pillar of scholarly research on material culture in various scientific fields − for instance, the 16 Staatliche Museen Berlin based on a royal decree of 1841, which explicitly established the freedom of research.
Such Museums pursue two research approaches − they conduct "primary research, directly contributing to an increase of knowledge through direct scientific analysis of resources preserved at the museums" and they also "compile" research on specific topics. Many of the natural science museums' collections, for example, facilitate taxonomy-oriented research, which most universities are not pursuing anymore.
One result of collection-oriented research was recently on display at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in the exhibition "Faces of the Renaissance," which was based on joint research with the Gemaeldegalerie SMB in Berlin and had previously been shown very successfully in Berlin. Another example was the "Babylon" exhibition at the Louvre in Paris, Berlin's Pergamon Museum and the British Museum in London, which in Berlin alone in merely 3 months familiarized approx. 560,000 excited visitors with 100 years of excavations and research in Mesopotamia.
Unlike other research forms, research museums, through the transfer of knowledge, very effectively pass on their scientific insights both to the public and the political sphere and are thus generating a wide appreciation for research concerns and requirements.
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Innovation of the Month: Das Haus - Traveling Exhibition
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Interview: Prof. Dr. Albrecht Beutelspacher, Director of the Mathematikum
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The Centre for New Technologies and the Open Research Laboratory in the Deutsches Museum Source: Deutsches Museum
The Centre for New Technologies (CNT) at Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, presents not only recent scientific results, but also the actual research process − researchers working in their labs. The exhibition, which was recently selected as one of the 365 landmarks in the "Germany - Land of Ideas" competition, portrays original apparatus used in current research, such as scanning probe microscopes that make the topography of the nanocosmos visible, or sequencers that decipher genetic information stored at a molecular level. The laboratories and the event area bring actual research practice and the researchers themselves into the museum. In the open research laboratory, nanoscientists work with scanning probe microscopes, separated from the public only by a glass counter. Visitors can experience how nanostructures too small to be seen by the naked eye − a thousand times thinner than a human hair − are made visible, and often a convincing picture emerges from the flood of images. Lively discussions frequently take place between visitors and postgraduate students. The researchers talk about science in general; they explain how research functions, and convey to people what the everyday routine in the lab is like. There are regular demonstrations in which visitors have the opportunity to become familiar with some of the fascinating effects of the nanoworld. For more information, click here.
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New Ways of Science Communication: Max Planck Science Gallery Text provided by: Max Planck Science Gallery
Right in the heart of Berlin, a new project of modern science communication has come to life: A digital, multimedia and highly interactive space showcasing cutting-edge research to the public. The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Germany's powerhouse in basic research, has created a state-of-the-art showroom to present its research goals, leading values and achieved discoveries. The idea behind it: Open up to the public, share insights and create a fascinating, thought-provoking and stimulating environment to give visitors a better understanding of the importance of basic research to meet the challenges of our time. The way to achieve this: Start a new show every four months − with topics such as "Medicine for the Future," "Chemistry for the 21st Century," "Sustainable Energy for our Future" and many more to come, reflecting the exceptionally broad range of research subjects covered by the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft − from quarks to the universe. The unique feature of the Max Planck Science Gallery: All exhibitions are completely digital and interactive. This means that all shows can be changed within a few minutes to display another "exhibition on demand" in line with the interests of special visitor groups.
The Max Planck Science Gallery provides a unique insight into today's cutting-edge research and scientific challenges and into the way scientists think and develop ideas, and ask and answer questions about our world. Click here for more information.
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