The youth teaching us...

We've been working with a Lego NXT robotics set for the past few weeks and hadn't quite figured it all out. But then, we spoke to one of our visitors, David Hurt, age 13. David had actually worked with one of these at home and he was gracious enough to offer us some tips. He set up subroutines and custom blocks -- he even prepared our robot for a lab activity set to begin on August 5th! Come check out David's activity in the Ciba Lab!!!

This is just one of the reasons the Exploreum is so neat. Every day is an opportunity to learn, whether it's the visitors or even us, the staff!

Whisper dishes

In the courtyard, we have "whisper dishes," which are also called "conversation curves."Whisper dishes are parabolas made of metal. When sound waves hit a parabola, sound is reflected back in a straight line. That's why theaters are designed with a parabola as a backdrop -- the acoustics are better for the audience.

When you set up two parabolas facing one another, you create an ellipse and sound waves can travel back and forth easily. When you visit, be sure to step outside and have a partner stand in front of one of the whisper dishes. You should be able to talk into the dishes in hushed tones, and be able to hear one anther and people milling around in the center won't be able to distinguish your conversation.

Now that you know the science behind the fun, you'll be able to spot other places where you can test acoustics. Check out the Battle House Hotel on Royal Street, a few blocks down from the Exploreum. On the mezzanine, the arches are an ideal spot to discuss something with someone who is 25 feet away. Melissa and I tried it and we were surprised at just how clearly we could hear each other!












Be sure to check it out!

3D Ciba Lab

Recently we have finished the bulk of a 3D model of the Ciba Lab. The model is viewable using Google Sketchup. If you don't already have it, you can download Google Sketchup for FREE from http://sketchup.google.com/ and then download our 3D Ciba Lab FREE from the Google 3D warehouse http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?q=Exploreum&styp=m

You will be free to explore the lab and even make changes if you like.

Much Assembly Required

Changing the Ciba Lab unit each month involves a great deal of building and setup time. We are currently preparing for the August 2008 unit, Technology and Electricity. One lab station has an awesome BIOLOID robot. This thing is not some assembly required, it is MUCH ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. Versions of this kit can be found at universities as a teaching tool. This is one high end teaching toy.

Now that it is together all we have to do is make it user friendly. Assisting us with that task is Hart from Davidson High School. Through the work of Exploreum staff and our great volunteer Hart we should have this robot up and dancing shortly. If you get a chance to visit in August come by and see how we did.