Contagious inspiration: using travel, adventure and learning to multiply the reach of a science museum
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.25267/Rev_Eureka_ensen_divulg_cienc.2022.v19.i3.3201Info
Authors
- Miguel García-Guerrero (MX) Quark Group, Science Museum, Autonomous University of Zacatecas https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0291-3968
- Bertha Michel-Sandoval (MX) Quark Group, Science Museum, Autonomous University of Zacatecas
- Viridiana Esparza-Manrique (MX) Quark Group, Science Museum, Autonomous University of Zacatecas
Abstract
Science museums fulfill various essential functions for society: conserving and curating scientific heritage, informing the non-specialized public of transcendent advances for the modern world, and facilitating discussion processes between different social sectors. A common conception of a museum makes us think of a space that exhibits objects to the public, but a broader vision gives us the opportunity to take their work far beyond the limits of a venue. We find the most important role of the museum in the very origin of the concept: the place of the muses, where people are inspired and interested to seek a closer relationship with the themes at hand.
In this sense, science museums can build contagious inspiration missions, outreach programs in which they help new audiences build meaningful scientific experiences. Since 2001, the Science Museum of the Autonomous University of Zacatecas and the Quark Group have worked together to promote this type of effort in Zacatecas, Mexico. Until 2006, there had been numerous visits to communities in the interior of the state, however, they had a very limited impact due to their sporadic nature. That is why we sought strategies to promote a greater permanence of the activities.
With this in mind, we created Fantástica: a Mobile Scientific Hall that took recreational-experimental activities to municipalities of Zacatecas between May 2007 and June 2009. In each locality, volunteers were trained to act as mediators in the Hall and to form science popularization groups after it departed. The direct results of Fantástica were encouraging, but the permanence of the groups in their community left a lot to be desired. The failure of this part of the project served as an incentive for a new initiative: scientific kits that in the last 10 years have activated more than 50 outreach centers in the state of Zacatecas and in Mexico, as well as the creation of valuable collaboration networks. The present work shares the experience, challenges and achievements of taking the inspiration of the museum far beyond its rooms.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Miguel García Guerrero, Bertha Michel Sandoval, Viridiana Esparza Manrique
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