The exhibition shipMS Einstein: a floating sourceof scientific knowledge
Imagine a barge carrying not coal or other heavy cargo, but something much more precious – inspiration! Beate Langholf from Wissenschaft im Dialog, Germany, describes a science exhibition that travels the rivers of Germany with a different theme each year.
“The most important thing is tonever stop questioning.” Thatwas the advice given to a youngstudent by Albert Einstein in 1955. Itwas therefore an appropriate mottoto adopt for the exhibition aboardthe MS Einstein– Wissenschaft imDialog’s exhibition ship. Beginningon 9 May 2005, the ship travelledthrough Germany, stopping at 36 differentcities along the way. It finallyended its tour in Basel, Switzerland,on 19 September.
The 105-metre barge had alreadybeen underway with its unusualcargo for a number of years. It wasnot, you see, carrying a load of containersor coal but rather a muchmore sensitive freight: a science exhibitiondesigned for a wide audience,including children and young adults. The exhibition theme is chosen eachyear to coincide with the current scienceyear proclaimed by the GermanMinistry of Education. In 2002, theUniversity of Bremen created theGeoship. Subsequently, the MS Chemie(chemistry, 2003), the MS Technik(technology, 2004) and the MS Einstein(2005) were floated by Wissenschaftim Dialogw1. The goal of this initiativeby German science organisations isto draw attention to current scientificresearch as well as to encourage a
lively dialogue between the worldof science and the general public. Two weeks before the planned startof the exhibition, captain AlbrechtScheubner brought the MS Jenny(the ship’s name for much of theyear) to the appointed harbour inBremen. The exhibition, which hadbeen planned over the precedingmonths, was then rapidly set upon board. Crewed by youngscientists, the exhibition was freeto visit.
“How fast does time pass?”, “Isthere really nothing faster than thespeed of light?”, “Why will I agefaster on earth than I will in a rockettravelling through space?” Answersto these questions and many morewere to be found on the MS Einstein. Nine themed zones in the bowels ofthe exhibition ship explained theNobel prize-winner’s theories in sucha way that even non-physicists couldunderstand them. The zones coveredthe photoelectric effect, the generaland special theories of relativity,mass-energy equivalence, stimulatedemission as well as cosmology. Alongthe side of the ship, a time-line reflectedaspects of Einstein’s personal life. Finally, Einstein’s failed search for aunified theory of everything wasdemonstrated symbolically throughthe use of a giant three-dimensionaland (almost!) unsolvable woodenpuzzle.
These are only a few examples ofthe numerous interactive stations atthe exhibition. The purpose of thehands-on exhibits was, of course, tohandle and examine them. Curiositydrove a school group to press aroundthe table in the ‘Einstein and me’room. And that was exactly the pointof this room – to awaken curiosityand stimulate the appetite of bothchildren and adults for explorationand investigation. The students cooperatedto try to find solutions to thetricky puzzles on display; for example,try to join nine points (arrangedin rows of 3 x 3) with four straightlines. Everyone wanted to try theirown luck and numerous attemptsfailed. With a helpful hint from one ofthe exhibition’s organisers, however,the students finally succeeded and theresulting euphoria accompanied themto the next table and the next challenge.
The exhibition on the MS Einsteinwas designed for students in grade 9(age 15) and above. Younger childrenwere nonetheless able to stay busyand have fun with the numerousplayful components of the exhibition. Many teachers had never seen theirstudents so engaged. For the teachers,the visit to the exhibition ship complementedtheir natural-sciences lessons. The exhibition demonstrated theuses of scientific theories in everydaylife, as well as showing research beingdone in colleges and research centres. The students were thereby able totake a close look at the practical anddaily relevance of scientific work. Classroom knowledge and schoolworkcould be seen in relation to abigger picture. Some students, of course, refuse tobe enthused by anything. Nonetheless,there is almost never anytrouble on the exhibition ship: thecontinuous refinement of the interactiveconcepts has gradually succeededin ridding the exhibition of vandalism.
Help is at hand
If you are interested in setting up a similar exhibition in your own country and would like advice, the Wissenschaft im Dialog team would be happy to help. Contact Beate Langholf ().
The mixture of interactivity, suspenseand concentration has been key. Among those planning the exhibitionship were representatives fromthe participating science organisationssuch as the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft,Helmholtz Gemeinschaft, LeibnizGesellschaft and the Max PlanckGesellschaft. Together with the exhibitionagency, they ensured that theproposed exhibits were suitable forexhibiting and developed somehands-on exhibits specially. The overallgoal of the exhibition was to makeup-to-date research findings readilyaccessible to a broad audience. The fact that the exhibition was on abarge meant that many people attendedwho would not normally visit ascientific exhibition. The unusuallocation and the fact that it was freealso drew many chance visitors. People who only wanted to take alook often ended up spending manyhours in the floating science centreand showed up again the next daywith friends or family in tow. Theexhibition organisers heard almostnothing but positive feedback.
View into infinity
Young scientists in teams of four‘pilots’ were responsible for answeringvisitors’ questions and supervisingthe exhibition. Many have been sothrilled by the work that they comeback year after year. These studentsfrom the most diverse fields of studywere able to gain a familiarity withcommunication and conveying scientificsubject matter to others. And theywere also willing to accept that, at theend of the day, they might be handeda vacuum cleaner or a screwdriver toensure that everything was shipshape,ready for the next day. After about four months and100 000 visitors, the exhibition wasdismantled: the attendants and organiserswent home, the exhibits werereturned to their institutions, and theMS Jennywent back to carrying hernormal freight. But the planning continues:the MS Wissenschaft – Sport and Computer Sciencewill use sportingthemes in 2006 to answer questionslike “how does computer sciencefunction?”, “what can it do?” and“where can it be found at work?”w2 So, once again, the slogan will be:science ahoy!
Relativistic cycling
Web references
w1 – Wissenschaft im Dialog is committed to ensuring a constant dialogue between scientists and as many people and social groups as possible: – Details of the MS Wissenschaft’s trip in 2006, including a timetable (German): src="C:\ExportImg\c63307318b26df9f4bda8adae86c2513\Aspose.Words.4d8f8dbb-1674-4807-b341-ddf4635dd019.007.png" width="124" height="40" alt="" style="-aw-left-pos:0pt; -aw-rel-hpos:column; -aw-rel-vpos:paragraph; -aw-top-pos:0pt; -aw-wrap-type:inline">
Welcome aboard a scientific cruise on German rivers!
An exhibition ship has been travelling through many cities on German rivers each summer with a scientific exhibition. The idea is that what is researched and discovered in laboratories and universities is of interest to all of us because science and research significantly influence the living conditions and culture of our society.
The boat (which was originally called MS Jenny but which changes its name each year according to the theme of the exhibition) is open to school classes and all visitors from May to September. This year’s name is MS Wissenschaft – Sport andComputer Science. Read this article and go on board!
Sølve Marie Tegnér Stenmark, Norway
This article was first published in 'Science in School', a European journal to promote inspiring science teaching. Langholf, B.Science in School, 2006, 2, 42-45.
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