Upload
jessica-norberto-rocha
View
216
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
1/103
3
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
2/103
@nesco 1983
Firsr Published
1983 b y
the
Unrted Nations Educe:ional.
Scientific an d Cultural Organiz ation
Regional Office of Science a nd Technology
for Sout h a n d Central Asia
17 Jor Bagh.
New
Delhi, India
Printed an d b ou nd in India by
Th e Radian Process
6A. N Eaneriee Ro ad
Calcurta-700
01 3
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
3/103
AMALENDU BOSE
With
a Foreword
by
Or. G R A C E M O R L E Y
Permanent Adviser.
International Council of Museums
Regional Age ncy for Asia.
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
4/103
F O R E W O R D
M.
Amal endu Bose has rendered a signal
servi ce
to
t he mus eum professi on by pr oduci ng
thi s book on mobi l e exhi bi t i ons in a devel opi ng
count ry at the i nvi tati on
of
U
N E
SC0 .
As
f ounder
o
t he first successf ul mus eumo appl i ed
sci ences and t echnol ogy in I ndi a, he Brl a I ndustri al
and Technol ogi cal Mus eum Cal cutta, opened in
1959,
h s exper i ence in teachi ng sci ence and
t echnol ogy by use
of
mus eum t echni ques is un-
ri val ed.
Recent l y, short l y bef ore h s ret i rement,
M.
Bose was abl e
to
create the Nati onal Counci l
of
Sci ence Museums , to be in charge o the three
maj or mus eums of thi s type- the B rl a I ndustri al
and Technol ogi cal Mus eum Cal cut ta, t he
Vi svesvaraya I ndustri al and Technol ogi cal Mus eum
Bangal ore, and the Nehru Sci ence Cent re, Bombay ,
opened in
1977,
but still in the process
of
con-
structi on o its per manent bui l di ngs-as wel l as
to
be sponsor , advi ser,
or
admni str ator
o
a con-
si derabl e number
of
smal l er mus eums
of
t he t ype,
al ready operat i ng,
or
pl anned, for di f ferent parts
o the count ry.
Because
of
the di versi ty
o
t he var i ous regi ons
of
the country, thei r l evel o educati on and
of
sci ence underst andi ng, and the substanti al progress
the nat i on has demonst rabl y made, si nce I ndepen-
dence, n technol ogi cal and i ndustri al achi evement ,
no
mor e
fru tfu sett i ng for the pur poses o such a
st udy as
M.
Bose' s book coul d be i magi ned.
M.
Bose bases hi s observat i ons, r ecord
of
facts and r ecommendat i ons in h s book fi rmy on
h s personal knowl edge and experi ence. As a
pi oneer in maki ng ef fecti ve th s t ype o mus eum
desi gned
to
assi st
peopl e to
bri dge rapi dl y t he gap
bet ween thei r f ormerl y tradi ti onal agri cul tural way
of
li fe and the contemporary i ndustri al i sing urban
soci ety, what he wri tes has wi de si gni f i cance.
Thor oughl y underst ood and sui tabl y adapted, i t
offers suggest i ons for other Thi rd Wor l d Count r i es
el sewher e t han in Asi a.
As
prel ude
to
t he core
o
h s subj ect- the
mot i l e exhi bi t i on uni ts servi ng rural areas- Mr .
Bose makes a s ummar y report on the devel opment
and use o travel l i ng exhi bi ti ons on sci ence sub-
j ects, i ncl udi ng t hose organi zed and ci rcul ated by
UNE S CO s oon after the l ast worl d war . He
descri bes I ndi a' s part i cipati on and the benef i ts in
sci ence underst andi ng der i ved
from
themin thi s
count ry.
He goes on
to
expl ai n bri efl y how sci ence
exhi bi t i ons o thi s general model , whi ch t he two
mus eums that he f ounded and devel oped- t he
B rla Industri al and Technol ogi cal Mus eum Cal cut ta
and the Vi svesvaraya I ndustri al and Technol ogi cal
Mus eum Bangal ore, provi ded
for
thei r respecti ve
regi ons, gai ned success, but l i kew se what handi -
caps and di f f i cul ti es t hey encount ered in f i ndi ng
sui tabl e i nsti tuti ons
to
recei ve t hem and
to
mak e
t hemavai l abl e, not onl y
to
school pupi l s, but al so
to
t he popul at i on at l arge, whi ch t hey wer e al ways
i ntended
to
i nterest and instruct as wel l . He t hen
proceeds
to
consi der how exhi bi t i ons havi ng t he
practi cal ai ms that hi s Mus eums had in vi ew, in
spreadi ng and ext endi ng, at l east
to
s ome degr ee,
the benef i ts o t he parent Mus eums to t he rural
areas, coul d be carri ed out . Thi s ef fort l eads
to
devi si ng t he sel f - contai ned mobi l e uni ts, and to
t he search
for
a t horoughl y sati sfactory f ormat for
t hem
Here, wth preci se data, di agrams and
phot ogr aphs o the var i ous f or ms these mobi l e
uni ts wer e gi ven, w th due regard to t he l i mtati ons
o
the roads and other physi cal constr ai nts in t he
i i i
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
5/103
areas
o
thei r operat i on, lie the most i mport ant
part
o M.
Bose' s st udy.
I t
becomes, in short,
a manual for desi gners of mobi l e exhi bi t i on uni ts,
w t h ampl e i nf ormat i on on every practi cal aspect
of
t he use and val ue o t he respecti ve t ypes devi sed
over the years by the Mus eums
o
t he Nati onal
Counci l
of
Sci ence Mus eums .
I t shoul d be noted that t he of f i cers of t he
Nat i onal Counci l o Sci ence Mus eums have con-
tri buted generousl y
to M.
Bose' s book by maki ng
avai l abl e for hi s use t he draw ngs, photogr aphs
and t he preci se dat a that he requi red to make hi s
st udy the val uabl e ref erence wor k t hat he has
provi ded for t he gui dance
of
others
who
may be
i nterested.
So me
o
the resul ts observed
from
t he suc-
cessful operati on of t hese mobi l e exhi bi t i on uni ts
are l i kew se recorded, whi l e the admni strati v
detai l s requi red
for
di sci pl i ned operat i on have bee
i ndi cated,
if
s omewhat briefl y, t hough obvi ousl
each country
or
each mus eum whi ch under t ake
such a pr ogr amme must wor k out its own requi r
ment s. Thus very little i nf ormat i on whi ch m gh
be hel pful has been over l ooked.
One can assert , w thout any exaggerat i o
that t he i nformati on in the f ol l ow ng pages is a mos
hel pful account
of
practi cal mus eum extensi o
servi ces in a vast country needi ng and ready
t
profi t by i nstructi on in the sci ences, to be val ue
therefore, as a contri but i on to techni cal museol ogi
cal l i terature.
I t
has been a pri vi l ege
to
have bee
abl e to st udy i t w th care. I t is a pl easure to re
c ommend i t here, and to congratul ate M. Bose o
carryi ng out
so
successful l y thi s assi gnment whi c
is
of
benef i t
to
us al .
G R A C E M O R L E Y
Per manent Adviser,
I nternati onal Counci l
of
Mus eums ( I COM
Regi onal Agency
for
Asi a
Ne w Del hi , Ma y 22, 1982
iv
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
6/103
PREFACE
I was gi ven an assi gnment by UNE S CO in J une
1980
to under t ake the preparati on
of
a st ud
on the devel opment of sci ence and technol ogy w thi n t he f r amewor k of soci et i es and cul tures w t h th
hel p of mobi l e sci ence exhi bi t i ons. Thi s st udy is based on t he exper i ence of devel opi ng count r i es in
general and I ndi a in part i cul ar and contai ns some suggest i ons and r ecommendat i ons for UNESCO' s acti o
in thi s fi el d.
In short th s treati se refl ects t he i nf l uence of sci ence and t echnol ogy in ur ban and rural areas an
deal s w th the dynam cs of operati on of mobi l e sci ence exhi bi t i ons and a short survey of s ome of t he ar eas
to
determ ne the i mpact o n soci ety. The mobi l e sci ence exhi bi t i on pr ogr amme has been one of t he most
successf ul pr ogr ammes of the sci ence and technol ogi cal mus eums in I ndi a. Thi s treati se has been pr epare
on t he basi s of t he author ' s personal experi ence w th t he pl anni ng
of
sci ence and t echnol ogi cal mus eum
in I ndi a si nce 1956 and later on as the overal l admni strator
for
over
a
decade endi ng w th Mar ch 1979
first as D rector of Mus eums of t he Counci l of Sci enti f i c and I ndustri al Resear ch ( I ndi a) and l ater o n a
D rector of Nati onal Counci l of Sci ence Mus eums (I ndi a).
Cont acts wer e establ i shed t hrough cor r espondence w th sci ence museums/ cent r es in s ome o
the devel opi ng countri es in Asia and i nf ormat i on gat hered as
fa r as
possi bl e w thi n t he short t i me at my di sposal
Personal vi si ts to s ome Asi an countri es wher e sci ence mus eums and mobi l e exhi bi t i ons have been i ntr oduce
have been hel pful and reports recei ved
from
s ome others have been i ncorporated. The aut hor sough
col l aborat i on fromthe Nat i onal Counci l of Sci ence Mus eums ( I ndi a) and the whol e- heart ed cooperat i o
of its D rector
Dr.
Sar oj Ghose and the member s
o
the staff
of
t he Counci l and its const i t uen
mus eums , namel y, Brla Industri al & Technol ogi cal Mus eum t he Vi svesvaraya Industri al 8 Technol ogi ca
Mus eum and the Nehru Sci ence Cent re made possi bl e the compi l ati on of thi s report contai ni ng extensi v
techni cal detai l s. The secti on on "El ectr i cal r equi rement s in exhi bi t i on vehi cl es" has been special l y cont r i bute
by Dr. Ghos e and
M.
A. K. Dut ta, Scienti st (El ectri cal ) in B rla I ndustri al &Technol ogi cal Mus eum Cal cut ta.
Part i cul ar grati tude is due to the f ol l ow ng :
M. Paul Perrot
Assi stant Secretaryfor Mus eumPr ogrammes,
Smt hsoni an Insti tuti on, Washi ngt on
D. C.
M . J ames Harr i ngton
D rector of Exhi bi ts, Frankl i n Insti tute, Phi l adel phi a.
M.
Si geru Fukuda
D rector General ,
Nati onal Sci ence Mus eum Ueno Park, Tokyo.
Dr.
(Ms.)
ol edad Ant i ol a
D rector,
Sci ence Foundat i on
of
t he Phi l i ppi nes, Mani l a.
Dr.
P.
H. D.
H.
de Si l va
D rector,
Depar t ment of Nat i cnal Mus eum Col ombo.
Mr.
P.
C. Bandyopadhyay
Former Pr ogr amme Speci al i st
for
School Sci ence
D vi si on of Cur r i cul umand Educat i onal Resear ch
of UNES CO, Hyder abad.
V
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
7/103
Dr.
aroj Gh os e
Director, Director,
National Council
of
Science M us eu ms , Calcutta.
Dr.
Niched Suntorpithung
Centre for Educational Mu se um s, B angk ok.
Mr.
. K. B h a u m i k
Curator,
National Council
of
Science Museums, Calcutta.
Dr. R. S. hathal
Director,
Singapore Science Centre, Singapore
2260.
Mr. . M. hakraborti
Nehru Science Centre, Bo mb ay .
Mr.
D.
asu Project Officer,
Scientist (Designs),
Birla Industrial & echnological M u s e u m , Calcutta.
Dr.
T.
. Ganguly
Birla Industrial Et Technological M u s e u m , Calcutta.
Mr.
.
agarajan Curator,
Sen ior Curator,
Visvesvaraya Industrial &Technological Museum,
Bangalore. Shri R. C. handra
Exhibition Officer,
Mr. a n g H a o n C ho i
Director, Eng. and Mai nte nan ce Division,
National Science M u s e u m , Seoul.
Birla Industrial €t Technological Mu s e u m , Calcutta
Mr.
.
K. Mukherjee
Curator,
Birla Industrial € Technological M u s e u m , Calcutta
Mr. . P. G h o s e
Mr.
Amit
Sarkar
Exhibition Officer,
Visv esva raya Industrial €r Technological M u s e u m , Exhibition Officer,
Bangalore. Nehru Science Centre, Bo m ba y.
T h e assistance an d encou ragem ent given by Mr. S. Passman, Director, Division of Scientific
Research and Higher Education, U N E S C O and Prof. Kholodilin, Pr o gr am me Specialist, Section on Scie nce
&
Society,
UNESCO
hav e b een invaluable and greatly appr ecia ted. Particular th an ks are d u e to
Dr.
(Mrs.)
Grace Morley,
for
writing a foreword
to
this publication a n d
for
taking meticul ous care in g oin g thr oug h
the manuscript a nd mak ing valuable suggestions. Mr. G. C. Mo nd al , Form er Exhibition Officer, Ne hr u
Scie nce Centre, B o m b a y helped m e in the art layout of this publication, for w h i c h I express my appreciation
Th an ks are also du e to Mr. S. K. D e of Birla Industrial an d Technological M u s e u m , Calcutta w h o g av e
extensiva secretarial help required for preparation
of
this report.
A M A L E N D U B O S E
vi
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
8/103
C O N T E N T S
Page Page
Foreword
. . . . . .
Preface
. . . . . .
Chapter
I
Influence
of
science and t echno -
logy o n u rban a n d rural areas in
fulfilling ec ono mic an d social ne eds
1. Introduction . . . . . .
2.
Impact of Science
8
T e c h -
nology . . .
. . .
3.
Bibliography
. . . . . .
Role of science
8
technology
museums/centres . . . . . .
1. Dissemination
of
science Et
tech ology . . .
. . .
2. T h e Science M u s e u m and its
objective
. . . . . .
3.
Science Centres
. . .
. . .
4.
Progress in Asia . . . . . .
5. District Sc ie nc e Centres . . .
6. Bibliography . . . . . .
Chapter I I
Chapter I l l
Origin and growth of travelling
science exhibitions
. . . . . .
1 . Introduction
. . . . . .
2. U N E S C O travelling science
exhibitions
. . .
. . .
3. Travelling Science Exhibitions
in North Am er ic a
. . .
4. In do -U .S . travelling exhibi-
tion on Techno logy . . .
5. Bibliography
. . .
. . .
Chapter IV
Introduction to travelling a n d
mobile science exhibitions in
India and in othe r Asian de ve lop -
ing countries
. . . . . .
1 ,
Introduction
. . .
. . .
2. Indian Travelling Science Ex -
h ibitions
. . .
. . .
3. Bibliography
. . . . . .
Chapter
V
Design and development of mobile
science exhibition units
in
India
1 . Introduction . . .
2. M u s e o b u s t y p e I
. . .
. . .
. . .
i i i
V
1
1
1
2
3
3
4
7
7
9
10
1 1
1 1
16
18
21
22
22
23
29
30
30
30
3.
Exhibition trailer a n d tractor
(type A)
. . .
...
4. Exhibition trailer a n d tractor
(type B)
. . .
. . .
5. M u s e o b u s t ype I I . . .
6.
M u s e o b u s t ype
I l l . . .
7. Exhibition trailer an d tractor
8.
Electrical requirements
for
exhibition vehicles . . .
9. Capital expenditure o n mobile
units
. . .
. . .
(type C) . . . . . .
Chapter VI
Exhibits for mobile exhibitions
. . .
1. Choosing a th em e
. . .
2. From concept to production
of
exhibits
. . .
. . .
3. Labels for Exhibits . . .
Chapter VI1
D y n a m i c s
of
operation
. . .
1. Introduction
. . .
. . .
2. Selection
of
operational zones
3. Programming a time schedule
4. T e a m for mobil e unit . . .
5. Publicizing exhibitions . . .
6. Publications and educational
materials
. . .
. . .
7. M a n u a l
of
instructions, perio-
dic reports an d monito ring
systems . . . . . .
8.
Bre akd own s, repairs an d ma in-
tenance
. . . . . .
9. Operating budget
. . .
Evaluating exhibitions . . .
Bibliography
. . .
. . .
Chapter Vlll
Chapter IX
Conclusions and recommenda tions
Appendices . . .
. . .
. . .
. Instruction Ma n u a l
. . .
I[. List
of
Asian Science Museums/
Centres . . . . . .
1 1 1 .
List of Sci enc e C lub s in India . . .
37
4
48
51
55
59
6
63
63
65
6
70
70
70
72
73
74
75
75
77
7
79
81
8
8
8
92
9
vi
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
9/103
Chapter
I
INFLUENCE OF SCIENCE Et TECHNOLOGY
FILLING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL NEEDS
ON URBAN AND
R U R A L
AREAS IN FUL-
Introduction
R e m o v a l
of
poverty and attainment of
ec on om ic self-reliance ha ve been t he ai m
of
m o s t
of
the developing countries,
who
have attained
political independence from colonial rule. Ex-
perience has sh o w n that ec on om ic gr owt h is
coupled with industrial and social development.
It is also well recognised that science an d t ec hn o-
logy exert an increasing influence o n g ro wt h a n d
development-material, industrial, e co no mi c an d
social. T h e greater th e capacity of a nation to
gene rate, transfer a n d utilise te chnol ogy, the faster
is its gr owt h, progress an d prosperity. It is further
recognised that technology flow m e a n s also that
technology should b e put
to
work. In the wo rd s
of
Pr ime Minister lndira Ga nd hi ”the role
of
science
is not merely increased production thr oug h a d -
vanced technology, but it means changing the
lives
of
individuals a n d
of
the nation
. . . . . . . .
Only
scie nce is c apabl e of solving the social pro ble ms
of our era.” It is th us apparent that scie nce,
tech nolog y an d dev el op me nt are inter-related an d
interacting syste ms with society.
I m p a c t
of
S c i e n c e
€t
T e c h n o l o g y
Let us examine h o w the development of
science an d technology can help to achieve the
realisation of the goals of developing nations.
For the sake of industrialisation,
it
is possible to
import advanced technology from abroad at high
cost an d set u p industries in the country to produce
more and more goods and provide increased
em pl oy me n t potential. But the great majority of
peop le living in small t o w n s an d villages rem ain
unaffected an d the technolo gy do es not percolate
to t h e m .
It
has b ee n the past experience that the
expected benefits
of
urbanised technology and
industrialisation have not been diffused to the
rural hinterland. O n the contrary
it
has created
the problem
of
peop le migrating
to
cities, neglecting
their villages an d agriculture. This s h o w s clearly
the need for diffusion
of
science an d techn ology
to
the grass roots-a tech nolog y w hi ch is a pp ro -
priate to the w a y of life, a knowledge
of
science
which ma ke s th em observant about nature an d
their surrounding an d gives th em a
tool to
improve
their life. This type
of
“appropriate” technology
mu st not b e co nfus ed with primitive technologies,
because these could be based o n m od er n science.
For example , a simple village c o w - d u n g ga s plant
could m ak e use
of
m o d e r n scientific expertise in
the field
of
micro-biology, chemistry, chemical
and mechanical engineering, even ec on om ic a nd
social sciences. Improving s o m e of the tradi-
tional skills a n d crafts in the village industries an d
development
of
technologies capable
of
being
utilised in the cott age
or
in the small scale sector,
hav e b ee n enga ging the attention
of
present da y
scientists. Instead
of
replacing the blacksmith’s
traditional forge b y m e a n s of a mod er n contrivance
like a n electric furnace, w hi c h m a y eventually bring
in othe r social incon venie nces,
it
is ar gu ed that
it
will
be m u c h better
if
th e village blacksm ith is
taug ht properly m o r e effective use of s o m e i m p ro v ed
tools a n d prevention
of
heat wastage .
Science and technology are today very po we r-
ful tools
for
bringing overall progress a n d also
acting as a catalyst
for
growth. Application
of
science an d t ech nol og y is for increasing pr od uc -
tion a n d pr omot ing ec on om ic , social an d cultural
betterment of society. T h e benefits
of
science
and technology should percolate to the majority
of
the population, particularly to those that live
b el o w the subsistence level in a dev eloping country .
To
achi eve this objective it is necessary that scienc e
1
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
10/103
and technology be taken to rural areas amidst
their o w n e nvironme ntal a n d cultural context
wit hou t creating an y social or eco no mic imbalances.
Application of scientific an d technological k n o w -
h o w in rural areas can be, in m a n y wa ys-i mpro ve-
m e n t in traditional skills, tech no logi es
for
better
utilisation
of
resources, introduction
of
crops
of
m o r e e co no mi c value, introduction
of
small indus-
tries, improv ing public utility facilities, like drinking
water , latrines, sanitation an d health, rural housin g,
road s an d last but not t he least creating a scientific
a w a k e n i n g a m o n g t he m as s es .
In a W o r k s h o p organized jointly in
1978
by
the Council of Scientific a n d Industrial Rese ar ch
of the Indian Go ve rn me nt an d the Centre of Science
for Villages, Wardha, Maharashtra State, it w a s
obs erv ed that a small im p ro ve m en t in the field
of
technology, mea ni ng thereby marginal ch an ge s in
equipment, using s o m e im proved variety of c h e m i -
cal a nd also training h o w
to
apply a better finish-
ing m et h od , m a y result in a definite breakth rou gh
in the ec on om ic conditions
of
the impoverished
artisans. A village so a p manufa ctur er is pr od uc -
ing laundry a n d toilet s o a p for the rural an d s em i-
urb an areas. His cost of production is not c o m -
petitive with that
of
an organised soa p ma n u-
facturer, a n d h e is eking o ut a miserable existence.
Su pp os e s o m e simple equipment is provided to
him to retrieve glycerine out of the oil used for
soa p-m aki ng an d he-will have comfortable margin
of
profit a n d
will
be able
to
withstand the urban
competition.
A
village leather worker is selling
th e tan ned hide at a th ro w- aw ay price, because
h e lacks knowl edge of the appropriate chemical
to
turn an inferior hide into a better leather. T h u s
tech nolog y, as su ch, has a big role to play in revita-
lising the village industries.
An ot he r prob lem in all deve lop ing countries
is the wi de sp re ad practice
of
superstition d u e to
lack of scientific knowledge.
S o m e of the supe
stitious practices are injurious to th e health of t
individual and
to
the com mun ity . Disseminati
of scientific kn ow l ed ge is the only w a y to obliters
suc h customs. A staff correspondent's report pu
lished in an Indian
ne ws pap er is quite interesti
a nd re ads as follows "The Alipur
Zoo
(at Calcutt
authorities sell seve n to eight bottles of rhinocer
urine ea ch d ay to p eo pl e w h o u s e
it
as a medicin
although the authorities doubt its efficacy.
senior official of the Zoo said that each
bottle
eight ounces
of
urine costs Rs.
3.50
(about
4
cents). T h e officials said that th e sale of rhin
ceros urine started long ago. T h e people w h
buy the urine believe that it can cure asthma an
cough".
In the forests of North Eastern India t
po or rhinoceros is slaughtered in large n u m b e
by po ac he rs in spite
of
vigilance by the fore
wa rd en s because m a n y ignorant people belie
that the concoction prepared out of its horn h
aphrodisiac properties. There are m a n y oth
har mfu l superstitious practices in other Asi
developing countries and spread
of
science a n
technology would be the only m ea ns
to
fig
against s uc h practices.
B i b l i o g r a p h y
1. Seminar
of CSIR
directors o n Conc ept s and techniq
of R Et D man age men t. Inaugural address by
Nayudamrna, Hyderabad,
J ul y 31,
1974.
2.
CSIR
in the service
of
rural society. Published
CSI R, N e w Delhi, 1978.
3.
Proceeding of t h e W o r k s h o p G a o n Ke Karigar
Science" (Village artisan an d science), S e w a g r
(Wardha), 7-1 Oct. 1978, published by Man ag em e
Development Unit, Planning Division, CSIR, N
Delhi-1
10
0 1 .
4. T h e Statesman, Calcutta, 28th J ul y, 1980.
2
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
11/103
Chapter
I I
ROLE
OF
SCIENCE
Et
TECHNOLOGY
M U S E U MS/CENTRES
Di ssem nat i on
of
sci ence
a n d
t echnol ogy
There had been a lot of di scussi ons on h o wto
di ssemnate sci ence and t echnol ogy
to
t he masses.
Better sci ence teachi ng in school s and col l eges,
i ntroducti on of bettPr courses, mprovi ng l aboratory
faci l i ti es and i nducti ng qual i f i ed teachers for
i m
part i ng ef fecti ve traini ng in sci ence and technol ogy
are no doubt hel pful
for
rai sing the l evel of
knowl edge o t he st udent popul at i on. But in a
devel opi ng count ry in Asi a, where there is even a
dearth o pri mary school s, several decades may be
requi red
to
establ i sh an adequate number of school s
to rai se the m ni mum educat i onal l evel in sci ence.
I t
wll mPa n a l ong wai t
for
a devel opi ng country
to achi eve its ai m
of
spreadi ng of sci ence educat i on
in thi s manner . The bi ggest task t o- day
for
every
devel opi ng count ry is to ori ent its vast i l l i terate
popuht i on t owards a c ommon goal
for
t he upl i ft -
ment
of
t he count ry. I ni ti ati on i nto sci ence is
one of t he
goals
i ncul cati on
of
sci enti f i c t emper
in so:i ety is a prerequi si te to the accept ance
o
sci ence and t echnol ogy, and
w thout
thi s f ounda-
tion peopl e
wll
not be in a positi on to absor b the
benef i ts
o
sci ence and t echnol ogy. Peopl e need
to devel op a l evel of sci ence consci ousness that
wll
enabl e t hem
to
i ntegrate the n e w and
the ol d. The Sci ence Foundati on of t he Phi l i p-
pi nes ( SFP) made an extensi ve st udy in the fi eld
o cont i nui ng educat i on and non- f ormal educat i on
and obser ved that t he gap bet ween dai l y li fe and
the vast ness
of
knowl edge in sci ence and t echno-
l ogy is w deni ng at an al arm ng rate, and that t here
is a need to adopt a st rategy for tota experi mental
l earni ng
of
sci ence. Let us l ook at t he l i teracy
tr end in the worl d. I t is al ready 500 years past
si nce the pri nti ng press was i nvented but h o w
many
of
the worl d' s popul ati on can der i ve benef i t
fromit? In
1970
2/ 5 o t he wor l d' s adul t s l acked
t he capaci t y to make use
of
thi s i nvent i on.
UNESCO est i mated that on a percentage basi s
i l l i teracy is decl i ni ng
from
43% in 1960 to 39% in
1965, but because
of
t he rapi d gr owt h
of
popul a-
t i on, t he number o i l l i terates is greater t o- day t han
a f ew years ago. Si nce 1956 t he youth sect orof t he
Phi l i ppi nes has been pi npoi nted by t he SF P pol i cy
maker s as possessi ng the huge potenti al of be-
com ng the spr i ng boar d for di ssemnat i ng sci enti f i c
and techni cal i nf ormat i on
to
t he popul at i on.
A
14- stat i on net wor k cover i ng t he Phi l i ppi ne
regi onal di vi si ons has been i mpl ement i ng a pr ag-
mati c progr amon non- f ormal sci ence- t echnol ogy-
envi r onment educat i on. At the core o thi s was
t he sci ence cl ub movement . A sci ence promot i on
s cheme was t herefore l aunched in Phi l i ppi nes by
organi si ng sci ence cl ubs t hroughout the count r y.
The Nat i onal Sci ence Fai r o 1971 w t nessed t he
b rth
o
a conf ederati on
of
yout h sci ence cl ub in
t he Phi l i ppi nes named, t he Phi l i ppi ne Soci et y
of
Yout h Sci ence Cl ubs ( PSYSC) , I nc. , under t he
gui dance
o
SFP. The advi sers
o
t he sci ence
cl ubs f ol l owed sui t and f or med t he Sci ence Cl ub
Advi sers Associ at i on o t he Phi l i ppi nes
( SCAAP)
I nc. Through these
two
prongs
o
t he sci ence
cl ub movement , SF P r eaches the communi t i es a l
over t he Phi l i ppi nes w th t he ai m of cul t i vati ng
awar eness
of
sci ence, f aml i ari sati on w t h sci enti fi c
i nvesti gati ons and uti l i sati on o sci ence and t ech-
nol ogy in every day l i vi ng. I n 1979, ci ence cl ubs
al over t he Phi l i ppi nes number ed nearl y 2500
cl ubs w th about
200,000
member s. The sci ence
cl ub movement was meant for t he yout h, but what
about t he l arge cross- sect i onof t he soci ety wh o m
sci ence educat i on has
to
reach ?
The devel opi ng count r i es
o
Asi a real i zed
l ong si nce that
to
achi eve
a
rapi d devel opment
of
thei r count r i es
it
was necessar y
to
acquai nt thei r
ci ti zens w th the nature, contr i but i on, dangers and
3
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
12/103
potential
of
science an d technology. People have
also to be convinced that science an d technology
can bring improvement to their living conditions,
ec on om ic gr owt h an d social welfare.
Of
the
various experiments whi ch have EO far success-
fully b een tried
to
transmit scientific a n d te ch no -
logical information in a meaning ful m an ne r h av e
b e e n activities suc h as scie nce clubs, scien ce
c a m p s , science fairs (plate film forums etc. A n
organization whi ch ca n pr om ot e all su ch indi-
vidual activities an d c a n also project the i mp ac t
of
scien ce an d te chn olo gy o n society, is the "science
a n d technology mu se um ". Although such insti-
tutions ha ve b ee n in existence in Eu ro pe for m o r e
tha n a century an d ha ve contributed to a very great
extent to the developmen t of science conscious-
ness, they are
of
com par ativel y recent origin in the
deve lo pi ng countries, particularly in th e Asian
T h e S c i e n c e M u s e u m and
its
objective
T h e science m u s e u m , originally intended
serve as a depot for machines, mod els, desig
a n d b o o k s o n all branches of applied art, a
originally limited to preservation of certain objec
of
reverence
or
of sentimental attachment to t
people, gr ew
in
Europe very fast within the la
one hundred years. It w a s grzdually recognis
as a place w he re scientific ideas we r e transmitt
to the onlooker. Its collection cont ainEd histo
cal objects, models, replicas and demonstrati
equipment with the help of which the principl
of science were explained in a man ne r w hich w a
easily und erstoo d by the la yma n. Its functi
b e c a m e distinct
from
that
of
a scientific t o o k
background. Originally w h e n the science m u s e u
text to understand which requirEd an education
Pl ate
I
: In a sci ence fa r organi sed
by BlTM
Cal cutta
a
school st udent expl ai ni ng h s model of an ol refi nery
region.
w a s set up
it
w a s intendEd to portrzy inter-a
m u s e u m w a s not wi,dely k n o w n in Asian countries a) the historical sta ges throu gh wh ic h scien
prior to the 1950's.
and technology has advanced
in the co unt ry
With the exception
of
Jap an, the science
4
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
13/103
wel l as throughout t he worl d, b) the f undamental s
of sci ence, its pri ncipl e and phenomena and t he
vari ous appl i cat i on of sci ence in t echnol ogy, and
c) the l andmar ks
of
sci enti f i c research and i nven-
tion and of the i nvent i ve geni us o t he great
sci enti sts of the past, so as to arouse curi osi ty
and st i mul ate i nterest in the m nds of t he vi sitors.
The obj ecti ves
o
sci ence mus eums wer e cont i -
nual l y bei ng modi f i ed to su t the soci o- cul tural
sett i ng in whi ch t hey wer e f ounded but its mai n
f uncti on has al ways been the tr ansmssi on o
sci enti fi c i deas to t he onl ooker . The sci ence
mus eum movement in I ndi a started w th the setti ng
of a "pi l ot" sci ence mus eum i nside the Nat i onal
Physi cal Laboratory, Ne w Del hi and w th an
i ndustri al mus eum at Pi l ani i n Raj asthan (I ndi a).
The first fu l f l edged Sci ence and Technol ogy
Mus eum in a devel opi ng country, was set up at
Cal cutta in I ndi a under t he auspi ces of the Counci l
o
Sci enti f i c
€t
I ndustri al Research (CSI R)
o
t he
I ndi an Gover nment in t he year
1959,
and was
cal l ed B rl a I ndustr i al & Technol ogi cal Mus eum
( BI TM) - named after the i ndustri al house o
B rl as wh o donated thei r ancestr al bui l di ng and
adj oi ni ng l and for thi s purpose. Based on the
needs
o
that peri od, t he obj ecti ve o thi s mus eum
was to portray a) the standard of t echnol ogy in t he
present century, b) t he contri but i on o t echnol ogy
to the acti vi ti es of man and c) the appl i cat i cn o
moder n met hod of t echnol ogy in s ome of the
I ndi an industri es. Wt hi n a f ew years
i t
was
real i zed that t hese obj ecti ves wer e too nar r ow and
i nadequate compar ed to
what
coul d be achi eved
by an i nsti tuti on
of
t he type
of
a sci ence and
t echnol ogy museum
I t
was also real i zed that t he
obj ecti ve
of
a sci ence museum in a devel opi ng
count ry shoul d di f fer markedl y from that o a
devel oped country o t he West . The level of
underst andi ng about sci ence and t echnol ogy o
the vast maj oti ty o t he popul at i on in a devel opi ng
country
is
meagre. Obscurant i sm and superst i -
ti on still persist in many regi ons, fru ts
of
sci ence
do
not
percol ate down
to
the
bottomof
the social
l adder ;
to
many peopl e, sci ence was no mor e t han
an obj ect of awe and wonder. In vi ew of t he
comm t ment
of
the Asi an devel opi ng countr i es
to
make the peopl e recept i ve to ne w i deas and
adapt i ve
to
ne w techni ques, a new system of
"preachi ng" sci ence was requi red whi ch woul d
stress t he "soci al comm t ment of sci ence", meani ng
thereby that the sci ence mus eums shoul d educat e
the masses on sci ence and sci enti f i c research
that have rel evance
to
t he needs
of
contemporary
society.
As t he BI TM Cal cut ta progressed newer and
newer acti vi ti es were i nt roduced in t he mus eum
one of whi ch was "f i xed t i me demonst rati ons"
i .e. , a f i xed peri od of t he day was set apart when
vi si tor coul d come and wat ch a seri es of i mport an
sci enti f i c demonst rati ons. Because o l ack
o
adequat e equi pment in school s, whi ch starte
grow ng rapi dl y after i ndependence,
it
bec am
difficult
for
the school s
to
arrange
for
demonsi r a
t i ons
of
al t he experi ment s i ncl uded in t he hi gh
school syl l abus and t he sci ence and t echnol og
mus eum c ame
to
t he ai d of t he school s
to
sup
pl ement the sci ence educat i on in school s, as
had at its di sposal a l arge number
o
model s on
physi cal sci ences whi ch wer e special l y sui tabl
for demonst rat i on. The mus eum al so i nt r oduce
a novel met hod o "Sci ence demonst r at i o
l ectures", speci al l y for st udent s on subj ects chose
from
thei r school curr i cul umsuch as, propert i es
o
l i qui ds pri ncipl es
of
heat
;
el ement s, compound
and mxtures, etc. , usi ng model s mad e of i nexpen
si ve materi al s w th no stress on arti sti c present a
ti on. Somet i mes enl arged moc k- ups wer e use
(pl ate
I I
The i dea behi nd these demonst r at i on
was t hat because of he r ugged and si mpl e look of
t he apparatus t he st udent s fe t that t hey t hem
sel ves coul d make t he model s and repeat t h
experi ment s. The mus eu m al so art anged l ectur
pr ogr ammes on speci al i zed subj ects for t he vi sitor
to t he mus eumw th t he hel p
of
he museum s o w
staff . S o me
of
t he subj ects such as "Noi se
musi c and sound" , "Sense and percept i on"
"Newt on' s l aws o moti on" became extremel
popul ar wth t he vi si tors. W t h the avai l abi l i t
o
sci enti fi c and educat i onal f i l m, the mus eu m
started regul ar
film
s hows every day. S o me
o
t h
sci enti fi c fi l m wer e of west ern ori gi n and ef fort
wer e made to st op t he Engl i sh Comment ar y an
substi tute in its pl ace comment ar y in l ocal l an
guage, somet i mes dubbi ng
of
t he
film
in loca
l anguage was done. Fi l ms on the growt h
o
new
i ndustr i es or technol ogi cal devel opment
o
t h
country wer e produced by t he gover nment or b
t he pri vate sector and wer e made avai l abl e
to
t h
mus eum and wer e ful l y uti l i sed. S o me
o
t h
f i l m on "Devel opment o steel i ndustri es in I ndi a
or "Hydro- el ectr i c proj ects" wer e w del y appr e
ci sted in t he 1960's. A sci enti f i c l i brary was
started for t he young enthusi asts w th popul a
sci enti fi c publ i cat i ons, books on model maki ng
hi story of sci ence and t echnol ogy and o n di f feren
hobbi es. Si mul t aneousl y an archi ve was start e
w th compi l at i on
of
newspaper cut t i ngs, phot o
5
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
14/103
Plate I I :
A guide lecturer of BlTM Calcutta conduc ting a science dem onstration lecture on principles of electricity.
Plate Ila :
Initiating a science cl ub activity at
BlTM
Calcutta.
6
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
15/103
gra phs a n d other information o n industrial a n d
technological de ve lo pm en ts in the country.
This experiment in n e w met ho ds of science
education paid rich dividends in India. T h e
science club mo ve me nt also gained m o m e n t u m
and BITM,
Calcutta lent considerable support
to
this mo ve me nt .
A
large numb er
of
science clubs
(plate Ila) g r e w u p at various corners in India.
T h e list of science clubs in India is quite impresssive
a nd s o m e
of the important on es are listed in a n -
nexure
I l l .
BITM soon became a 'must'
for
all
scho ol- goi ng children a n d the atte nda nce rose in
10 years' time
to
22,360 mo nt h in Janu ary , 1969.
Th e Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,
responsible
for
setting u p the first m u s e u m of
technology an d science embar ked o n ancjther
venture in the Sou th
of
India. In
1964
units we r e
set u p
for
planning a second mu s e u m
of
science
an d techn ology at Bangalore an d in
1965
the
Visvesvaraya Industrial an d Technological M u s e u m
(VITM)
a s born. T h e n a m e w a s c h os e n a s a
tribute
to
the great Indian engineer, statesman,
and inventor, the late Dr.
M.
isvesvaraya. These
two important science m u s e u m s in a developing
country attracted the aitention of t h e m u s e u m
world and the International Council of M u s e u m s ,
Paris
(ICOM),
onsidered whether help could be
extended to other deve lopin g countries
to
set u p
similar science m u s e u m s . In Nov em be r,
1969,
the International Co mm itt ee o n Sci ence an d T ec h-
nology
of
ICOM, held a meeting
of
experts o n
science mu s e u m s at Bangalore (India) in colla-
boration with the Smithsonian Institution,
U. S. A. ,
and the C SI R and decided that encouragements
should b e given by ICOM to countries desirous of
setting u p science mu s e u m s as these institutions
are recognized as o n e of the finest aids for
education in science. It w a s also realized that
inadequacy
of
science exhibits w a s standing in
the w a y of rapid de vel opm ent of science mu se um s.
T h e possibility of setting up
a
Centre
to
produce
Science M u s e u m exhibits for other developing
countries w a s therefore also considered, a n d it
w a s r e c o m m e n d e d that o n e or more Science
Exhibits Laboratories b e set u p
to
assist countries
desirous
of
setting up science m u s e u m s .
It
w a s
also agreed that India would be suitable place in
which such
a
laboratory could be established and
that financing the project could be studied prin-
cipally on the basis
of
using blocked funds in
India o w n e d by s o m e countries an d also using the
ma np ow er a nd resources of
CSIR.
S c i e n c e C e n t r e s
T h e sci ence m u s e u m m o v e m e n t Got a tre
m e n d o u s boost during the last 3 decades and th
U. S.
Science M u s e u m s could be mentioned a
having m z d e pioneering effort in emb ark ing o n
wide range
of
special educational progr- m m e s
Because of their em ph as is o n visitor-participatio
s c he m e s an d portrayal
of
application
of
science in
society an d industry, a n e w terminology calle
"science /techno logy centres" w a s coi ned
fo
institutions of this categoty. Each
of
thes
centres is different
from
others, but all h ave
c o m m o n scientific com mit me nt to an educationa
mission. According to Victor Danilov althoug
the variGus "science centres" are quite different
"they have three things in co m m o n . Th ey ar
concer ned with science and/o r technology, the
seek
to
c o m m u n i c a t e scientific a n d technical in
formation to the public, an d they m a k e extensiv
use
of
participatory a n d other non-traditiona
exhibit a n d educational techniques in transmittin
the information."
As
the idea of science/tech
nology centres gained g roun d an d as the useful
ness of science m u s e u m s in India be ca me apparent
m or e an d m o r e developing countries starte
planning science m u s e u m s
or
science/technolog
centres.
P r o g r e s s
in Asia
Pakistan authorised the setting u p
of
the firs
scien ce m u s e u m at Laho re at the national level i
1965.
T h e m u s e u m w a s o pe ne d
to
the publi
in July 1976 an d b y the beginning
of
1979 m o r
than 1 EO exhibits we r e installed, fully operational
T h e m u s e u m o n c om pl et io n will have section
dealing with physical sciences, biological scien ce
a n d technol ogy. In addition it will have a plane
tarium a n d reference library.
T h e Republic of Korea has n o w eleven scienc
m u s e u m s whic h act as science education centres
the National Science M u s e u m in Seoul, the Korea n
Children's Centre under the management of a n
education foundation and nine student scienc
m u s e u m s w h i c h w e r e t he p ro du ct s
of
th e "Scientifi
w a y of life mo v e me n t " an d w er e constructed in
the nine provincial capitals by the Ministry of
Education between 1974 a n d
1975.
T h e s e
m u s e u m s vary s om ew ha t in size an d scale but
contribute increasingly
to
the public's better under
standing of science, technology an d industry an d
especially stimulate and influence the younger
generation.
7
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
16/103
Plate llla
:
A n agricultural mac hin ery is demons trated in B a n gk o k
S c i e n c e M u s e u m .
The Bangkok Sci ence Mus eu m was f ounded
in August 1979and is a secti on
of
t he "Cent r e for
Educat i onal Museums" , whi ch in turn is a part
o t he Non- For mal Educat i on Depar t ment in t he
Mni stry
o
Educat i on (pl ate Il la). The mus eum
acts as a nat i onal resources cent re of sci ence and
t echnol ogy, to serve peopl e both in school and
out of school , hel pi ng t hem
to
under st and sci ence
and its appl i cat i on t hrough si mpl e exhi bi ts, de-
monst rat i on l ectures, as wel l as f i l m, tel evi sion
and sl i des.
The Si ngapore Sci ence Cent r e si nce its i n-
cept i on in December
1977
is perf orm ng its role as
a non- f ormal educat i onal i nsti tuti on, provi di ng
speci al i sed faci l i ti es such as exhi bi ts, sci ence and
publ i cat i on pr ogr ammes to t he st udent popul at i on
and t he l ay publ i c (pl ate
Illb).
Besi des sci ence
talks, l ecture demonst rat i on, l aboratory courses
and
film
s hows run t hroughout t he whol e year.
Plate lllb :
Students participating in School Science Education
Pr og ra mm e in Singapore Science Centre.
Bangl adesh has al so recentl y set
up
t h
nucl eus
of
a sci ence mus eum in its capi tal ci ty
o
Dacca.
In I ndi a
further
sci ence/ technol ogy cent re
wer e set up
in
1977
at
Bombay, known
s
"Nehr u
Sci ence Cent re" and in 1978
at
Pat na, known a
"Shri kri shna Sci ence Cent re". The rapi d gr owt
o
such centres and thei r success encouraged t h
Gover nment of I ndi a to consti tute in Apri l 197
an aut onomous soci ety cal l ed t he Nat i onal Counci
o Sci ence Mus eums w th headquart ers at Cal cut t
to devel op ne w sci ence mus eums and admni ste
t hose whi ch have been al ready set up.
Sci ence has al ways been a part of f orma
educati on in the Phi l i ppi nes, but to compl emen
f ormal educati on and enri ch i nf ormal l earni ng i
sci ence and t echnol ogy, t he Sci ence Foundati o
o
t he Phi l i ppi nes, has i n ti ated the Tukl asan
Agha m
NE
Pi l i pi nas (Sci ence D scovery Cent r
o t he Phi l i ppi nes),
to
portray
inter a/ia,-
-
a s how case o si gni f i cant sci enti fi c and
technol ogi cal wor ks carr i ed out in t h
Phi l i ppi nes and abroad
;
- a store house
of
i nf ormat i on from whi ch
to dr aw sci enti f i c knowl edge t hrough re
creat i on- or i ented acti vi ti es ;
- a resource for life sci ence educat i on, fo
i ndustry and
for
communi t y acti vi ti es
;
- a wor kshop wher e Fi l i pi no Youth coul d
dr aw i nspi rati on
for
sci enti f i c pursui ts t
harness sci ence mor e ful l y.
Its progr ammes are vari ed and extensi ve.
I t
ha
provi ded for Ecocamps and Ecostudi es to creat
an awar eness
of
the envi r onment , career devel op
ment l aboratory pr ogr amme for moti vat i ng th
young peopl e t hrough vari ous acti vi ti es
to
tak
sci ence and t echnol ogy as l i feti me careers, such
as,
apprent i ceshi p w th the staff in l aboratori es and
wor kshops
to
gi ve t he st udent s opport uni t i es
fo
trai ni ng and expose t hem
to
research l aborator
methodol ogi es and i nspi re t hemto adopt sci enti f i
habi ts and t hought s.
The sci ence mus eu m movement has sprea
extensi vel y in the devel opi ng countr i es of Asi a
Si Lanka has made a headway w t h a pl an for t h
establ i shment
o
t he "Ceyl on mus eum of Sci enc
8
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
17/103
and Technology" which will deal with the basic
principles of physical a n d chemica l sciences a n d
their application in tech no lo gy , industry, agriculture
an d in me dici ne with special reference
to Sri
Lanka
-her pro blem s an d her needs. T h e establishment
of
school science m u s e u m s appears
to
b e a n e w
conc ept altogether an d
Sri
Lanka appears
to
have
be en the first country
to
establish such museums.
It envisages the setting up
of
school science
m u s e u m in each district o n a phased pr og ra mm e,
two to
b e established annually, in all 24 m u s e u m s .
Each m u s e u m covers a floor area
of
about
1000
sq.ft. Included in this exhibition frame is informa-
tion o n geo log y, faun a, flora, insect pests, anim al
parasites, pollution a n d conservation
of
the en-
vironm ent, etc., with special e mph asi s
to Sri
Lanka
and th e districts in particular.
Shortly Nepal, Indonesia an d other Asian
countries m a y follow suit.
A
list
of
science
mu se um s/ ce nt re s established in the Asian region
is en um er ate d in An ne xu re
I I .
District Sc ie nc e
Centres
Sin ce all the science m u s e u m s are situated
at present in the principal cities, they can serve
city dwellers an d th os e staying in a n d a ro un d the
cities. T h e vast m a s s of urban and rural popula-
tion of th e develop ing countries in Asia wo u l d
find it difficult
to
c o m e
to
the m u s e u m s in the
metropolitan cities. T h u s m ea ns ha ve
to
be found
to serve this important gr ou p who
form
the bulk of
the population in the develop ing countries w h e r e
agriculture
is
the mai n occupation a n d the largest
percentage of population dwell in thr rural areas.
After the e nd
of
the colonial rule in India, a n effort
w a s m a d e
to
accelerate the progress
of
science
education and a nu m b e r of "Vigyan Mandirs"
(Temple
of
Science)
w e r e set up in India in the
rural areas. In these institutions pe op le could
c o m e an d learn abo ut scientific me th o ds of agri-
culture, testing
of
soils, use of fertilisers, rudimen-
tary principles
of
science, water purification,
improvement of hygiene and public health etc.
These institutions w er e in the interior of districts
an d we r e initially in ch arg e
of
young scientists
enthusiastic ab out serving the public. Unfo r-
tunately there w a s n o central infrastructure
from
wh ic h scientific an d technical guid anc e cou ld ha ve
been extended to these Vigyan Mandirs.
No
repairs
or
replacements were easily available for
the installations, displays an d d emonstr ation eq ui p-
ment. Being cut off from the cities d u e to bad
road co mm un ic at io n, the se institutions slo wly fell
into disuse a n d scientists lost their en th us ia sm an d
felt a general reluctance
to
serve in rural areas.
T h e Vigyan Mand irs thus died a natural death,
but the experience w a s not lost.
It
is fo un d out
that if s o m e scien ce centres are established in
districts or subdivisional t o w n s in un der- dev elo p-
ed areas, un der the direct supervision a n d control
of the science mu se um /c en tr e in the metropolitan
cities, rural-based and result-oriented program-
m e s can be undertaken to benefit the s mall urban
centres an d also the surro und ing rural areas. T he se
organisations could be called District Science
Centres or Co mm un it y Science Centres, where
efforts could b e m a d e
to
present the benefits
of
science and technolo gy in a suitable ma n ne r
to
facilitate understanding b y the villagers. N e we r ,
better and easy
to
adopt methods, techniques
a n d practices coul d be presented before the public
whi ch w oul d ha ve a striking appeal. Th e y wo ul d
be aimed at deve lopm ent
of
agricultural techniq ues
an d production, impr ovem ent
of
health a n d hygiene,
better utilisation
of
the environment, adoption
of
good habits
for
co mm un it y living, job-oriented
training, etc. In short, all su ch p r o g r a m m e s
sho uld basically concent rate o n imparting
a
sense
of
self-sufficiency for certain aspects of he rural
co mm un it y. T h e Centre should hold special exhi-
bitions
of
local a n d current interest
from
time to
time an d con duc t science demonstration lectures,
training prog ra mm es and special workshop s, m or e
or less like the Science Mus eum s/C ent res . Scho ol-
go in g children could b e enc ou ra ge d in their crea-
tive en de avo ur a nd scientific experi ments
for
w h ic h insufficient facilities exist in t he sc ho ol s
in
the su bu rb an a n d rural areas. Specia l training
pr og ra mm es o n repair of agricultural implements,
repair of rural transports such as bicycles, rick-
s h aw s, bullock carts, etc., could b e organ ised
through various pr og ra mm es . Other training
pr o gr am me s o n "Leather products", "Carpentry',
"Plumbing", "Repair an d mai nte nanc e of useful
gadgets and mechanic al contrivances", "M ak in g
of
small agricultural tools, candles, lamps", etc.,
might be added.
In view of the importance
of
district science
centres,
two
experi mental District S ci en ce Centres
w e re set up, o n e in Eastern India at Purulia in
West Bengal by the
B.I.T.M.,
alcutta, and the
se co nd in So uth ern India at Gulbu rga in Karnata ka
State by the VI T M , Bangal ore; they proved a
success. T h e Planning Conimission
of
the
Gov-
ernment
of
India ha d earlier set u p a T as k Force
9
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
18/103
o n S ci en ce M u s e u m s
to
formulate the develop-
m 3 n t of Science M u s e u m s in the country during
the Five-Year Plan Period. This Tas k Forc e ie-
c o m m e n d e d inter alia that science mu s e u m s should
ultimately be established in all districts (there are
m o r e t ha n 400 districts in India) an d that 20 s u c h
district level science m u s e u m s sh ould be set u p in
the 5th plan period. Be ca us e
of
financial con-
straints only 2 District Science Centres at Purulia
an d Gul hur ga we re set up, but in view of the use-
fulness an d impact
of
su ch centres, the National
Council
of
S ci en ce M u s e u m s
of
the Government
of India, for me d a S t u d y G r o u p to decide o n
(a)
the conceptual development ; (b) the infrastruc-
ture; (c) mathod of collaboration and (d) the
selection
of
sites
for
the prop os ed District Scie nc e
Centras. T he recomman dations
of
the Study
G r o u p w e r e
as
follows
:
Conceptual Development
I.
Purpose
:
T h e District Sc ie nc e Centre will
b'e de ve lo pe d as a n activity b ase d learning
centre to
i)
i i)
i i i )
i
v)
v)
develop scientific aptitude and thinking
by encour aging curiosity an d the que s-
tioning proce sses
;
encourage critical analysis of the social,
cultural, techn ologi cal an d natural e n -
vironment
;
inculcate a n ability
to
identify problems
an d w o r k to wa rds appropriate solutions
;
collect an d disse minat e information rela-
ting to science a nd technology o n
d e m a n d ;
prom ote an d support innovative an d ex-
perimental activities in pursuit of the
purposes
of
the centre.
2.
Al District Science Centres should have a
c o m m o n basic core element concentrating o n
as m a n y as possible of the following subjects
:
M e t h o d s
of
science, incorporating ph y-
sical, natural and social sciences.
Agricultural sciences, with special re-
ference to agricultural technology, soil
an d water conservation arid m an ag em en t,
food, fodder an d ecology.
Energy, craft and cottage industries.
(d)
Health sciences mith special reference
t
social hygi ene, preventive meas ures
family welfare, food a n d nutrition.
A n individual District Sci enc e C entre s hou l
necessarily
not
strive for
all
the activities as m e n
tioned above. Pro gram mes m a y be develope
based o n the available h u m a n a nd other resource
an d o n the actual nee ds
of
the area.
3. Each individual District Science Centre will
emphasise o n topics
of
local type an d rele
vance, in addition to the basic core element .
4. T h e District Sc ie nc e Centre
will
assu me th
role of an organizer for various pr ogr amm e
through the involvement of the local peopl
a n d of releva.nt agencies .
Although District Science Centres were con
sidered extremely important, the S tud y G ro up
considering the financial constraints and lack
o
adequate trained ma np ow er , could not rec om me n
mo re than
5
District Science Centres to serve a
pilot projects for th e deve lo pm en t
of
future centre
during t he 6th plan period
(1980-81
o
1984-85
It
wil e evident therefore that ev en
.for
setting u
district centres in all the 400 districts severa
deca des m a y be required.
N e w thinking ha s therefore
to
start as
to
h o
science an d technology could b e taken to th
c o m m o n m a n without inordinate delay.
Th e onl
practical solution appears to be in taking th
m e s s a g e of science and technology to the doo
of
h e c o m m o n m a n wi th t he help
of
travelling
or
mobile exhibitions.
Bibliography
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Proceedi ngs
of
t he Wor kshop on Sci ence Mus eums
Asi an Countr i es,
1 1
18 Feb. 1980, Moh ammed Akma
D rector, Nat i onal Museum of Sci ence and Technol og
Paki stan.
Proceedi ngs of t he Wor kshop
o n
Sci ence Museums
Asi an Countt i es,
1 1
-18 Feb.
1980,
Sang Hoon Cho
D rector o Engi neeri ng and Mai ntenance, Nat i ona
Sci ence Museum Seoul .
Asi an Cent re of Educat i onal I nnovati on for
Developmen
( ACEI D) Newsl ett er, Sol edad Anti ol a and Sal ud V l l en
Sept .
1980.
Pl ace
of
Mus eums
of
Sci ence and Technol ogy in curr
cul umteachi ng in school s, Amal endu Bose, Cal cutt
Revi ew Cal . Uni versi ty Spl. No. 1 Er
2
Vol. l l 1973.
Starti ng a Sci ence Cent re. V ctor
J.
Dani l ov.
Pub
l i shed by ASTC, 1977.
10
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
19/103
Chapter
1 1 1
ORIGIN AND
G R O W T H
OF TRAVELLING
SCIENCE EXH BlTlONS
Introduction
:
Travelling exhibitions
for
carrying collections
of
art an d culture
from
large m u s e u m s , art galleries,
and cultural institutions to the provinces
or
to
smaller institutions in districts have been in v o g u e
for
mo re tha n a century. In view of the importance
of ravelling exhibitions a publication w a s brough t
out by UNESCO in
1953
entitled "Manual
of
Travelling Exhibitions", w h i c h menti on s that travel-
ling exhibitions originated in o n e
of
the leading
m u s e u m s of Great Britain, name ly, the Victoria a n d
Albert M u s e u m , L o nd on with their launching in
1850
the loan
of
w o r k s of art. Because
of
the
usefulness of su ch exhibitions in countries having
vast land areas, travelling exhibitions w e r e a do pt ed
in C a n a d a in the early
~O'S,
ollowed by the United
States, So u th Africa an d Australia. Si nc e the
close
of
the w a r in
1945,
his activity ha s increased
a nd spread internationally an d ac cor ding
to
the
above manual, mu s e u m s in the following co un -
tries m a d e use of travelling exhibitions : Australia,
Austria, Brazil, Ca na da , Czechoslovakia, De n ma r k,
England, France, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands, No rw ay ,
Pakistan, Poland, Scotland, S we de n, Switzerland,
the United States
of
America, the Un ion
of
S o u t h
Africa an d W al es. Particularly after the 2 n d
world wa r there has bee n an increased awai -ene ss
of the necessity an d th e moral obligation to extend
educational opportunities and to m a k e cultural
values m o r e readily accessible
to
all, without
regard to social distinction
or
geographi cal isola-
tion. Mrs. Gra ce M or le y in her for ewo rd to the
above publication has neatly summarised the
objective of travelling exhibitions as follows :
"Going
from
country
to
country, they furnish an
intellectual a n d cultural int erc han ge of great
value and broad influence. Th ey ca n b e used
very profitably
to
enrich education at all levels
a n d in all fields, a nd c an be a dap ted as n e ed ed to
impart information, to give instruction and
to
offer pleasure". So m u c h d e v e l o p m e n t t o o k
place in this field that
a
further publication w a s
brought out by UNESCO in
1963
entitled " T e m p o -
rary a n d Travelling Exhibitions" w h i c h c ont ain ed a
wealth of material o n various aspects an d techni-
q u e s of travelling exhibitions, such as assembly,
display, packing, transportation, insu rance, etc.
Immediately after the 2n d wor ld war, indu s-
trial an d technological exhibitions we r e arranged
by manufacturers to display their m od er n ma ch in es
a n d tools a n d to revive their business. A so
there w a s a realization that in m a n y deve lopi ng
countries o n account
of
abrupt changes from a
rural economy
to
an industrialised society the
people
from
su ch countries had
to
b e ed u c at e d o n
the usefulness
of
n e w industrial products. S o m e
m u s e u m s in European countries arranged exhibi-
tions dealing with public health pr og ra mm es ,
such as cause of diseases a n d their prevention a n d
cure, which were used
to
supplement school
health education pro gra mme s. In a nu m b e r of
countries (Poland, France an d the United States)
mobile units were constructed using either a
modified
b u s
or
a truck
or
tra ctor-dr awn trailer
to
carry exhibition materials.
It
w a s realized at that
time that soon er or later mobile m u s e u m s or similar
units probabl y w o u l d b e constructed in the
under-dev eloped countries as hi gh wa ys impro ve
an d the need for didactic exhibitions in rural are as
be co me s mor e evident. Su ch statements wer e
prophetic as will be evident in subs eq ue nt chapters
UNESCO revelling sci en ce exhibitions
Travelling exhibitions in the field
of
science
are of m o r e recent origin a n d U N E S C O h a s b e e n
1 1
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
20/103
a pio neer in this field. In the earlier pr o g r a m m e s
of U N E S C O , long before the launching
of
the
United Nations Development Pro gi amm e (U ND P) ,
international co-opera tion in scientific fields be-
tw ee n scientific communities w a s o n e of the
ma in planks
of
activity.
It
w a s argued that as a
no rm al corollary to this specialised activity, layman's
aw ar en es s in scientific kn ow le dg e an d ab out the
w o r k of m s n of science could also be improve d.
Po pu la r sci ence writers, popular sci ence lecturers,
radio brosdcasters we r e mobilised in various
countries to inform the m a n in the street ab out
wh at science and technology have do ne to promote
social development. S o m e schools an d univer-
sities in certain countries organised periodically
science exhibitions wh ich d r ew a large nu m b e r of
curious people. H o w ev e r the demonstrations
which formed a part
of
such exhibitions, were
treated just as "magic" rather tha n as a m et ho d
of spreading kn ow le dg e. Visitors to these exhi-
bitions left with impression that s o m e secret tricks
w e r e definitely involved, in spite of full explana-
tions offered b y the demonstrators.
There ware permanent science exhibitions,
wh e re exhibits
were
c h a n g e d
from
time to time in
s o m 3 of the industrially developed countries and
these ha ve evolved their o w n policies of action
as a result of their experi ence with visitors. In
Paris, th e Palace
of
Discovery, w h c h is the pe rm a-
nent science exhibition, w a s organised an d
msnagad by the University of Paris, a unique
featute. W h e n U N E S C O d e ci de d
to
emphasise
the role
of
exhibitions in popularisation
of
science,
it naturally asked for advice from the leading
directors of popular mov em en ts
of
science, that is
to say, writers, lecturers, m o d e l designers, m u s e u m
directors and the like, and advisory committees
wsre form2d. These committees suggested a
f e w themrjs o n whic h exhibits an d panels could
b3 organised and demonstrated. T he the mes
wa re cho sen with a view
to
m ak in g the c o m m o n
r n m understand the social functions of science.
T h e t ec hn iq ue w a s
as
follows : if a simple meas ur-
ing instrument w a s demonstrat ed, side by side
its
indiviaual co mp on en ts ws re taken apart a nd
displayed. Alongside mo re complicated develo p-
r n m ts w ar e s h o w n a nd their various applications
in industry explained. T h e objective w a s to
explain the science behind it a n d h o w it w a s put
to
different USBS in the cou tse of development
of
technology. Between 1950 a n d 1959 U N E S C O
prepsred
5
travelling science exhibitions. Be ca use
of
ths expansion of
U N D P
projects consisting of
specialised technical p r o g ra m m e s in member -sta te
in order to boost econ omi c developmen t and suppl
of
equipment, the interest of the layman had
t
be sh e ved an d th e trave Iin g science act ivi e
st op ped abruptly.
Two out of the five U N E S C
exhibitions travelled o n e after another, in Asia
o
invitation
of
member-states w h o agreed
to
bea
the cost
of
local organisations.
Two exhibitions with th e m e s "Our sens e
and the knowledge of the world" a nd "Energ
a n d its transformation" travelled in Asia. T h
first o n e from 1 9 5 1
to
1959, isited J ap an , Indo
nesia a n d India. In J a p a n
it
w a s s h o w n i n To k y
a n d O sa ka , in Indonesia at Djakarta, and in Indi
at 1 1 State capitals. T h e seco nd o n e o n "Energ
and its transformation" opened in
1956
in N e
Delhi, an d after being s h o w n at Ahm ed ab ad ,
tfavelled
to
Signapore, Kuala La mpu r, Bang kok
Saigon, Manila, Taipeh, the four cities of N e
Zealand-Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch a n
Duneain-and Co lo mb o. Th e exhibition wh ic
travelled round Latin Am er ic a for mo re than a yea
dealt with physics, astronomy and science clubs
a nd th e exhibition wh i c h toured in Europ e a n
extensively in the U.K. w a s entitled " M an M e a
sures th e Universe". It showed the technique
a n d th e instruments utilised
for
effectively measur
ing the distance between the infinitesimally smal
to the infinitely large, and its tour to ok place i
1954. Another exhibition entitled " N e w
materials" w a s devo ted to materials wh ic h scienc
a n d te chno log y ha d put at the disposition
of
m a n
kind, i.e. to say, essentially plastic materials a n
c o m p o u n d s .
It
w a s organised in 1952 at th
request
of
so me m e m b e r countries
of
Midd le Eas
and Near East, and it w a s presented in sev e
countries.
T h e exhibition
Our
senses and the knowledg
of
the world" which was extensively sh o w n i
India, consisted of
50
experiments whi ch me mb er
of the public could themsel ves perfarm. It bega
with the characteristics
of
each
of
the five hu m a n
sens es touch, hearing, smell, taste an d sight a n d
explained h o w the range and strength
of
sens
organs : the eye, th e ears, the skin, the nose a n d
the ton gu e can b e increased or improved by
scientific tools. I t s h o w e d how thanks to th
appara tus devised by scientists, the po we rs of th
senses had been greatly extended . For exa mpl e
in th e section on 'touch', certain instruments w e r
displayed which ga ve a person more precise in
formation, such as the thermom eter for ternpera
12
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
21/103
ture, the bala nce for accurate weighing, the micr o-
meter for meas uring smal l thickness, etc. How
so un d is produce d by vibrations w a s s h o w n in
the next section, along with the ph e n o m e n o n of
hearing, followed by the different techniques of
increasing the scope a nd po we r of h u m a n hearings,
for exa mpl e, the amplification
of
sou nd, the pre-
servation of sound by recording or the trans-
mission
of
ou n d over lo ng distances.
T h e f u n c-
tion of h e e ye a nd h o w it work ed an d the instru-
ments a nd techniques used
to
a u g m e n t t he p o w e r
of
eye- sight op ene d u p before the visitors, the entire
science
of
optics explained in a most popular
man ner . The re wer e also displayed optical in-
struments such as magnifying glasses, micros-
copes, telescopes, photographic camera s, ci ne ma -
tographic cam eras, television etc. T h e general
s c h e m e of presentation in this exhibition is worth
mentioning.
The exhibits which could be demonstrated
an d w hic h comprised either a mode l or a scientific
apparatus were placed o n a n um be r
of
tables.
Panels preceded the exhibits and provided the
written matter as also illustrations explaining the
exhibits (plate IV and V). S o m e of the experi-
men ts ne eded the help
of
demonstrators w h o stood
behind the tables.
For
performing the experi
ments, usually do n e b y volunteer demonstrators
texts ac co mp an ie d eac h experiment.
For example
the experiment o n "Keenness of Sight" provided
the following direction for experiment :
KEENNESS OF
SI GHT
SI GHT EXPERlMENT-I
How to perform the experiment :
Ta ke hold
of
the electric switch o n the right
of
the apparatus and stand facing the apparatus
cjn the ed g e of the circle d r a w n o n th e
floor.
Press the button
so
as to obtain the m a x i m u m
light. At the bottom
of
the b o x is a series
of
rings
of
decreasing sizes
:
each of these rings is o p e n e d
at a different place.
To
test your ability
to
see details, try
to
find,
starting
from
the top, the smallest ring w h o s e
op en in g yo u ca n still locate. If yo u usually we ar
glasses, keep t he m o n for this experiment, as
keen ness of sight ca n only be m eas ure d
if
defects
of the e ye are first corrected. T h e n press the
13
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
22/103
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
23/103
is
to
say, what one person observes, anot her
shoul d observe the same under si mlar condi t i ons.
Thi s was t he doctr i ne that was pr eached. The
i dea of travel l i ng sci ence exhi bi t i ons ori gi nated in
the bel i ef that t he present age demands a sci enti f i c
way
of
l ooki ng at soci al and econom c probl ems.
If peopl e can di scard thei r tradi ti onal way of
thi nki ng and l ook at t he worl d af resh, w t h soci al l y
acceptabl e measur i ng tool s and gauge t he evi l s
wth
whi ch soci ety is pl agued, an i nf ormal publ i c
opi ni on wll grow, whi ch wll be conduci ve to al -
round d eve opmen
The mod e o operat i on of the exhi bi t i on was
as f ol l ows : Al exhi bi ts were desi gned in de-
tachabl e uni ts except t he textual and phot ographi c
panel s. Each exhi bi t had its o wn mount i ng and
fol di ng tabl es so that t he recei vi ng countr i es had
nothi ng
to
worry about mounti ng. The exhi bi ts
wer e packed i n separate boxes and put in crates.
The total wei ght was around
15
t ons packed in
12/ 24 crates. The UNE S CO D rector arr i ved in
advance in order
to
recei ve the crates and was
the onl y offi ci al
from
UNESCO. He had al so to
vsit the next exhi bi t i on pl ace in another count ry
in advance
to
di scuss organi sat i onal matt ers,
for
sel ecti ng the exhi bi t i on si tes, trai n vol unteers,
etc. Lccal arr angement s wer e made by t he recei vi ng
Gover nment whi ch consi sted in provi di ng a hal l
for
l ayi ng out the exhi bi t i on measuri ng 3000sq.
t .
(occassi onal l y the exhi bi t i on was squeezed i nto
2000 sq. t . whe n bi gger space was not avai l abl e)
and deput i ng a l i ai son off i cer support ed by
25/ 30
volunteers/demonstrators,
who
wer e i nvari abl y
sci ence teachers fromschool s or uni versi ty sci ence
students. When exhi bi ts got broken in transit the
recei vi ng country had to f i nd repai r shops, the cost s
bei ng borne by UNESCO. Thedurati on of exhi bi -
ti on vari ed from2 weeks
to
4 weeks, unpacki ng
and packi ng t ook nearl y 4 weeks whi l e shi pment
fromone country to another t ook 4 o 8weeks
dependi ng on the di stance and avai l abi l i ty o
di rect sea transport .
UNE S CO coul d prepare the exhi bi t i ons be-
cause
i t
coul d secure i nternati onal co-operat i on
and al so coul d foster di al ogues among experts
who have been engaged in siml ar popul ar educa-
ti onal acti vi ti es. Had t he pr ogr amme cont i nued,
nat i onal comm t t ees for sci ence educat i on coul d
have dr awn on t he knowl edge and r esources of
UNESCO, whi ch meant the experti se of l eadi ng
personal i ti es of vari ous count i i es
who
c ame at the
cal
of
UNESCO. The exhi bi t i ons needed follow
up pr ogr amme in the countr i es wher e t hese wer e
s hown. The t hought of extensi on wor k shoul d
have not onl y engaged the m nd o admni str ators
but al so of i ndustr i al i sts, pol i ti cal thi nkers, soci o-
l ogi sts, economst s and devel opment pl anners.
The UNE S CO exhi bi ti ons wer e o educat i onal
i mpor t ance, and t herefore i t was al t he mor e
necessary to expl ore thei r i mpact t here
to
produce
the urge to use t he fru ts
o
sci ence and t echnol ogy
whi ch wer e not l i mted to nati onal boundari es.
Sci ence needed trai ned hands to use technol ogi cal
tool s and equi pment - t ool s to map devel opment
patterns and equi pment to begi n operat i ons
for
product i on. The cul ture and soci al pattern
o
each country is di sti nct from that of other, and
therefore the t hemes
of
UNE S CO sci ence
exhi bi t i ons and thei r presentat i on wer e careful l y
chosen. The message
of
uti l i sati on
o
sci ence was
the underl yi ng t heme. What UNE S CO prepared
was a very good pattern whi ch was l ater proved
by exper i ence as an uni versal s cheme
of
present a-
ti on o sel ected sci ence subj ects. On i t muc h
nati onal wor k coul d have been done
to
mak e
a
count r y- w de i mpact and i ncreased publ i c awar e-
ness
of
what sci ence has done and
can do
to
i m
prove man' s condi t i on, hi s power s of product i on,
and al so certai nl y hi s style of life
Mor e t han
21
years after t he di scont i nuance
of t hese sci ence exhi bi t i ons, there was agai n a
cl amour
for
its revi val . At a " Wor kshop on the
establ i shment of Sci ence Mus eums in Asi an
countri es", organi sed j oi ntl y by the
UNESCO
and
the Nat i ona Counci l
of
Sci ence Mus eums , I ndi a,
hel d in Eangal or e, in February, 1980, t was un-
ani mousl y r ecommended t hat UNE S CO r esume
its pr ogr amme of travel l i ng exhi bi t i ons in sci ence
and that
i t
expand the previ ous l evel o t he pro-
gr amme by the creat i on and ci rcul ati on o a l arger
number o exhi bi t i ons on sci ence subj ects. Thi s
recornmendat i on was made as a resul t of t he
recogni t i on that t he benef i ts tha t f ol l owed from
UNESCO' s previ ous pr ogr amme of travel l i ng exhi -
bi ti ons on si gni f i cant aspects o sci ence and
t echnol ogy in rel ati on to t he needs of man and
soci ety, provi ded
a
sui tabl e means
fo
advanci ng
the UNE S CO pr ogr amme of "Popul ar i zat i on o
sci ence" in devel opi ng count r i es.
In Sept ember 1964, under t he auspi ces o
UNES CO/ F AO, a museobus was desi gned by
W T. O' Dea, ormer D rector o the Ontz, r i oSci ence
Cent re, whi ch was based on a Berl i ot t ractor w th
a speci al tra ler (f i g.1). Onl y one coul d be bu l t
15
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
24/103
C A B
A U ILI
A
R'l
G E N E R A T O R
SIDE
PANELS
OF
BUS
W H E N T R A VE L L IN G
IMPRESSION OF
U N E S C 0
MUSEOBUS
t
%- o l
I
MAIN BODY
O F
TRAILER
EXHIBITION
R E A
( P P B X
470
SQ
FT)
F i g .
because of restricted bu dg et alt hou gh it w a s
estimated that o n t he basis of building a fleet of
su ch bus es further im pr ov em en t could be effected
a n d the cost limited
to U.S.
ollar
25,000.
T h e
exhibits wh ic h co uld b e carried in the m u s e o b u s
was paid for partly by the
FAO
in addition to the
cost of the vehicle. Not m u c h w a s k n o w n h o w -
ever about the various exhibitions arranged
sub-
sequently.
Travelling Science Exhibitions in
North
America
Better k n o w n as "M u s e u m o n Wheels' travel-
ling exhibitions w e r e introduced in the United
States from the beginning of this century. T h e
need for such exhibitions w a s so great that a
service organisation with responsibilities for orga-
nising, circulating a n d offering exhibitions c a m e
into existence as early as 1909. U p to n o w 14
"not for profit" travelling exhibition services have
been fo un de d in the United States in addition to a
f e w other which are operated
for
profit. T h e s e
organisations c a m e into existence becau se
of
the
need to make available worthwhile temporary
exhibitions at a reasonable cost to the public.
Originally su ch exhibitions dealt with art a nd history,
but in the course of time a great m a n y travelling
exhibitions also dealt with science, technol ogy
a n d natural history. T h e Sm it hson ia n Institution
travelling exhibi?ion service has a diversified offer-
ing of exhibitions in the field of art, history an d
16
8/18/2019 UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950
25/103
sci ence. So me of t hemare fromthe Smthsoni an' s
o wn sour ces and s ome others fromthe outsi de.
Si mlarl y, t he Associ at i on
o
Sci ence- Technol ogy
Cent re Travel l i ng Exhi bi t i on Servi ce, whi ch was
f ounded in Washi i i gton D. C. n 1974, tarted w th
sci ence and t echnol ogy-ori ented travel l i ng exhi -
bi ti ons but later on expanded its scope
to
i ncl ude
natural hi story, hi story and
art.
Th