The Clore Garden of Science is the first open-air science museum in the world. Located on the campus of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, the Clore Garden introduces an array of exciting innovations in hands-on museum design.
by Daniella Ashkenazy
Taking advantage of Israels dry summers and relatively mild winters, the entire Clore Garden of Science is "housed" outside in a beautifully landscaped, nine dunam (2.2 acre) park. Accented with flower beds and gently winding paths, the Clore Garden stands in sharp contrast to the "no-frills, no-nonsense" design of even the most innovative science museums elsewhere.
The $3 million Clore Garden of Science opened to the public in March 1999. Some 50 models and mechanisms demonstrate scientific principles, primarily in the realm of physics. It took three years to build the Garden and plans are already underway to expand it, with up to 50 additional exhibits illustrating principles of other sciences.
The open-air museum evolved from the Weizmann Institutes 40-year dedication to nurturing contacts between youth-oriented scientists and science-oriented youth. Today, 200 Weizmann scientists participate in weekly extracurricular programs, summer camps or country-wide math and physics competitions that reach out to some 20,000 high school students annually. The open-air museum which naturally expands this programme as well, is expected to attract some 150,000 visitors each year.
Some of the exhibits are giant-sized copies of models found in museums elsewhere. The tallest is a 15-meter flexible ladder. Fixed in position at one end, an apparatus of this kind is universally employed for teaching, first-hand, about oscillation or propagation and movement of waves.
The museum is far more than a collection of upscaled copies of didactic, desk-top models. Seven courts, the outdoor equivalent of the conventional museum wings, are devoted to various aspects of science and natural phenomena. Unlimited open space affords the opportunity for a host of learning experiences, including some where the student becomes an integral part of the gizmo.
The TrampoLuna (see photo) looks like a variation of a backyard tetherball pole. Visitors take turns strapping themselves into a specially-rigged sling seat that allows the rider to swing freely around a slightly-tapered, wooden catwalk. Because of the suspension angle of the cable vis-a-vis the support pole, the rider feels only one-sixth of his or her normal weight when circling in the device, creating the sensation of walking on the moon.
Another intriguing contraption is the Boyo, a device used to demonstrate how mechanical energy is stored. The Boyo is, in essence, a jumbo-sized yoyo. Mounted atop a 12-meter platform, a disk with a cable wrapped around its axis responds as any wheel would. When a visitor grasps and yanks on the handlebars dangling at the free end of the cable, the yoyo rotates, lifting the operator up into the air while the yoyo remains snuggled in its cradle.
Both the TrampoLuna and the Boyo are part of the parks Court of Space which also includes a special Lunar Seesaw. The Seesaw is balanced to work in slow motion, as if moored to the surface of the moon. The Court of Water includes a Wave Channel that demonstrates how waves are formed, and a Vortex Chamber where whirlpools are created and closely observed.
Gyros and other gizmos, a virtual medley of momentum machines, are found in the Court of Motion. There, a Human Turntable allows visitors to play with the law of conservation of angular mass. For the scientifically-minded this means that the speed of a rotating mass depends on the distance of the bulk of its mass from the center of the rotation of the force. The layman observes this law when he sees an Olympic skater spin like a top.
One of the most popular exhibits in the Court of Waves & Communication is a pair of round Acoustic Mirrors, two meters in diameter, constructed from gutted, World War II vintage, anti-aircraft beacons. Their parabolic shape collects and reflects sound waves, allowing a pair of "conspirators" to converse in a whisper while standing 30 meters apart.
The fact that the museum is out-of-doors makes it possible to harness the suns energy as an integral, natural element in a number of displays. In the Court of Energy and Environment there is a simplified, but fully-operative model of a solar tower. It requires five visitors working in tandem to train the suns rays on one spot in order to collect the energy. At a solar-powered fountain, the waters height is a function of both the intensity of the suns rays and the direction of the solar panels, which visitors can manipulate in order to see the effects.
Yet, the most innovative exhibit to harness the sun has nothing to do with solar energy. The Full Rainbow uses the sun and a mist sprinkler to create an instant rainbow at the touch of a button. The aim is not only to generate wonderment, but to show that a genuine "full" rainbow is actually a circle, not an arch. The rainbow we see in the sky is simply cut by the earths surface. Here, the "hidden" part of the rainbow is revealed in a pit beneath a special observation platform upon which visitors can stand.
Other classic teaching models have been modified by adding a touch of humor. In the Court of Music, for example, the meaning of resonance is illustrated with several hunks of volcanic basalt rock taken from the Golan Heights. They have been partially sliced at equal intervals like a loaf of bread, or cut to resemble a raw potato sliced into French fries. When struck with a hammer, each section vibrates at its own natural frequency.
The last court is a Kiddy Court containing a modest collection of pint-sized attractions for tots who have accompanied their older siblings to the Clore Garden of Science. Playthings such as a balancing platform and a pile of triangular building blocks, are primarily designed to keep small children amused and away from the real toys.