UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950

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@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


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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.


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


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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


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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


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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


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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


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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


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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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


22/103


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


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

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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

UNESCO Mobile science exhibition 1950

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