Why science is not just for nerds
When someone tries to explain the atom’s electromagnetic force and all you can do is nod your head and pretend to understand, then you are in for a treat. Soon you can learn how those dancing atoms affect your life and be the smarty who will pass the information on to others. Maybe even get to develop a few “what if” theories that could challenge the laws of gravity.
With the opening of a science museum, Filipinos can expect a change in their attitude towards the sciences. Physics and astronomy won’t be strictly for nerds; the difference between what is organic and what is not will be clearer without opening a textbook. Fondly called The Mind Museum, this center will show us what we already know, identify the amazing experiments that led us to these discoveries and, most importantly, demonstrate what we do with that knowledge. To know what we know, learn how we know it and see what tools we develop with what we know.
“How cell phones work can be traced to our understanding of how atoms behave. They have electromagnetic fields and because we know how they behave, we can manipulate these electromagnetic fields so that the signals can travel through all these distances and we can compact them into smaller and smaller chips and therefore use cell phones,” says Manny Blas, the enthusiastic managing director of The Mind Museum.
Oops, run that statement by me again. But after a visit to the museum, chances are good that you will be able to understand these chips better. And that is the whole key to this exciting project: to get viewers to understand what has already been discovered in the hopes that this will arouse their interest. To inspire people and encourage their curiosity are steps towards creating a culture that supports and appreciates the sciences.
If this sounds too ambitious, yes, it is. The thought of putting up a science museum was played around with in 2006. There was hemming and hawing about the funds and how to turn the concept into reality when slowly, the board of trustees of the Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc. (BAFI) formally decided to go for it. With the panache that Joselito Campos Jr. as chair and Fernando Zobel as vice chair could muster, a huge, 12,000-square-meter property in Fort Bonifacio was identified and acquired for the location of this science center.
Soon enough, different groups were tapped to help figure out the details of what the Mind Museum would offer. Experts were called in from the Singapore Science Center to act as planning consultants. Ed Calma’s architectural design achieves the museum’s primary purpose of arousing viewers’ curiosity about what goes on inside. A partnership with National Geographic was confirmed and may prove useful as the agreement is expected to enable the museum’s access to whatever films they might need from the digital library; and if you think that National Geographic documentaries are fun to watch, you are right.
Having fun while you are learning is the joy that makes the Mind Museum project worth pursuing. With their desire to introduce science as a vibrant subject, Blas is convinced that the project will improve the development of Filipino people. “It’s great when you know how things work. It’s fascinating and not fearful. The feeling ‘I want to learn more’ will make students understand that science is exciting. Hopefully teachers will also go there and pick up new ways of teaching kids.”
Gathering sponsors who will invest in the museum is the major challenge for Blas today. “A major portion of our sponsors is companies introduced by people who sit on our board.” Thus, the museum has donations from groups like Nutri Asia, Del Monte, Ayala Land, BPI and Globe. From this foundation of donors, the museum directors network to find other companies that do business with their companies. Like many startup projects, convincing others to support the Mind Museum project is a bit tricky.
“We still need to raise a lot more money. We will start building when we get at least 85 percent of the funding needed before we start the construction. We believe that once people see that the building is rising, we will be able to raise the rest of the funding,” says the confident Blas.
Making it easy for donors to commit towards the building of the Mind Museum has resulted in creative ways to attract funds. Thus, funding the lobby will honor the family of Mariano K. Tan, and Shell Petroleum has committed to sponsoring the Technology Gallery. While a full sponsorship is P50 million, there are many ways to contribute different amounts. Recognizing donors’ contributions is a priority for the organizers; there is the naming of the area as, let’s say, Juan de la Cruz gallery or having the sponsor’s name at the entrance of the gallery. Extras like listing the donor’s name on the founder’s wall will bring honor to the family for generations since their name will be listed in perpetuity.
“Some people look at The Mind Museum and say that there never is really a time when we should build something like this, but it is always the time when something like this ought to be built,” declares Blas. Since it has been established that a country’s level of development and economic growth is very closely linked to its level of science and technology, then perhaps now is the right time and definitely, Fort Bonifacio in Taguig is the right place.
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E-mail: aurorawilson@gmail.com
