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Funding Matters
Dynamic Cells at the Maryland Science Center
Imagine walking through a two-story human cell with semi-transparent teal walls, mitochondria the size of eight-foot-high water balloons and the whooshing sound of blood traveling through gigantic arteries. Visualize modern dancers interpreting cell processes and encouraging you to do the same. You’ve just come close to the experience of visiting the Maryland Science Center’s newest permanent exhibit, "Cells: The Universe Inside Us."
In March 2009, after four years of development, the museum opened this interactive, 4,000-square-foot exhibit that explores the microscopic world of human cells, thanks to a $1.3 million NCRR Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA).
Designed for students in grades 5 through 12 as well as adult visitors, "Cells" uses hands-on, experiential activities to explain cell biology. In turn, visitors can gain an appreciation of the impact of basic and clinical research on their lives and explore possible careers in health professions, including biomedical research. High-school student Chasidy Chambers summed up the experience for many students: "When you see it visually, it gives you a better understanding."
A new NCRR-funded exhibit at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore explores the world of human cells. Here, a visitor examins a model of the DNA double helix. Each person's body contains trillions of cells, all of which have essentially the same DNA. Photo by Lakaye Mbah, Maryland Science Center.
Making science exciting and inspiring for young people was a driving force for the exhibit's developers as they worked closely with local artists, multimedia specialists, graphic designers and students. They also collaborated with renowned scientific advisors from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland and the NCRR-supported National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at the University of California, San Diego, to ensure the accuracy and quality of the science presented. In all, more than 100 professionals helped create the exhibit.
The result? Dozens of multi-sensory learning experiences. Students and others learn about the potential stem cells hold for replacing cells and tissues that have been lost to injury or disease. Modern dancers encourage participants to explore the impact of their own movement at the cellular level. Visitors can tap a reflective screen to see how their own muscle, heart and brain cells behave. Plexiglas arteries demonstrate the difference between free-flowing red blood cells and fatty buildup. "The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts," said graphic artist Jeanne Krohn as she shifted magnets on the wall of words she helped design to inspire scientific inquiry.
With an estimated 500,000 or more visitors every year, "Cells" is expected to have wide exposure and appeal. Another major funding partner, the MetLife Foundation, has agreed to develop a traveling companion exhibit that will bring the same experience to students all over the country.
Tony Beck, NCRR's SEPA program officer, is hopeful that this exhibit and others funded by SEPA grants will expose the public to the wide arc of NIH-funded research and how it affects their lives. "SEPA projects at science centers and museums provide an interactive environment in which the community can learn about science and understand the relationship between one's lifestyle and one's health," he said.
— LAURA BONETTA and REBECCA RAZAVI
To Gain Access: NCRR's SEPA program funds innovative science education projects. Such projects create partnerships among biomedical and clinical researchers and K–12 teachers and schools, museums and science centers, media experts, and other educational organizations. For a list of currently funded projects, please visit the SEPA Web site at www.ncrrsepa.org/proj_active.jsp.
