Revisiting our oft forgotten Twitter account, we came across a gem among the 140 character shout outs. To celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Frank Oppenheimer’s birth, the Exploratorium will be tweeting a Frank quote a day for 100 days leading up to his birthday on August 14th. Check out all the posts by searching for #frank100. They have also have some great photo posts on the Exploratorium tumblr page. The quote that instantly jumped out at us was “Nobody ever flunked a science museum” – a strong reminder about the power of informal learning.
For readers who aren’t familiar with Frank Oppenheimer, we suggest reading his biography, Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer and the World He Made Up. The brief bio on Wikipedia covers the essentials; Frank was a particle physicist who during World War II worked for his brother Robert who was scientific director of the Manhattan Project. After the war, Frank became involved with the American Communist Party, and was blacklisted. While studying the history of physics in London, Frank spent time in European Science Museums and was inspired to bring the model back to the States. In 1969 he opened the Exploratorium, and served as its director until his death in 1985. It’s hard to describe the Exploratorium to those who haven’t been, but it is, among other things: hands-on, a fusion of art and science, a place that fosters inquiry, and a museum like no other.
An optical illusion brought to life in the lobby of the Exploratorium.
We encourage you to read “Rationale for a Science Museum”, a short article that Frank Oppenheimer wrote in 1968. Although the article was written over 40 years ago, it seems perfectly relevant today. He opens describing that “The fruits of science and the products of technology continue to shape the nature of our society and to influence events which have a world-wide significance. Yet the gulf between the daily lives and experience of most people and the complexity of science and technology is widening.”. Here’s hoping that many people follow in Frank Oppenheimer’s footsteps and attempt to span the gulf between daily life and the exploration of science and technology.
