Museum of Science and Industry (Tampa, Florida)
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The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) is a science museum in Tampa, Florida, USA. Located on Fowler Avenue in the northern part of the city, it is directly across the street from the University of South Florida and is partners with the university in many research fellowships. MOSI also has Florida's only IMAX Dome theater.
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[edit] History
The Museum of Science and Industry, known as MOSI, was approved for funding by Hillsborough County in 1962. The museum was to become a youth museum. In the beginning years of MOSI, it was a small museum of science and natural history for children and adults. In 1967, the name of the museum changed to become the Hillsborough County museum. In 1976, land and funding was secured in order to add exhibits to the museum. The museum is run by a board of directors, much like a corporation. The board members are in charge of making sure the museum is run properly and smoothly. This board also makes major decisions in the operation of the museum. When an exhibit has been in place for a certain amount of time the board may decided to remove it and make room for others, or to make the necessary plans to keep it functional.
In 1987, a seventeen-year plan was put into place. This plan had three phases. The first phase, completed in July of 1995, was the construction of the 190,000 square foot west wing. The second phase of the project was the renovation of the original structure, now known as the east wing. Included in the second phase was the addition of a children’s science center that was created in the 75,000 square foot east wing. The third phase of the plan was the building of the back woods nature center. Classroom space was also added along with the Bio-works butterfly garden that was provided by Southwest Florida Water Management District and NationsBank. Adjacent to the existing MOSI facility, 38 acres, valued at 6.6 million dollars, had been set aside by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. Additionally, in 1995, 23.5 acres had been acquired to add to the museum. MOSI has many exhibits expanding on three floors of the museum. On the first floor is the Diplodocus Dinosaurs exhibit and the first public library in a science center. The second floor was recently remodeled into the Disasterville exhibit. It includes immersive theater exhibits, a Hurricane wind machine and many hands-on exhibits. On the third floor is the Our Place in the Universe: An Exhibition on Space, Flight, and Beyond, the Flight Avionics Flight Simulator, and The Amazing You Exhibit. MOSI also hosts many traveling exhibits that come for a fixed amount of time. One traveling exhibit is the controversial Bodies Exhibit located on the first floor of the museum. Among these many exhibits, MOSI also has an IMAX dome theater, the Saunders Planetarium, Bio-works Butterfly Garden, along with the Back Woods exhibit.
[edit] Community outreach
MOSI is well known for their involvement in the Tampa Bay community and all around Florida. Their exhibits are hands-on with the objective to help the mind explore by making science interactive as well as entertaining. In order to maintain and create new exhibits and continue to develop outreach programs and science camps while remaining inexpensive, MOSI relies on donations and contributions.
The funding for MOSI’s exhibits and activities, including seasonal programs and classes, come from ticket sales, grants, and donors. Donors receive special recognition throughout the museum. Names of contributors can be seen in areas such as the entrance to the IMAX theater, where seats are inscribed in honor of generous donors. All large donations are thoroughly examined to make sure that the money is giving in good faith and that the offerings match MOSI’s mission statement: “MOSI is a not-for-profit, community-based institution and educational resource that is dedicated to advancing public interest, knowledge, and understanding of science, industry, and technology. MOSI's core ideology is to make a difference in people's lives by making science real for people of all ages and backgrounds.” Most funding comes from corporate grants rather than city grants. The grants department also receives donations from specialized organizations such as Publix Super Markets Charities, Inc. There are a total of ten departments of funding where annual investors can contribute to.
“K+I+D=S” Fund stands for Kids + Inspiration + Discovery = Success and focuses on providing special opportunities for children who may not normally be able to attend MOSI. The Education Fund reaches out to educators, adults, and students of all ages, from preschoolers to homeschoolers. Other departments include the IMAX Film fund, Special Events fund, and Technology fund.
[edit] Exhibits
[edit] Kids in Charge
"Kids in Charge" exhibit is designed for and inspired by kids about 12 years old and under. The concept of this exhibit is to stimulate the minds of children by learning while having fun. The 25,000 square feet of exhibit space makes "Kids in Charge" the largest children’s learning center in the country.
The exhibit features several different learning skills to cover a number of scientific concepts. The four main exhibits, Activate, Investigate, Kids Create, and Fields to Meals are all found at Kids in Charge. Each exhibit focuses on a specific learning concept all explained in depth on the MOSI website.
The "Kids in Charge" exhibit was headed by an advisory board consisting of 26 children. The Board held children between the ages of 10 and 17. The kids provided feedback and the innovative ideas for the exhibit.
The informal learning aspect is the reason for the exhibit’s popularity. The environment in the exhibit allows the guests to explore at their own pace without the added pressure of a classroom environment. Some of the more popular attractions include the bed of nails and the tug of war exhibit. Visitors are able to lie on a bed unharmed. This is because the weight of the individual is evenly distributed over the nails. The tug-of-war attraction is a game of pulling of rope to one side. In this exhibit, however, the device that the rope is connected to acts as a lever. This causes one side to always be the winning side. When kids are put up against their parents, and win, everyone is eager to learn why.
Sponsors continually contribute towards the various exhibits at MOSI. The cost of the "Kids in Charge" exhibit was about three million dollars. With donations provided by various families, groups, and corporations, "Kids in Charge" became another successful exhibit at the museum.
[edit] The Gulf Coast Hurricane
The hurricane exhibit at MOSI allows people the experience winds that range from a harmless rain storm to a Category one hurricane. This exhibit is designed to raise awareness of the intensity of a storm. The museum refers to it as a “Get Smart, Get Ready” opportunity to enlighten people on how to do just that, learn and prepare for a storm. As the wind increases, a wall chart indicates the Beaufort Wind Scale and what could be expected of the winds that are being experienced. Each wind increment is tagged with an event (i.e. you cannot hold an umbrella at a wind speed of twenty-five miles per hour).
The wind is generated above the room then brought down through vents and fans using recycled air. The maximum sustained winds top at a category one hurricane, or 74 miles per hour.
[edit] Bio-Works
The Bio-Works Butterfly Garden and Alternate Waste Treatment exhibit was added to the Museum of Science and Industry in 1996. The exhibit consists of a butterfly garden, and also a self-sustaining fish pond. The garden is home to over 18 different species of butterflies and several aquatic species, most of which are native to Florida. Several thousand butterflies are raised each year. These butterflies include Zebra Longwings, the Florida state butterfly, and Giant and Tiger Swallowtails, two of the largest North American species.
The pond utilizes a special waste treatment system and is able to sustain itself by constantly purifying the water. The water is fed through pumps into a series of purification tanks where it is then cleansed by plants and fish. The water is then pumped into a final tank, called the clarifier, which rids the contaminated water of all bacteria. Finally, it is pumped back into the fish pond and the cycle continues. Of the fish in the pond, the tilapia are the most unique. The tilapia are the fifth generation of descendants of the first fish in space. This fish, named Amigo, was born on John Glenn's last mission and was returned to earth so that its reproduction could be observed.
[edit] IMAX theater
MOSI’s IMAX dome theater opened on July 1, 1995. The theater is one of 250, around the world, and is the only IMAX Theater in the state of Florida with a dome screen. The picture is ten times that of a standard theater. From the center of the dome the IMAX screen completely surrounds the viewer and can be seen in all fields of vision. Because of the enormity of the presentation, with over 10,500 square feet of visual imagery, viewers are warned of possible dizziness, and are not permitted to re-enter the theater once the lights have gone out and the presentation has begun.
The IMAX trademark was founded in 1967 by a small group of Canadian filmmakers who brought the single projector, versus the traditional multi-projectors, to a fair in Canada. The first permanent IMAX Theater was built in Toronto, which is also home to the IMAX headquarters. The MOSI projector is one of the most powerful ever built. It uses 15 perforation, 70mm film, and moves through the projector in a unique “Rolling Loop”, that is accredited with the focus steadiness of IMAX films. The bulb in the projector is so intense that it can be seen from the moon, and must be cooled by water.
Part of what the IMAX trademark has dubbed the “IMAX Experience” is the audio aspect of the presentation. The IMAX Theater in MOSI is equipped with a six-channel, high fidelity motion picture, surround sound system. The sound system is manufactured by Sonics Associates Inc., and includes sub-bass, which creates shaking volume. There is no sound recording on the film, but a completely separate reel of audio film, that is run in sync with the visual film.
In 2002, IMAX presented IMAX DMR, the acronym for IMAX digital remastering. IMAX DMR allows Hollywood feature films to be converted into IMAX presentations. Since then movies such as Apollo 13, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Spiderman, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Polar Express, and many others have been featured in IMAX theaters. In 1997 the IMAX Corporation won an Oscar for scientific and technical achievement. Although, IMAX brand is moving into the commercial theater network, it maintains a large base of theaters in museums and science centers, like MOSI.
[edit] Planetarium
The Saunders Planetarium was established in 1992 and is the only planetarium in Tampa. The planetarium schedules several shows throughout the day. The different shows are all educational, and whose focuses can sometimes be the constellations and events related to and around upcoming holidays. On Saturday evenings MOSI plays host to “Skywatch” events. Skywatch is free to the public and allows guests the opportunity to use the museum’s telescopes to take a closer look at the galaxy.
MOSI offers telescope tutoring as well. Lessons cost $45 for museum members and $60 for non-members. Each lesson is approximately one hour long.
[edit] Gift shop
To gain access to some of MOSI’s exhibits a visitor can walk through the considerably sized gift shop. Within it MOSI sells scientific books, posters, and CDs such as ‘The Amazon,’ and ‘Amazing Caves.' An example of the wide array of science related items sold in the gift shop is the ‘build-your-own’ model of earth’s solar system or the star kits. Scientific games are also offered, as well as MOSI merchandise. Gift cards, and memberships to MOSI are available, all of which add to its yearly revenue.
[edit] Video clips
- A Walkthrough of MOSI (mpg)
- MOSI — Hurricane Room1.wmv
- MOSI — BioWorks — Butterflies 1.wmv
- BioWorks — Koy.wmv
- BioWorks Pond.wmv
