Koshland Science Museum

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus with the VOA Special English program
EXPLORATIONS. Today we tell about a new effort to help the public
understand science.

VOICE ONE:

"New tools help us see deeper into
the nature of things. New discoveries lie before us." These words
help explain the purpose of the new Marian Koshland Science Museum
in Washington, D.C. The museum is designed to help the public
understand new scientific tools and discoveries.

The museum is small and different. It is created for people aged
thirteen and older. It uses modern technology to explain some
complex science issues to the public. The exhibits explore the links
between scientific research and everyday life.

VOICE TWO:

The museum opened in April, two thousand four. It is part of the
National Academy of Sciences, a private, non-profit organization. In
eighteen sixty-three, President Abraham Lincoln signed a
congressional charter making the National Academy of Sciences an
independent adviser to the federal government. Today it is one of
four organizations that advise the nation on issues of science,
engineering and medicine. They publish more than two hundred
research studies each year for policy makers and citizens. The
exhibits in the new science museum are based on these research
reports.

The museum is named for a female scientist, Marian Koshland, who
had been a member of the National Academy of Sciences for many
years.

VOICE ONE:

Erika Shugart (SHOE-gart) is deputy director of the Marian
Koshland Science Museum. She says the idea of a new museum began
with Daniel Koshland, a well-known biochemist. He wanted to honor
his wife who died in nineteen ninety-seven. Marian Koshland was
molecular biologist and immunologist who had made important
discoveries. She also was known for wanting to get young people
interested in science. And she felt it was important to increase
public understanding of science.

Miz Shugart says that about six years ago, Mister Koshland
offered to give money to the National Academy of Sciences to support
a project that would honor his wife. Many ideas were discussed.
Mister Koshland liked the idea of creating a new science museum. He
and other members of the National Academy of Sciences looked at a
number of science museums. They decided there was a need for a
museum to present the latest scientific theories that are related to
daily life.

VOICE TWO:

Miz Shugart says four goals were important in planning the Marian
Koshland Science Museum. One was that the exhibits in the museum be
based on research reports released by the National Academies. The
museum creators also felt that any science issue being presented
should be important now and for the future.

Another goal is that the subject of the exhibit be one that
people disagree about in some way. And the museum planners wanted
each exhibit to be based on scientific information that could be
presented by modern technology in such a way that visitors have fun
while learning.

So the new museum contains a lot of factual information presented
in a bright, interactive way. There are films, games and video
displays that are fun to use.

VOICE ONE:

The museum space is divided into three areas. Visitors first see
a film that explores the "Wonders of Science". It shows some of the
research that scientists are doing to unlock the mysteries of the
universe.

The film shows scientists using telescopes to look deep in the
universe beyond our world. They use microscopes to look deep into
the smallest particles in our world. These tools helped scientists
discover that the same rules that govern the structure and movements
of atoms and plants also govern the structure and movements of stars
and galaxies.

Nearby are areas where visitors can explore subjects in the film
such as dark matter, dark energy and the shared properties of all
things. Visitors can compare satellite images of the Earth's lights
taken at night in nineteen ninety-three and in two thousand. Many
areas of the world are more brightly lit in the more recent images
because of an increase in economic activity and energy use. There is
also a difference in lights at night in North Korea and South Korea.
And the lights increase in an area of the world such as Ukraine
whose economy grew in the seven years after the first images were
taken.

VOICE TWO:

The second exhibit area in the new science museum is "Global
Warming Facts and Our Future." Visitors can find out facts about
climate change including its natural and human causes. They also can
see the possible future effects of global warming.

A large real-looking copy of a cow named Bessy is part of the
exhibit. Cows eat a lot of grass and release a lot of methane gas.
Scientists say methane is one of the biggest causes of the warming
of the atmosphere. Nearby, a large wall display describes other
causes of climate change. These include natural ones such as
volcanoes and the activity of the sun. And there are human causes
such as the burning of coal, gas and oil.

VOICE ONE:

One part of the exhibit shows changes in temperature around the
world during the last century. A large map lets visitors find out
how the temperature changed in any area of the world. They can
examine the tools scientists use to find recent and prehistoric
changes in climate – including samples from trees, dirt, ice and
coral.

Visitors can see how global warming affects different areas of
the world. One possible result is a rise in sea levels because of
melting ice. Scientists say it is possible that the sea level could
rise from five centimeters to almost a meter in about one hundred
years. The exhibit shows possible effects of the resulting flooding
on agriculture, animals and plants, water supply, human health and
traditional cultures.

VOICE TWO:

The third exhibit in the new Marian Koshland Science Museum is
"Putting DNA to Work". It shows ways that DNA, the genetic material
of organisms, is being used today. Computer devices let visitors
investigate how diseases are identified. These programs show how DNA
research is helping protect public health by letting scientists
quickly identify the virus responsible for a new disease. In two
thousand three, scientists used a new scientific tool called a
microarray to identify the virus family to which SARS belongs. They
identified the virus family in just twenty-four hours.

Visitors also can learn how DNA information is used in criminal
cases. For example, law enforcement agents use a system named CODIS
to solve crimes. CODIS is the Combined DNA Index System. It is used
by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. CODIS is based on the series
of DNA markers in thirteen places in the human genome, the map of
the gene system in humans. It is used to prove if a suspect in a
crime is guilty or innocent.

A visitor to the museum exhibit can compare DNA from three
suspects of a crime to a DNA sample found where the crime took
place. For two of the suspects, some of the series of DNA markers
are the same as in the DNA sample found at the crime. For one
suspect, the guilty one, all the DNA series are the same. Scientists
say it is almost impossible that two different people would have the
same DNA series in all thirteen places used in CODIS.

VOICE ONE:

The deputy director of the museum, Erika Shugart, says that
visitors seem to have a rich experience even though the museum space
is small. Many visitors praise the efforts of the Marian Koshland
Science Museum to make science exciting and to show how science is
related to daily life.

The museum also offers a number of public programs. One popular
program is a scientific wine tasting where a climate expert explains
how climate affects the taste of different wines.

The museum offers special visits for school groups of older
students. Material on the museum's Web site helps students prepare
for their visit and to continue learning about the subjects in the
exhibits.

People who cannot visit the real museum can experience it on the
Internet. The museum's exhibits and links to other science Web sites
can be found at koshlandscience.org. That is
k-o-s-h-l-a-n-d-s-c-i-e-n-c-e dot o-r-g.

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Marilyn Christiano, and directed by
Mario Ritter. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. Listen again next week for another
EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.