Conveying conflicting scientific topics in exhibitions: Development and optimization of an exhibition prototype and a museum-related wiki

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The aim of this knowledge transfer project is to draw on empirical evidence to design and implement a prototypical exhibition space in the Deutsches Museum (practice partner DM), where museum visitors can encounter conflicting information on a current science topic. In addition, a wiki will be developed dealing with the presentation of conflicting information in museums and exhibitions and the research based development of exhibitions. The wiki will be made permanently by the Institute of Museum Research (practice partner IfM).The empirical evidence for the prototype is based on four pillars: (1) international state-of-the-art psychologically oriented visitor studies and research on cognitive processing of conflicting information. (2) empirical findings of the applicants (Technische Universität Muenchen, TUM; Institut fuer Wissensmedien, IWM) previous research projects within the German Research Foundations (DFG) priority program Science and the Public, as well as other museum-related research projects. (3) a survey of a representative sample of German museums and exhibit design firms, aimed at determining the demand regarding the presentation of conflicting topics and a front-end study with potential exhibition visitors, which is to be carried out in cooperation with the TUM, IWM and the practice partner IfM and DM. (4) a series of empirical studies within the proposed project, In several iterative cycles, TUM and IWM in close collaboration with DM, will develop and implement a range of design models for an exhibition space on the subject of industrial meat production as part of an exhibition on agriculture and nutrition that will open in 2019. These investigated design options include (1) topic presentation in form of a conflict frame, (2) personalized presentation of conflicting information, (3) use of authentic objects for presenting the conflicting information in a vivid manner (4) staging of conflicting content through alterations in contiguity and correspondence of the exhibition sections. The exhibition area should meet the criteria of a visitor oriented presentation of conflicting science topics by arousing interest, drawing and maintaining the visitors attention, stimulating an elaborated and critical reflection resulting in visitors forming a differentiated opinion on the topic. The prototype will be integrated into the permanent collection of the Deutsches Museum, which will be empirically evaluated after opening. In addition, together with practice partners DM and IfM, based on state-of-the-art research and findings of this project, an evidence-based, practice oriented wiki on the subject of presenting conflicting information in museums and exhibitions and basic information on research based exhibition development will be developed and made permanently online available for the German speaking museum community by the IfM.