Columbus's Great Experiment

劳伦斯科学馆建议发展一个专业 公众教育计划，包括巡回展览，两个 天文馆节目，一出戏剧，和一个名为 “哥伦布的伟大实验。“强调科学， 技术，哥伦布的第一次航行被描绘成一个 实验旨在验证假设（基于怀疑的 证据），航行到西方是一个更实际的方式， 比向东绕过非洲之角， 非洲 与许多科学实验一样， 与实验者的想法完全不同： 为了找到一条通往印度群岛的航线，哥伦布 了解我们的星球，促进科学发展 和技术 这些事件发生在社会和 文化背景对发展至关重要， 现代科学，并导致了深远的变化， 世界上的人口和生态问题一直持续到今天。 国家人文基金会最近 为展览的发展提供了一笔赠款。 的 目前的提案要求NSF与NEH一起完成 扩大项目，通过资助：a）三个组成部分 展览的额外副本将由其他人建造 博物馆，从而扩大公众观众1900万 游客; B）两个参与性天文馆项目; c）一个戏剧 关于哥伦布航行的科学方面; d）学校 教材，使教师能够提出最重要的 在展览中体现的想法，以学生谁是无法 在科学中心看展览。 关心这些 我们预计，1992年的哥伦布日前后， 这些材料足够有趣， 信息丰富，娱乐性强，可以使用多年， 来了

The Lawrence Hall of Science proposes to develop a major public education program, including a traveling exhibition, two planetarium programs, a play, and a kit for schools entitled "Columbus' Great Experiment." Emphasizing science and technology, Columbus' first voyage is portrayed as an experiment aimed at testing the hypothesis (based on doubtful evidence) that sailing to the west was a more practical way of reaching the Indies than by sailing east around the Horn of Africa. As with many scientific experiments, the results were quite different from what the experimenter had in mind: instead of finding a sea route to the Indies, Columbus vastly expanded knowledge about our planet and spurred developments in science and technology. These events occurred within a social and cultural context that were critical to the development of modern science, and resulted in far-reaching changes in the population and ecology of the world which continue today. The National Endowment for the Humanities has recently awarded a grant for the development of the exhibits. The present proposal requests that NSF join with NEH to complete and expand the project, by funding: a) components of three additional copies of the exhibition to be constructed by other museums, thus expanding the public audience to 19 million visitors; b) two participatory planetarium programs; c) a play about the scientific aspects of Columbus' voyage; and d) school kits that will enable teachers to present the most important ideas embodied in the exhibition to students who are unable to view the exhibition at a science center. Interest in these programs will peak around Columbus Day, 1992, we anticipate that the materials will be sufficiently interesting, informative, and entertaining to be used for many years to come.