The topic of energy has been a popular one recently.  Society is looking for alternative power sources to fossil fuels.  There are already a number of plans in place to further make use of renewable energy sources.  The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) is creating an exhibit set to open in October 2013, with the purpose of raising awareness about renewable energy sources in young museum goers.  The exhibit will show guests how energy works, how it is being used already and how they can help shape the way renewable energy will be used in the future.

      The Grid, is a team of students at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center that is creating a piece of the Future Energy exhibit for Chicago MSI.  The team is working on creating an experience in which museum goers can interact with a map of North America through a touch-screen interface that will reveal facts and plans to harness more renewable energy all over the continent in a fun and interesting way.  The experience will show what areas of the continent are rich in renewable energy sources, how that energy is harnessed, and what happens to it after it is harnessed.  In addition, the experience will present the facts of the current energy situation and raise questions about where energy is headed in the future.  The Grid, is the first part of what will be a two semester project.  In this semester the team is creating a prototype for the core interaction with ways in which the next team can refine and build upon the work done by The Grid.

On february 7, the team had the opportunity to visit Chicago to go to the museum and meet Patricia Ward and John Llewellyn who are in charge of the design of the new exhibition for the museum.

The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI), the largest science center in the Western Hemisphere, is home to more than 35,000 artifacts and nearly 14 acres of hands-on experiences designed to spark scientific inquiry and creativity. Since opening its doors in 1933, they’ve welcomed more than 175 million guests from around the world. Their mission, to inspire the inventive genius in everyone by presenting captivating and compelling experiences that are real and educational, is realized through world-class exhibits such as: Science Storms, the newest permanent exhibit revealing the science behind some of nature’s most powerful phenomena;YOU! The Experience, an exhibit that lets you explore what it means to live a vital, healthy life in the 21st century; and the U-505 Submarine, the only German U-boat in the United States.

Even bigger than their mission is their vision, which is to inspire and motivate children to achieve their full potential in the fields of science, technology, engineering and medicine. In addition to their fun and interactive exhibits, the Museum’s Center for the Advancement of Science Education (CASE) is continually developing and facilitating student learning labs, after-school science clubs, teen volunteer programs, teacher development classes and community outreach—all ways in which MSI makes science come alive for children and adults of all ages.

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