"Powerful: African-Americans in Energy" | Exhibit review

 

Upon entering the Museum of Science and Industry’s newest exhibit, “Powerful: African-Americans in Energy,” the first thing you encounter (in a foyer space) is a video introducing the concept of energy for a young audience. Dual screens, each featuring a different speaker, work in tandem to get the idea across: “What powers our world?” one person asks. “We’re not just talking about energy drinks,” the other says.

Then they deliver the surprise: “Grab a putter and a ball, and work your way through the energy landscape.” Wait—putter and ball? Did they just say putter and ball?! Oh yes they did. Welcome to MSI’s clever strategy to get kids (and adults too, for that matter) invested in learning about our 21st-century energy options: Play a round of instructional miniature golf.

The exhibit is the latest iteration of MSI’s ongoing Black Creativity program, which highlights the contributions of African-Americans. Formerly an annual event, curator Angela Williams tells us that MSI now plans for an every-other-year roll out. (Coming in 2014: an exhibit about innovation.)

Williams admits that tackling a subject as big as energy was challenging. “Our mission is to inspire kids,” she says, “but how can we get them to wrap their heads around this complex topic?” The answer, of course, is to entertain as you educate. “I was initially inspired by pop-up books,” Williams confides—and somehow from there, the obstacle-laden golf course came to mind.

Kudos to Williams and Company for developing this engaging, interactive hook, featuring brightly-colored golf balls and putters of different sizes, for golfers of all different ages. When we attended opening day last week, we watched not just pre-schoolers and school children but also adults (with no kids in tow) getting into the action. Who knew that learning about energy could be this much fun?!

The golf “course,” which you can roam in any order, has eight stations that each highlight a type of energy production. (The final, ninth “hole” involves a sort of voting, but we’ll get to that in a minute.) After putting past an obstacle, retrieve your ball at the rear of the station and check out easy-to-read graphics (pie charts and maps, along with text) to learn about the pros and cons of that kind of energy. Also on display: what percentage of the country’s needs are fulfilled by this particular resource. (Interesting tidbits we learned: Illinois generates a whopping ten percent of the U.S.’s nuclear power, and our state ranks sixth in wind production. Sadly, far less than one measly percent of our nation’s needs are met by solar power.)

Bright sets evoke the different choices: The solar station contains lots of reflective panels; the hydro-electric station looks fittingly like a dam. Even better, some of the “holes” incorporate signature machinery into the obstacle. At the wind-power station, you have to put your ball into the arms of a reclining windmill, which carries the ball up, then drops it through a hole. Meanwhile, the oil-and-coal station uses an oil-rig pump to occasionally block the path your ball must pass.

At the very end, you’re encouraged to “putt your vote” about our energy future: Drop your golf ball into one of three chutes, voting for either fossil-fuel-based business as usual, an all-green program or a balanced energy “diet.” MSI reps tell us they'll be posting the ongoing vote tallies every week on the museum's Facebook page.

Interestingly, the “African-Americans in Energy” part of “Powerful” almost feels like an afterthought. On opposite walls in the exhibit space are displayed portraits and mini biographies of almost two dozen prominent black scientists and entrepreneurs. The impressive roster includes a Fermi lab particle physicist, the soon-to-retire CEO of ComEd, and a U.S. Department of Energy official. To be fair, this information is exactly the kind that will bore younger kids, so it’s wise to set it apart from the golfing action; teenagers and adults can check out the profiles without interrupting any eager putters.

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The centerpiece of MSI’s Black Creativity 2012 initiative, “Powerful: African-Americans in Energy” runs through April 15. Special events include hour-long Jr. Science Cafés, every Wednesday in February at 10:30am, when leading energy professionals talk to kids about educational and career paths. “Powerful” is included with regular admission to MSI (5700 S Lake Shore Drive, 773-684-1414); for a list of free days, click here.