An Interactive Periodic Table and more…
Last week I returned from attending a very inspring STEM conference in Beijing, China. The conference focused on STEM, but a big part of it was dedicated to the use of technology. As I stayed in BJ for a few more days, I was invited to visit a very interesting museum: China Science and Technology Museum in the BJ Olympic Park. As everything else in China, it is huge. As I visited a Science Museum in Shanghai a few years back, I thought I knew what to expect. However, this museum in Beijing was something absolutely different. It was very interactive and engaging ,and I saw many families doing science activities with their children. I also felt that the range of themes was interesting. I wish they showed a few women in science (they didn’t show even their own Madame Wu, who was a very notable physicist). However, they did try to make it engaging and I think they had succeeded in many ways.
I also was able to ask a few questions of Dmitri Mendeleev (although I have to admit, he only wanted to speak Mandarin, so I wasn’t able to understand him). I was amazed at how he was able to learn the language so fast. This was also interesting as he even turned towards me when I asked a question.
I was thinking how the designers of this museum used technology to engage visitors of different ages. It was very interesting. Maybe I also enjoyed it because it wasn’t as crowded, as it was in November when the kids have to do their homework or go to school.
Today I was introduced to this very exciting web site – it should you how each element of the periodic table impacts our lives. It is fun.
http://elements.wlonk.com/ElementsTable.htm
