An unusual exhibition “Expedition through the Solar System” was opened by the National Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in cooperation with the Chernivtsi Museum of Science in Chernivtsi. All the exhibits were developed by Swiss scientists from the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and the Focus Terra Museum, UNN reports.
According to Stanislav Dovgyi, director of the IAS, the Swiss partners supported the IAS program, which creates regional science centers in communities where a large number of IDPs, including children, currently live.
“The exhibition was delivered from Zurich by the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine. Such projects help Ukraine to restore the level of access to educational opportunities for schoolchildren, which, unfortunately, have been partially lost due to the war. This exposition is special because its presentation is somewhat different from the traditional one,” said Stanislav Dovgyi, President of the Minor Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
“Journey through the Solar System” is presented as a fascinating and at the same time satirical comic book in which scientists talk about their scientific research and findings, the sources of motivation in their work, and how they looked deep into the planets millions of kilometers from Earth. The expositions explain the internal structure of the planets, features of satellites, black holes and gravitational waves, the search for exoplanets, gas and ice giant planets in an accessible way.
Thanks to an unusual presentation, visitors can imagine themselves in the center of Jupiter, land on Mars, and learn new knowledge about the red planet using the Martian earthquake scale. Children will also study the isotopes of noble gases in meteorites, solve the mysteries of the origin of water on Earth, and analyze its content in various celestial bodies.
“Swiss scientists have come up with a creative approach to presenting scientific facts. The idea of telling about scientific research in the form of a comic book took root in Zurich and now we show it to our children. In addition to the exhibition, visitors will be able to take part in interactive activities that will motivate children to engage in science. It is very important to dispel the stereotype that science is hard and boring. On the contrary, it is a creative, exciting journey with vivid impressions. And thanks to the support of the European Network of Science Centers Ecsite, partners from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Focus Terra Museum, this became possible,” emphasized Vasyl Dunets, Deputy Director of the Junior Academy of Sciences.
To create the exhibition, the scientists used their experience of three space missions, during which they investigated the Earth's magnetic field, measured gravitational waves, and studied the internal structure and composition of the planet Mars.
The organizers have prepared interesting interactive activities for young visitors. Children aged 6-9 will be offered to create a pocket solar system from a paper strip for cash registers, build a scale model of the distances between the planets' orbits, the asteroid belt and Pluto. Visitors aged 9-12 will be able to try on the profession of a space guide and develop their own author's tour of satellites for space tourists. And schoolchildren aged 12+ will construct a model of a black hole.
Later, the exhibition will go on tour to other regions.