Upstream

Last weekend (2/14, 2/15) I went on a tour with MIT Concert Band to NYC, and visited the Museum of Natural History while I was there. We only had less than two hours, so I only saw the dinosaur galleries, which everyone agreed that they wanted to see best. Actually, I could choose to either go to the Museum of Modern Art or the Museum of Natural History, but I didn’t expect the Museum of Modern Art to be very interactive, and I also wanted to compare NYC Museum of Natural History to the one in Harvard.

I found out that I like the spacial arrangement at the NYC Museum better. The two-dimensional nature of the walkways at the Harvard Museum doesn’t make me feel as comfortable as the three-dimensional rooms at NYC Museum - although I acknowledge the fact that the NYC one is much bigger and has more things to show. It also has a lot of those multimedia stations where you can touch the touch-screen, pick some options, and a documentation about that species (usually exhibited nearby the station) will be played (with video and audio information). It also has a big screen clip, and other videos classified by eras instead of species, with attractive cartoonish imageries. I also like those big globes where they demonstrate visually which species used to be where, or what the continents looked like in each eras, or how the climate changed affected the species - it’s a nice way to convey a lot of information instantly.

I wonder, though, how much of the information will stay. Most of the texts, or even the information at the stations, may be academic and academically versed for most people; and I’m sure information such as the species’ scientific names will not be remembered by the majority. Not being able to remember the dinosaur’s scientific names also leads to not remembering any information or very few information, because every information is attached to a name (that people don’t remember). In other words, knowing that “some dinosaur species that lived in North America liked to eat some kind of herbs” is not very useful, or arguably not knowing. On the other hand, if a Museum chooses not to include these information because of these arguments, it will lose it credibility (I found that people tend to believe in things that they don’t understand just because it’s scientific), and there’s also the risk that a still existing minority of visitors will actually want to know about those details. I think there need to be a better way to filter information, so that people who are not actively exposed to information they’re not interested in knowing unless they choose otherwise. For example, I see a fossil, I’m kind of interested in it but not too much, so I start reading the text and the first information I see is its scientific name - this in fact discourages me from continue reading, although I’m still somewhat interested (especially when I had limited time like on this trip).

On another note, I’m happy about the class on Tuesday/Monday (I like building things). 7.014 is still giving me troubles, but I think it’s good that I’m taking it now because I have been considering between 1-E and 2 for a major. I think I’ll be able to make the decision at the end of this 7.014 class, when I find out how much I actually like/dislike biology.

Also, thank you for your feedback on the first journal entry!

Some photos are put here for better resolution. For more, see http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=90103&id=503198065&l=1e437

Today is Tuesday. It is, however, an Institute Monday. Mondays come with 1.016.

I like today’s class because we actually did work - and by work I mean manual work, with power tools. Knowing that I’m considering majoring in either 1-E (Environmental Engineering) or 2 (Mechanical Engineering), it should be guessable to you that I like tools (among other things). I like building things. We built a bench, with storage space, so I liked it.

Actually, not quite. We didn’t really have time to finish the bench, although we will eventually do. Today’s class was basically just to get people to used to drills and bits; nevertheless it made me happy (see also: MIT Hobby Shop). I would have taken a bunch of pictures if I weren’t busy building things (and had a camera). Some other people took many, though, I’m sure they’d be around somewhere.

I visited Harvard Museum of Natural History on Sunday afternoon with a high-school friend going to college there. It was nice, I got a free pass (Harvard ID holders are allowed one free guest) and a chance to see my friend - who lives just two miles away but has been too busy to see me more than twice last semester (and vice versa). The museum disturbingly fits my notion of what a traditional museum should be like: display cases, a lot of texts, life-sized models, etc. Some were interesting, for example, I was impressed with the dinosaur, fossils, and glass flowers exhibitions. The animals and the ethnology museums did not catch my attention much, since I’d prefer a zoo or safari to the former (although zoos are not as diverse or comprehensive) and I’d lived in Central/South America for some years. 

In terms of communicating method, I didn’t find much novelty. I paid close attention to the section about climate, since it’s the closest to the topic and the type of exhibition that we’re doing. Unfortunately, this section is small. However, it does have a video demonstration of the trajectory of the Earth around the Sun, and a large screen interactive video where the participants learn about how their choices would affect the carbon future of the Earth - which is nice, but still seems unsatisfying for me. Also, I’ve never really been to a museum before, or vaguely remember being very bored in one, and this seemed to confirm the boring factor.

I thought of going to one of the highly suggested museums in the emails, but ended up going to MIT museum today due to the lack of time (my class schedule isn’t the best one around. Also I feel like it’s about time I go there - it’s just across the street from my dorm!). It turned out I really liked it. I guess it also depends on the topic of the galleries/exhibitions, and since I’ve already had a lot of interest for most things there, I enjoyed it much more than the Harvard Museum of Natural History. The holograms were fancy, and I also enjoyed very much the machines and its steampunkish look. There are still a lot of texts, but I felt more comfortable reading them than the texts in Harvard Museum (again, probably because I’m more interested in the topic). There are also more “Do-it-yourself” signs, computers, things that do something when you want them to (as opposed to just standstill), and multimedia such as flash light demonstration, music (the MIT Engineering Song was played when I was there), and a group workspace on some biology topics (genomes?) that I expected to be interesting. I also liked the spacial arrangement in the MIT history area, and took some good pictures of those.

I really want to visit other museums mentioned, and surely will do it sometimes later this term (I just had to visit two on time last week to write this journal entry). Other than that, 7.014 is taking me a lot of time. I took the diagnostic test in my first recitation session, and the only question I could answer was “What was the last biology course you took and when?” My answer was something like “3 years ago, and in Vietnamese.” And, I did not understand anything said in 7.014 lecture today… but I guess it’s just a bunch of terminologies and a matter of when my up-to-date-version, newly ordered textbook will arrive.

From today’s class hand-out:

You will be split randomly into groups and given a noun. Your group must choose a sentence concerning your noun. Later, your group will communicate this sentence nonverbally to the class. Each group will have 5 minutes to agree on this idea, write it down, and bring it to Rodrigo (the Super-UTF). He will approve or reject your sentence. Sentences may be rejected if deemed inappropriate or too simple.

Once your idea is submitted and approved, you will receive a cache of supplies with which to convey this idea. Be creative and focused to communicate your thought. In addition to your materials and fellow group members, each group may use the UTF assigned to them, as well as using the floating Super-UTF as a live sculptural or animal element. Feel free (but not constrained) in your presentation, which could take the form of a sculpture, diorama, interactive display, or pantomime/dance. There are a few guidelines, as each presentation:

* Must have some dynamic element (e.g. a moving part or moving people)

* Cannot include spoken or written words (though sounds/noises are strongly encouraged)

* Must utilize most of the materials (this is more than simply a mime act)

After 20 minutes of planning and building, we will reconvene and explore what the other groups have come up with, with the onlookers trying to guess the sentence being communicated. We will then discuss how each group was most effective in helping the audience understand their idea.

The word for my group was “vertigo.” None of us knew what it meant as first, until Rodrigo explained that it was a kind of disease that causes acrophobia. After much discussion with not that many ideas, we agreed on “I have vertigo when riding on a Ferris Wheel.” After getting the sentence approved, we then allowed to lift the cover and take a look at our tools.

This is what we finally came up with. The Ferris Wheel is rotatable. It’s not a functioning or sustainable or engineeringly-correct model, it’s just designed to convey ideas. 

Other groups’ words are piracy, crescendo, and spy.

I really had a lot of fun doing this, and like the Ferris Wheel a lot (most of my friends guessed that it was a windmill or a turbine, though). I’m just so convinced that I’ll be really happy in course 2 (Mechanical Engineering), but at the same time my love for course 1 (Civil and Environmental Engineering) still remains. Major dilemma (pun pun).

I’m lazy and don’t feel motivated enough to learn about all WordPress’ features and organize things in a systematic way. Therefore, although I feel Terrascope, Mission 2012, and 1.016 should have their own pages or links somewhere easily clickable, they will all go in the only feature that I need and already know how to use: posts.

About MIT’s Terrascope program: http://web.mit.edu/terrascope/www/ 

12.000 (Mission [class year]): http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2012/ 

Mission 2012’s final web page on clean water in the American West: http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2012/finalwebsite/index.shtml 

And 1.016 (Communicating Complex Environmental Issues: Designing and Building Interactive Museum Exhibits): this class had a website that I could visit, but for some reasons it’s now down - probably in the process of updating to a new semester. Anyways, this is 1.016’s descriptions from websis:

Provides an opportunity to develop additional depth of knowledge on issues related to the Earth System problem studied during the Fall term Terrascope subject, 12.000. Student teams conceptualize, design, prototype and execute interactive museum exhibits to articulate and communicate their knowledge of the subject. Concepts of design are developed with professionals from local museums. Products are open to the public. The Terrascope field trip provides first hand experience and shapes the final exhibit design. Limited to Terrascope students. 

A weekly assignment for this class is the Developer’s Journal, which, according to the class syllabus: 

The Developer’s Journal is a way for you to communicate personally with us about anything you like—the work you have done, your goals for the semester, interesting (or boring) reading or field trips, the group dynamics of your development team, etc. The primary goal of the Journals, other than communication, is to give you a structured setting in which to reflect on the design/development/teamwork process and any lessons you have learned from it.

… also the main reason why I have this blog. I tend to write a lot, however, so I’m sure there will be more than just journal entries. 

Note: this is a blog about 1.016, not about MIT or my life. I do have a blog about my life somewhere on the internet, if you don’t know about it, then you don’t.