The NEMO Science Center in Amsterdam was my first opportunity to see science education in another country. NEMO is by far the largest and most unique science center I have ever experienced, with huge interactive displays and a delightful, playful architecture.
I was also impressed with how deep much of the material went. There was no attempt to dumb down subject matter or render it “kid safe” (read: non-controversial). Topics such as reproduction and displays that might be considered disturbing were present amongst the standard cartoonish displays:
 Nias Islanders |
In the “Codename DNA” display area, there was the above fairly creepy plaster casts of the faces of the Indonesian island of Nias’ inhabitants from the 19th century by J.P. Kleiweg de Zwaan.
There were also some awesome primary source material, like this gem from history, complete with signature:
 Rosalind Franklin’s DNA X-Ray Diffraction Photo |
See the complete flickr set here. I’ll be posting more photos from this science center over the next several weeks, exploring its many offerings.