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by Eric Tsai
Belying its elegant Tudor exterior, the Bakken Library and Museum is a lively treasure trove of information and history dedicated to the role of electricity and magnetism in life.
Like its architecture, the unique fusion of science, history and art makes the Bakken far from your typical science museum. Founded in 1975 by University of Minnesota alumnus and Medtronic co-founder Earl Bakken, the modestly sized museum takes a broad approach in promoting the study of electricity and magnetism, emphasizing not only its applications, but also its history, cultural context and societal contributions.
The diversity of the Bakken's hands-on exhibits is evident at first glance. Visitors can create a 60,000 volt spark by winding a Wimshurst electrostatic generator or listen as the electrical impulses of eels are converted into sound in an aquarium. Mirroring the pervasive influence of electricity and magnetism in our world, the Bakken's exhibits cover the role of electricity in nature, a historical overview of magnetism and its diagnostic and therapeutic applications, a celebration of the battery, and even an interactive collection of 18th-century electrostatic toys.
A prime focus of the Bakken is to bring science to life with direct visitor interaction, says Kathleen Klehr, manager of marketing, public relations, and events for the museum.
"We not only want people to realize how approachable science can be, we want them to leave the Bakken believing that they can do science," she says. A few examples include a geomagnetic earth with a magnetic field that can be turned on and off and an interactive human battery in which visitors join cathode and anode with their own two hands. A meter even displays how many milliamps of current are flowing through their body.
Instead of dazzling visitors with the latest in modern technology, the Bakken immerses them in the drama of the past, using historical narrative to add color to the study of electricity and magnetism. To get visitors interested in 18th-century scientists like Michael Faraday and Hans Christian Oersted, the Bakken illustrates the human element that permeates both past and present. Instead of looking at them as dusty relics, the Bakken portrays historical scientists as humans fused with the same curiosity about our natural world that people have today.
"Science hasn't changed as much as you think," notes David Rhees, the museum's executive director. "The science of today is still shaped by the same aspirations, scientific approach and social conditions as science throughout history."
The Bakken unites science and history to reveal how the historical development of science can serve as a mechanism for studying history in a broader context. "When we look at science's history, we not only see the discoveries but the culture and society of that time," says Klehr. "Science can allow visitors to make a personal connection with history."
Driven by the belief that science and the arts are linked by the common thread of creativity, the Bakken also houses a vibrant 1937 French mural, La Feé Electricité, which colorfully depicts the "harnessing of electrical energy" by illustrating the historical development of electrical science. Moving chronologically from right to left, the mural portrays more than 50 of the most influential electrical scientists gathering together in a scientific forum of epic dimensions (for example, Marie and Pierre Curie can be seen chatting alongside a pondering Thomas Edison). Above the scientists, a rapidly changing landscape evolves from subsistence farms, to coal plants, power lines and locomotives, demonstrating how scientific invention has transformed our modern world.
The Bakken's integration of science, history, arts, and active visitor participation is embodied by its theremin display. The theremin, one of the world's first electric musical instruments, was created by Leon Vistor Theremin in 1917. The instrument produces a wide range of pitches and volumes by detecting electrical interference, triggered by waving one's hands above the theremin. Visitors can read about the history of the peculiar device, see videos of a professional theremin performance, receive a theremin lesson, and even try their own hand at the instrument-often to the chagrin of other museum visitors.
Science and Society
Although The Bakken predominantly focuses on the ways electricity and magnetism have benefited society, it isn't afraid to explore both sides of society's relationship with science. The Frankenstein exhibit is a prime example.
Staged in a recreation of Frankenstein's laboratory, the exhibit successfully captures the terror, alienation, and sympathy of the original novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The lights dim and thunder crashes as the voice of Dr. Frankenstein narrates his tragic struggle with the mysteries of science and creation, a hauntingly accurate recreation of the original. Far from the Hollywood spin-offs that degrade the novel to a horror film, the Bakken's Frankenstein exhibit boldly confronts the issues of blind ambition, creation and the danger of pushing science's role beyond its usefulness. The exhibit epitomizes The Bakken's message--that the study of electricity extends far beyond circuits and is deeply immersed in all the complexities of life.
"In our Frankenstein exhibit, we wanted to show how science has impacted our conceptions of ethics and values and raise broader questions of how science has been utilized," says Rhees. At one point in the 12-minute long recreation, Frankenstein even pleads to the audience to avoid his past mistakes, "Avoid ambition, even the innocent one of distinguishing oneself in science."
According to Klehr, the museum encourages its visitors to question science's influence on society, as well as society's influence on science. "The Bakken tries to put science out there for you. Our role is not to decide whether it is good or bad," he says. "We want visitors to come away from their visit to The Bakken and form their own questions."
Lighting a Fire
The museum is only a small part of how the Bakken seeks to educate the public about electricity and magnetism. With the aim of motivating youth into the path of discovery, it launched the Earl Bakken Science Program, a diverse set of youth programs that links students with scientists and engineering mentors to promote self-directed invention and innovative learning. Participants explore the past in order to inspire them to invent their own creative projects. "Individuals recapitulate the history of science when participating in the learning process," adds Rhees. "That's why we start our students with electrostatics and the fundamentals that were discovered centuries ago and then progress toward modern developments."
In the year 2000, more than 115 students ages 9 and older participated in the Earl Bakken Science Program. The programs are designed so that kids can participate at a young age and continue in the program as they get older. "We want to ignite a passion for science in our students that will be self-perpetuating," says Rhees. Quoting William Butler Yeats, Rhees adds, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
The passion is still burning bright for Mike Waddick, 16, who started participating in the Earl Bakken Science Program when he was 12. After he and another student showed interest in designing a Tesla coil, a 19th Century high-voltage transformer that sends out radio waves and radiates large sparks, the Bakken funded the materials for them to make their own.
After designing and fabricating their own Tesla coil in about a year, The Bakken approached Waddick to make one for the museum. "It's been an experience that has changed my life," he says. "Without The Bakken, I never would have gotten into all these projects before." Now, four years later, he volunteers to mentor other students like Sam Lane, 14, who designed his own Tesla coil with Waddick's help. Both plan to follow career paths involving electricity and magnetism when they grow older.
Another initiative, the Historic Docent Program, offers students the unique opportunity to connect science with the performing arts. Youth ranging in age from 11-13 actively "take on the part" of a historical scientist, exploring both their life and work. Students apply their research by acting out the role of their famous scientist, dressing up as the historical figure and interpreting some of the Bakken's exhibits for museum visitors.
Other Bakken educational programs include summer science camps, school field trips, and Earl's Garage, a traveling workshop that brings science-related activities to inner city schools in order to spur involvement in science for girls and underrepresented minorities. All of the programs emphasize the importance of allowing youth to liberate their imaginations while working on hands-on science projects, bringing them in direct contact with scientific innovation.
"The Bakken really creates a sense of 'Wow!'" adds Richard Johnson, a retired fire-chief who now volunteers at the museum three times a week. "It's all about showing people the magic of science."
The Bakken's true heart was evident during a recent school field trip in which Johnson led a group of young students in creating a "circle shock," a static shock transferred around a ring of joined hands. Trying not to disturb Nobel Prize winner Sir Andrew Huxley, who was giving a lecture on his life's work in the adjacent hall, Richard told the children to remain as quiet as possible. "But when the shock went around the circle, they all broke out into these huge, wonderful squeals of laughter and joy," he says.
"Did you just hear that?" quipped Sir Andrew Huxley, after being interrupted by the children's screams. "Now that's the sound of science!"
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.thebakken.org
