Niagara Science Museum
Encyclopedia
The Niagara Science Museum is a science museum
established in Niagara Falls, New York
in 2009. The museum's mission is to demonstrate the history of scientific discovery through the preservation, restoration, and demonstration of the scientific instruments and technologies. The Niagara Science Museum houses a collection of over 2,000 scientific instruments and technologies dating from the 1700s to the present.
s, a large collection of microscopes and optics, meteorological instruments, communication and media technologies, hydraulics and vacuum technologies, medical technologies, computing history, and others. It also houses the Charlie Troutman Printing Press Room, a working letterpress studio using a 1914 Chandler & Price
press. The museum is housed in the former Union Carbide building, built in 1910, and restored to house the museum's collection, and is currently powered by an array of solar cells on its roof.
The museum has offered public demonstrations of its collection, including as a part of Atlas Obscura's Obscura Day in 2010 and 2011, visits from regional schools, and has been invited to exhibit artifacts from its collection at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College
. The museum is also open to the public for visits.
In 2010, the museum received a large donation of historically significant artifacts from the early days of electrical production.
In 2011, the Niagara Science Museum was certified as a not-for-profit educational corporation with a charter by the Board of Regents of the State University of New York
.
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
established in Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
in 2009. The museum's mission is to demonstrate the history of scientific discovery through the preservation, restoration, and demonstration of the scientific instruments and technologies. The Niagara Science Museum houses a collection of over 2,000 scientific instruments and technologies dating from the 1700s to the present.
Overview
The Niagara Science Museum was founded by Nick Dalacu, a physicist who amassed a personal collection of hundreds of historically significant instruments and technologies over four decades. The museum presents its collection in 'living laboratories' in the style of the wunderkammern, or cabinet of curiosity, of Renaissance Europe. Its dozen rooms include laboratories dedicated to high-voltage electronics and galvanometerGalvanometer
A galvanometer is a type of ammeter: an instrument for detecting and measuring electric current. It is an analog electromechanical transducer that produces a rotary deflection of some type of pointer in response to electric current flowing through its coil in a magnetic field. .Galvanometers were...
s, a large collection of microscopes and optics, meteorological instruments, communication and media technologies, hydraulics and vacuum technologies, medical technologies, computing history, and others. It also houses the Charlie Troutman Printing Press Room, a working letterpress studio using a 1914 Chandler & Price
Chandler & Price
Chandler and Price was founded in 1881 in Cleveland, Ohio, by Harrison T. Chandler and William H. Price. They manufactured machinery for printers including a series of hand-fed platen jobbing presses, as well as an automatic feeder for these presses , paper cutters, book presses, and assorted...
press. The museum is housed in the former Union Carbide building, built in 1910, and restored to house the museum's collection, and is currently powered by an array of solar cells on its roof.
The museum has offered public demonstrations of its collection, including as a part of Atlas Obscura's Obscura Day in 2010 and 2011, visits from regional schools, and has been invited to exhibit artifacts from its collection at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College
Buffalo State College
The State University of New York College at Buffalo, referred to as Buffalo State College, often referred to colloquially as Buff State, is a public, liberal arts college in Buffalo, New York, United States and is part of the State University of New York. Buffalo State was founded in 1871 as the...
. The museum is also open to the public for visits.
In 2010, the museum received a large donation of historically significant artifacts from the early days of electrical production.
In 2011, the Niagara Science Museum was certified as a not-for-profit educational corporation with a charter by the Board of Regents of the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
.
External links
- Niagara Science Museum Official Page
- The Niagara Science Museum at Atlas Obscura
- Reviews of the Niagara Science Museum at Tripadvisor.com.