The
Exploratorium recently partnered up with NSF-funded LIGO
(Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) to
fill LIGO’s new Science Education Center in Livingston,
Louisiana with over 35 interactive science exhibits. The
project, made possible by a NSF grant to California Institute
of Technology, Southern University at Baton Rouge, LaSIP/LA
GEAR UP (Louisiana Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness
for Undergraduate Programs) and LIGO, helps to achieve the
LIGO Science Education Center’s goal of communicating
physics and math concepts to students and teachers through
interactive science exhibits, teacher workshops, outreach
and professional development. The Exploratorium worked with
LIGO to customize many of the exhibits to reflect LIGO’s
theme and research mission, and has conducted several teacher
workshops with the exhibits at the new LIGO Science Education
Center.
LIGO
Science Education Center website (external
site)
Featured exhibits include:
Bouncing
Ball
Distilled Light
Doppler Effect
Drawing Table
Fading Motion
Find That Sound
Giant Slinky
Gravity’s Rainbow
Hot Light
Hot Spot
Image Relay
Interference
Kettle Drum
Light Island
Long Path Diffraction
Michelson
Inferometer
Oscylinderscope
Pendulum + Turntable
Pendulum Snake
Pendulum Table
Piano Strobe
Pipes of Pan
Resonant Rings
Resonant Rods
Resonator
Satellite Orbit Simulator
Rotating Pendulum
Soap Film Painting
Standing Wave
Suspense
Touch the Spring
Vibrating String
Visible Vibrations
Visible Effects of the
Invisible
Water Spinner
Wave Machine
