Thursday, February 23, 2012

Sony Philippines and The Mind Museum: Bringing the Best in Science and Technology to the Filipino Youth



I love going to museums with interactive exhibits. As a parent, I know that children (even adults!) learn better when they not only have to see and observe but also get to touch and explore things. 


This March, Filipinos will be brought to the frontiers of science and technology as Sony partners with The Mind Museum in bringing top-of-the-line and state-of-the-art gadgets like Bravia LCD television units, touch screen VAIOs, and 3D Projector Systems, among others, to the first world-class science museum in the country.  


My son (who writes for Manila Bulletin's Funpage section) and I were invited to The Mind Museum the other day to experience the wonders of Science in this enthralling facility that is now home to over 250 interactive exhibits just waiting to be discovered and explored in five main galleries. We both were fascinated to see, hear, touch, and even smell various stuff that made us appreciate the different aspects of science more. 


The place is quite huge so prepare to spend more than two hours to be able to check out everything. Some of the exhibits that impressed me the most include the Shadow Box, the "laser" and mirrors, and the solar-powered insects, among many, many others. I wouldn't want to spoil your own discoveries so I won't describe them much in detail.


But to whet your appetites for what to expect when you do visit The Mind Museum, here are the descriptions of the facility's five main sections:

1. The Atom Gallery features exhibit pieces but goes further to explore these at the atomic and particle level. The force of these articles comes alive in Sony Bravia TV screens and Sony 3D active glasses. VAIO touch screen units are also present in this gallery to show a video on the use of nuclear energy and about nuclear physics, among others.


2. The Earth Gallery features the majesty of Mother Earth as it unfolds in all its grandeur. Watch 3D animated films here made possible by Sony's revolutionary 3D Projection System; something that Sony will only make available locally in The Mind Museum. There's "Birthplace," a 12-minute show of the 4.6 billion year history of the Earth, and the film "Simula" which shows the history of the Philippines in six minutes.


3. The Life Gallery offers a deeper understanding of how living things -- from microbes to large animals -- grow and survive, and provides a glimpse at their amazing transformation from mere DNA particles into complete organisms. This gallery also has a giant human brain model with sections that light up when you step on huge buttons on the floor.


4. The Universe Gallery showcases distant galaxies, planets and other astronomical bodies which come to life via VAIO touch screens, Bravia TV screens, and S-Frames. The exhibits attempts to explain the origin of the universe and also take guests on a unique stargazing experience. There, we got to enter a mini planetarium where there are soft cushions to literally lie on while we watched an educational clip about asteroids.


5. The Technology Gallery takes guests on a journey of man's innovations as captured in the tools and technologies that humans invented through the years. It tells the story of how science inspired man to create, invent, and innovate using the elements that the Earth naturally provides.


As part of its advocacy to support education in the Philippines, aside from media friends, Sony also invited students from the Buting Elementary School and children from the Virlanie Foundation to experience the museum before it is formally opened to the public on March 16, 2012. 


As the exclusive electronic partner of The Mind Museum, Sony will also hold workshops related to technology in addition to providing cutting-edge technology. For more information, please log on to www.themindmuseum.org or call 909-MIND (6463). The Mind Museum is located at JY Campos Park, 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

   

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