Journey to a beautiful mind

Science, like math, can be boring, can be Greek. Students who don’t understand what they’re all about avoid them like the plague. But thanks to the Philippine Science Centrum Foundation, these subjects are made exciting journeys into possessing beautiful minds. How is this made possible?

Just visit – with your kids – the Philippine Science Centrum along Pedro Gil cor. Taft Avenue. Or look at the exhibits of Science Centrum when they’re mounted in the shopping malls. Children, and adults, too, see the marvelous secrets of science and ask how they happen, or why.

For example, in one small corner of the exhibit, the student stands in front of a wall, presses a switch on the opposite wall, watches the seconds count down, and when the number hits zero, there is a flash of light, and his shadow is on the wall, but as he leaves, the shadow is left behind him on the wall, not following him as he walks away. The shadow is imprinted on the wall for a long time. What happened? A Centrum staffer explains that the scientific explanation for the phenomenon is phosphorescence. This is a form of light emission caused by the excitation of atoms by an outside source. The staffer goes on to explain more, and the student is fascinated, and listens, then moves on to other objects in the exhibit. His curiosity has been aroused.

The museum, or exhibit, has gadgets that can withstand rough handling. There’s a bicycle with a skeleton riding on it to show how bones in the body move.

There’s a spot where children race, their speed recorded to show if it matches that of runner Elma Muros. A lighted signboard provides the time and speed of the runner at the end of the race.

There are dozens and dozens of gadgets that catch the interest of young and adult viewers. The simple but incredible ‘"Ball-a-Float" display is made of an inflated plastic ball kept afloat by a steady gush of air emitted by an apparatus directly below the ball. Why the ball stays afloat explains 18th century Swiss physicist Daniel Bernoulli’s theory on the relationship between the velocity of a fluid flow and the pressure it exerts.

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The unlocking of scientific secrets at the museum has drawn more than 30,000 visitors. The museum is open Mondays to Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entrance fee is P40 per child and P45 for an adult. It would be well to call the centrum for group tours; call 5258752.

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The science museum was organized in 1990 by the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology precisely to make science an interesting journey for young minds. There are other programs that are aimed at making science and technology vibrant fields of study.

There is Science Works, a showcase of the dynamic and active process of learning; Adventure in Discovery, a traveling science centrum exhibition; Science Fair, an exhibition of various scientific products which seeks to enhance creative thinking at an early age; Sci-Art Discovery Workshop, an activity designed to enhance the learning of science through the arts presented in interactive workshops and creative activities; Young Scientists Quiz and Science Program, which intends to develop the students’ intellectual capability in scientific, aesthetic, and social values, and Teachers’ Training through Incentive Exhibits, a training workshop for teachers to complement the formal educational system.

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PFST president Amaury Gutierrez, former president and chairman of the board of Caltex Philippines, and president of Pepsi Cola Products Philippines, Inc. and Philippine Institute for Pure and Applied Chemistry, is pleased with the results of those programs, which are a step towards fulfilling the vacuum in government intervention in promoting interest and resources in science and technology. He has been quoted as saying that "when there is a general lack of interest in science, we are trapped in a situation where science education becomes inferior." A major problem is that industry has not yet recognized the importance of using local science. "If they need technical assistance, they go abroad, and so the demand for local research and development has not grown. That is why government and business and industry should allocate more funds to R&D.

The PFST was formed in 1984 because, says Amaury, "we felt that leaving the development of science and technology to the government was not enough. The private sector had to get involved. With the foundation formed, we started looking for means by which we can become active in the development and promotion of science and technology. "In 1990, the Science Centrum was inaugurated, precisely to stimulate the youth’s interest in the field and "demystifying science," as he puts it. "When science becomes too difficult students start thinking, "That’s not for us," without realizing that science is part of their daily lives."

The successful work of PFST is also due to the dynamism of its director, Leticia Moran-Zerda, who has a bachelor’s in pharmacy and a masters in public health nutrition, and shifted careers to help establish the Philippine Science Centrum/Museum and its satellite, Science Works! And its various educational program.

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Two heartening developments are the groundbreaking of the Marawi Science Centrum, the first in Mindanao specifically for interactive exhibits, and the Educational Pathways Project, a package of interventions promoting science literacy and consciousness in basic education. The latter replicates the success of the pilot project implemented in a third-year high school class of the Don Jose Yñares Sr. Memorial National High School in Binangonan. The project covers curriculum enhancement, teachers’ training, teaching and learning resources development, instructional management, and students’ training on science and science-related skills.

Letty feels gratified with the Binangonan project. "There was significant learning achievement in science, and with the students’ marked improvement in the math attitude scales, improved learning achievement in the subject can’t be far behind."

With PFST efforts, it won’t take long before we see more students embarking on the journey of forever asking why and how things work – the mark of a beautiful scientist’s mind.

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