Maryland Science Center

Situated in the inner harbour of Baltimore is the Maryland Science Center, an amazing addition to the wealth of urban regeneration within this industrial city. Across the harbour sits the famous aquarium, which I was sadly unable to visit this time round. Nevertheless, the Science Center more than made up for this, and I enjoyed looking at the brilliantly simple exhibits with a sense of childish wonder.

Maryland Science Center

It is an awesome building from the very start, and as you look around the entrance hall you see how varied the science within actually is. Geysers are modelled on both sides as you enter, challenging you to predict when they will blow given the scientific principles behind them. Beneath you in the flooring is the night sky, to your right dinosaurs prowl, to your left the hands-on Newton's Alley makes all sorts of noises.

The principle with this is one of being extremely interactive; there aren't many pieces in the centre that aren't made to be handled, don't have a button to push or whatever. Certainly some of the dinosaurs are there to be appreciated, but even with these there are videos presenting the watcher with various theories behind the beasts - I'm pleased to report I saw no Creationist propaganda there!

I've mentioned that each exhibit is quite simple - I think the best example is of the Wonder Warehouse, where the staff have converted their storage/exhibition space into a giant hotchpotch of different guerilla experiments, from non-Newtonian fluids (cornstarch, water and a sub-woofer) to light painting (with a dark room, a selection of torches and a 20s exposure on the camera). Even the dividers are the very boxes housing their previous travelling exhibit. Everything is used, and the ingenuity shows.

I particularly liked the section on the human body, where very simple principles showed the various functions on the cardiopulmonary, digestive and nervous systems. There was even a simple 'stress monitor', inviting you to guess when your partner is lying whilst trying to guess their number. A sonar gun tells you how tall you are, and elsewhere there is a lab for everyone to try their hands at experiments.

The staff are extremely friendly and are great fun - sadly I can't remember the name of the lady who performed the excellent Laws of Motion show, but it was a tour de force of serious slapstick science presentation. The Davis Planetarium is free, and is a lovely analogue Minolta starball. It is augmented by a series of slide projectors and special effects generators, and provides a great glimpse into the night sky.

If you are in Baltimore, this is definitely a place to visit. If you are not there, then you can follow the centre on Facebook and Twitter, and keep up with its Scicasts, a downloadable podcast of recent news. An excellent centre for the Maryland area.