Published: 1/3/2021 4:53:27 PM
Things are going to look different at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center this year, but this is a change that hasn’t been forced on us by the pandemic – it’s more like an embarrassment of riches.
The science museum in Concord is getting most of the exhibits from the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway, including a replica of a cabin in which the highest wind speed on Earth was measured in 1934 (the record has since been broken, depending on how you define “measured”).
The center was run by the Mount Washington Observatory until this year, but the board of trustees of the nonprofit observatory said in October they were closing it to focus on the core mission of scientific research and meteorology.
“I approached them about their exhibits. They loved the idea of strengthening our partnership and moving the exhibits to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center,” said Jeanne Gerulskis, executive director of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center.
The Discovery Center is getting almost all of the exhibits, which poses a problem.
“It's a lot of stuff, and we don't have a lot of storage space, so we need to bring the MWO exhibits right into our science galleries and start installing. We figured that presents a great opportunity for us to relook at all of our exhibits,” Gerulskis said. “We did a master plan in 2007-2009 before opening, but since then, we have mainly added or subtracted or augmented without doing a comprehensive plan.”
The Discovery Center will be closed from Jan. 1 to mid-February to incorporate the new material and make other changes.
“We also have a lot of background/virtual projects lined up that could use some undivided attention, and will benefit the organization and community in the long run. So, since attendance is pretty light right now because of the pandemic, we figured this would be the ideal time to renew, refresh and expand our exhibits, including adding some small makerspaces and activity stations,” Gerulkis said.
The Weather Discovery Center opened in North Conway in 1999.
Among the exhibits coming to Concord is a replica of the Mount Washington Summit Co.’s Stage Office, where the then-world record wind of 231 mph set was recorded on April 12, 1934. It features howling wind and earth-shaking timbers.
An automated instrument station in Australia recorded a new record of 253 miles per hour during Tropical Cyclone Olivia in 1996, and faster speeds have been measured aloft in hurricanes, but the Mount Washington measurement still stands as the highest wind speed ever measured on the surface by people.
(David Brooks can be reached at 369-3313 or dbrooks@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @GraniteGeek.)
0 Response to "Discovery Center set to add iconic exhibits - Concord Monitor"
Post a Comment