Science Museum Debuts Interactive WonderLab

Rachel Hopkins
Rachel Hopkins

A new permanent exhibit at the Science Museum of Western Virginia will take young children on a journey through the world of computer coding (or programming), beginning with simple toys programmed to do certain functions.

Executive director Rachel Hopkins calls the concept behind WonderLab, “growing the next generation of creative thinkers that employ critical thinking skills … and think big. That’s one of our goals.”

It’s basically learning to code through play, says Hopkins – with small robots and the dashboard workshop called Scratch, that was created in a lab at MIT. “We really want to let kids [and] families know this is a resource – get kids introduced to [coding] here then go home and get involved in it. We’re trying to give kids the steps.”

Coding or programming is all about giving instructions and that’s what Hopkins hopes WonderLab will do. She joined the Science Museum after helping to get the Roanoke Pinball Museum at Center in the Square off the ground.  She is also a big believer in active learning as opposed to more traditional passive learning that one expects from a museum.  “That’s how we retain information – we have an experience.” Hopkins calls one station in the WonderLab the intersection of art and technology – an installation by artist Jacob Smith called “Racing Electrons.”

Hopkins says she takes the concept of STEM – actually STEAM when you add art to science, technology, engineering and math – very seriously. “You are going to see a lot of art and science combined.”

Hopkins also wants people to envision the Science Museum of Western Virginia as a resource, a place they want to return to and ultimately become a member to help support the facility, which underwent a complete face-lift and expansion when Center in the Square went dark for renovations a few years ago.

Derek Kellogg, the museum’s scientific director, says WonderLab is “scalable” to the age of whoever is visiting: “We start out with things like code-pillar [a toy that can be “programmed” to move in certain directions], which are very easy to understand at a very basic level for very young children. Then [the exhibit] gets progressively more developed for middle school children as well as high school students … with a more advanced program language.”

Hopkins also says they are working to “gamify” the museum, perhaps creating a phone app that will lead young people back through their doors. Hopkins said a digital scavenger hunt might be one way to draw people in. “It’s kind of a way to say – you’re looking at your phone – we’re here too.”

Another facility at Center in the Square – the History Museum – is in the process of closing its location at Center in the Square; it will be moved over to the O. Winston Link Museum – also operated by the Historical Society of Western Virginia – in large part because of declining revenue and attendance over the past five years as board chairman Steven Warren declared when the announcement was made.

The Roanoke County company TMEIC is also providing funds so that WonderLab can be taken on the road to local schools as well, giving more youngsters a glimpse at the world of coding and computer programming.

Gene Marrano

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