The Tech Museum of Innovation - Week 1

       Week 1 of interning in the Tech Museum has been a very different experience for me. I have learned how to interact more with people and be engaged in the activities they are doing throughout the museum. In my first day at the museum I was introduced to a lot of staff members and in all honesty now that it's the fourth day I still can't seem to remember their names. Its a good thing they wear name tags. Besides being introduced to some staff members I was taken to the bottom level of the museum where I would spend most of my time working in the galleries. For this first week I was trained in Cyber Detectives, Social Robots, and Just Wing It.
       Cyber Detectives is made up of a lot of different activities where kids and adults could be engaged in doing while learning about the internet and the dangers it brings. For example, in that gallery there is an activity called the Cyber Attack Simulator and I got the opportunity to participate in it so I could be able to explain it to guest. The whole simulator is a hands on hands activity where people are taken to a room where they have to discover who has been hacking a company and they have to find a way to solve the solution. They are given clues by a computer and then they are left on their own to put the pieces together.
         Social Robots over all has to be my favorite gallery. In this gallery kids get the opportunity to build their own robot (a robot that will save the day) using sensors, controllers, inputs, and outputs. There are also specific inputs that guest could match with outputs which make the robot do a different thing which is just awesome. After guest are done building their robot they are given the opportunity to take pictures with it and to even dress it up with the accessories we provide. As an intern I explain to guest what this gallery is and I get the opportunity to help them out with their robot.
          Just Wing It is all about building a glider that will be fly once it is put to the test. Guest are given five tries to make a glider and they have to have a minimum of two wings on it. We offer them a different variety of wings they could put on their glider and if guest are doing very well we give them challenge cards which gives them a challenge on how to build their glider. For example, one challenge can tell them to build a glider with only animal wings or to build a glider that will arc once it is put to the test.
         Over all, interning in the Tech Museum is going really good so far. I have realized that for a museum to work a lot of workers and volunteers are needed just to make it all happen. The museum wouldn't be able to function just with a small group of workers; a lot of people are needed. Also, I have realized that technology is very tricky. For instance, in the Cyber Detectives gallery the technology there is always malfunctioning so having the engineering team on speed dial comes in handy. (All staff members also get walkie talkies and as an inter I got one and let me tell you I got very excited! I have never used a walkie talkie and it is our form of communication in the whole museum and thats just cool!).

- Brisdy