united arab republic: the science museum, cairo

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United Arab Republic The Science Museum, Cairo bp M. hiesallam Hasan 71. TITE SCIENCE MLJSEUM, Cairo. A sectioned working model of the fertilizer plant at Aswan. 7 r. Section d’uiic maqucttc dc l’usine d’engrais d’Assouan. 72. THE SCIENCB IMusfiixr, Cairo. Part of a travclling cshibition. 72. Quelques elements d’une expsition iti- nCran tc. 214 At present the following departments of the museum are accessible: irrigation, IIa5ic and industrial chemistry, physics, atomic energy, solar energy, telecommunication, geology, meteorology and biology. The museum introduces each subject with very simple experiments operated by push-button control; few words are used, the experiment being done in such a way as to be practically self-explanatory. There are some exhibits which fire the interest of the child and set him asking questions. Trained museum officers watching the children pick out those who seem most interested: special programmes are prepared for them and the museum enables them to read more about the subjects they are interested in, plan their own projects and carry them out in the museum workshops. The models on display are sectioned, transparent and working so that visitors can see what is going on (fig. 71). Three lectures are given every day to schoolchildren, with demonstrations and projections, throughout eight months of the year. These lectures are designed to coincide with the school science programmes. Although the museum is still a nucleus museum and only four years old, it has proved to be a very successful educational institution. The building alone would limit the number of students that can be received, so mobile exhibitions with much the same programmes have been prepared (fig. 72). These move to special centres in Cairo and all over the country. Lectures, demonstrations and tours are organized, but active work is particularly encouraged. Here the science clubs do the best job. In the natural history and geology clubs the students are taken to different parts of the country to collect various species of animals (fig. 7j), photograph their habitats in colour and study their different kinds of food, hunt fossils, collect minerals, etc. They learn how to identify specimens, classify them, preserve their collections, and read about what they have collected. New species are submitted to professors from the universities who give their help when needed. The children collect leaves, roots, stems, flowers, fruits, insects, harmless reptiles, birds and mammals. They keep some unusual animals in cages in the museum garden, feed them and write reports about their life cycle. Many children become sufficiently interested to keep animals in their own cages at home. The university students prepare sections of the different parts of animals and plants, colour them, prepare skeletons of different animals and make complete collections to be sold to schools and colleges at a very low price. In the chemistry and ceramic club the members make casts of extinct animals and plants; they experiment on different kinds of local clays and minerals and try different local natural colours and glazes. They collect minerals and analyse them so as to discover the percentages of the different constituents. The museum provides scientific kits for children at a very low price (fig. 74). These are accompanied by printed instructions enabling them to do many different experj- ments. One of the most interesting new ideas is the use of “scientific playing cards”. In the centre of each is a science drawing with complete explanation (fig. 7~). There are botany cards with coloured sections of roots, stems and leaves, engine cards, human anatomy cards, scientific instruments cards, and cards with flow diagrams of local factories. Conferences for improving science teaching are held in October every year in the -

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Page 1: United Arab Republic: The Science Museum, Cairo

United Arab Republic

The Science Museum, Cairo

bp M. hiesallam Hasan

71. TITE SCIENCE MLJSEUM, Cairo. A sectioned working model of the fertilizer plant at Aswan. 7 r . Section d’uiic maqucttc dc l’usine d’engrais d’Assouan.

72. THE SCIENCB IMusfiixr, Cairo. Part of a travclling cshibition. 72. Quelques elements d’une exps i t ion iti- nCran tc.

214

A t present the following departments of the museum are accessible: irrigation, IIa5ic and industrial chemistry, physics, atomic energy, solar energy, telecommunication, geology, meteorology and biology.

The museum introduces each subject with very simple experiments operated by push-button control; few words are used, the experiment being done in such a way as to be practically self-explanatory. There are some exhibits which fire the interest of the child and set him asking questions. Trained museum officers watching the children pick out those who seem most interested: special programmes are prepared for them and the museum enables them to read more about the subjects they are interested in, plan their own projects and carry them out in the museum workshops.

The models on display are sectioned, transparent and working s o that visitors can see what is going on (fig. 71) .

Three lectures are given every day to schoolchildren, with demonstrations and projections, throughout eight months of the year. These lectures are designed to coincide with the school science programmes.

Although the museum is still a nucleus museum and only four years old, it has proved to be a very successful educational institution. The building alone would limit the number of students that can be received, so mobile exhibitions with much the same programmes have been prepared (fig. 72). These move to special centres in Cairo and all over the country.

Lectures, demonstrations and tours are organized, but active work is particularly encouraged. Here the science clubs do the best job. In the natural history and geology clubs the students are taken to different parts of the country to collect various species of animals (fig. 7j), photograph their habitats in colour and study their different kinds of food, hunt fossils, collect minerals, etc. They learn how to identify specimens, classify them, preserve their collections, and read about what they have collected. New species are submitted to professors from the universities who give their help when needed.

The children collect leaves, roots, stems, flowers, fruits, insects, harmless reptiles, birds and mammals. They keep some unusual animals in cages in the museum garden, feed them and write reports about their life cycle. Many children become sufficiently interested to keep animals in their own cages at home.

The university students prepare sections of the different parts of animals and plants, colour them, prepare skeletons of different animals and make complete collections to be sold to schools and colleges at a very low price.

In the chemistry and ceramic club the members make casts of extinct animals and plants; they experiment on different kinds of local clays and minerals and try different local natural colours and glazes. They collect minerals and analyse them so as to discover the percentages of the different constituents.

The museum provides scientific kits for children at a very low price (fig. 74). These are accompanied by printed instructions enabling them to do many different experj- ments.

One of the most interesting new ideas is the use of “scientific playing cards”. In the centre of each is a science drawing with complete explanation (fig. 7 ~ ) . There are botany cards with coloured sections of roots, stems and leaves, engine cards, human anatomy cards, scientific instruments cards, and cards with flow diagrams of local factories.

Conferences for improving science teaching are held in October every year in the

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Page 2: United Arab Republic: The Science Museum, Cairo

République arabe unie

museum where new ideas on the propagation of scientific knowledge are discussed. particular help is given with the preparation of educational television programmes.

As the United Arab Republic is a fast-developing country and there are many large idustrial health and agricultural projecta, the i i iuacuín finds itself responsible for informing the public about these projects through models, photographs, coloured slides, films, etc., showing how they help to raise the standard of living and increase the national income, and explaining how science helps in economic development.

...

Le Musée des sciences, Le Caire

A l’heure actuelle, les sections suivantes du musée sont ouvertes au public : irrigation, chimie fondamentale et chimie industrielle, physique, énergie atomique, énergie solaire, télécommunications, gdologie, météorologie et biologie.

1.e musée présente chaque sujet à l’aide d’expériences très simples que le visiteur rialise lui-même en appuyant sur un bouton ; les explications sont réduites au minimum car les expériences sont consues de telle sorte que leur signification saute aux yeux. Certains objets éveillent I’intéret des enfants et les incitent à poser des questions. Des employés du musée, spécialement formés à cette táche, surveillent les enfants et choisissent ceux qui paraissent manifester le plus d’intérêt : des programmes spéciaux sont préparés à leur intention et le musée leur donne la possibilité de se documenter

par M. Mesallam Hasan

sur les sujets qui les passionnent, d’établir leurs propres projets et de les exécuter dans les ateliers du musée.

1 ,es maquettes exposées sont sectionnées, transparentes et animées de manière que les visiteurs puissent en comprendre le fonctionnement (fig. 71).

Pendant huit mois de l’année, le musée offre tous les jours aux écoliers trois confé- rences accompagnées de démonstrations et de projections. Le thème des conférences est choisi en fonction des programmes scolaires de sciences.

Hien que le musée soit encore à l’état embryonnaire et n’existe que depuis quatre ans, il a fait ses preuves en tant qu’institutjon éducative. 11 ne peut accneillir dans ses locaux qu’un nombre limité d’élèves ; aussi organise-t-il dans des centres spéciaux du Caire et de l’ensemble du pays des expositions itinérantes suivant à peu prks le même programme (fig. 72).

En dehors des conférences, des d&”strations et des visites guidées, le musée encourage tout particulièrement les travaux pratiques ; dans ce domaine les clubs scientifiques font merveille. 1,es membres des clubs d’histoire naturelle et de géologie se rendent dans différentes parties du pays pour réunir des spécimens d’animaux (fig. 7j), faire des photographies en couleurs de leur habitat et observer ce qu’ils mmgent ; ils cherchent aussi des fossiles, collectionnent des minerais, etc. Ils apprennent à reconnaître les spécimens, à les classer, à prendre soin de leurs collec- tions et à se documenter sur les objets qu’ils ont rassemblés. Les espèces inconnues Sont soumises à des professeurs d’université qui sont toujours prêts à fournir leur aide.

I .es enfants collectionnent des feuilles, des racines, des tiges, des fleurs, des fruits, des insectes, des reptiles inoffensifs, des oiseaux et des mammifères. Ils gardent certains animaux peu communs dans des cages installkes dans le jardin du musée, leur donnent à manger et rédigent des rapports sur leur cycle biologique. Nombre d’entre eux s’intéressent suffisamment à ces activités pour avoir chez eux des ani- m a ~ \ en cage.

73. THE Scimcv. MLTSEUM, Cairo. A reptile of an almost cxtinct species caught by one of thc students. 7.9. Reptile d’unc csptce en voie d’extinction, capturC par un des Ctudiants.

Page 3: United Arab Republic: The Science Museum, Cairo

74. 'I'HE SCIENCE MUSEUM, Cairo. A scicntific kit: chemistry. 73 . Unc trousse scientifique (chimie),

71. 'I'HE SCIENCE M U S E U M , playing cards. 7 j . Jcu de cartes scientifiques.

Cairo. Scicn 'titic

Les étudiants d'universitk préparent des coupes des différentes parties d'animaux ou des éléments de plantes, montent les squelettes de différents animaux ct rcu- nissent des collections complètes qui sont vendues A très bas prix aux écolt.., et aux collkges.

I,es membres du club de chimie et de céramique font des moulages d'espces animales et végétales éteintes ; ils essaient différents genres d'argiles et de minéraua, et diverses sortes de couleurs et de vernis naturels d'origine locale. Ils rassemblent des minéraux et les analysent afin de déterminer les pourcentages de leurs élémetlts constitutifs.

Le musée fournit aux enfants des trousses scientifiques à très bas prix (fig. ?+), contenant des instructions imprimées qui permettent de procéder à de nombreuses expériences.

L'une des idées nouvelles les plus intéressantes est l'utilisation de "cartes à jouer scientifiques". Au centre de chacune de ces cartes se trouve un dessin scientiíiqLle accompagné d'explications complètes (fig. 7 ~ ) . I1 existe des cartes de botanique siir lesquelles sont reproduites des coupes en couleurs de racines, de tiges et de feuilles, des cartes de moteurs, des cartes d'anatomie humaine, des cartes d'instruments scientifiques, ainsi que des cartes reproduisant les courbes de production des usines locales.

Au mois d'octobre de chaque année, des conférences visant à amiliorer l'enseigne- ment des sciences ont lieu au musée ; on y étudie les courants d'idées modernes sur le progrks des connaissances scientifiques. La préparation de programmes de ték- vision éducative fait l'objet d'une aide particulière.

Comme la République arabe unie est un pays en voie de développement rapide, oh de vastes projets sont exécutés dans les domaines de l'industrie, de la santé et de l'agriculture, le musée a la responsabilité de donner au public des renseignements complets sur ces projets sous la forme de maquettes, de photographies, de diapositives en couleurs, de films, etc., qui montrent comment l'action menée aide à élever le riiveau de vie et à accroître le revenu national, et qui expliquent comment la science contribue au développement konomique.

[ Traditit de I'aqlais 1

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