Last month I took the opportunity to visit the newest addition to the Natural History Museum here in London, UK. It is the Darwin Centre, a gigantic (and I mean monstrous) white pod fixed in a glass and steel box. This museum has taken technological discoveries, artifacts, the daily work of scientists, and the collection of specimens to a new educational level.

The visitor enters through a timed system in smaller groups (ie. meet here at 2:10 pm), is given a NaturePlus card which s/he can scan at different locations in the museum. The visitor then takes the card home, registers it on the museum's website, then reviews the information learned during their visit, joins clubs, and remains abreast of museum research. During the visit there are interactive videos, button activation and highlighting stations, problem solving areas, and glass windows into the researchers' labs for intimate views of their daily work.

Thanks to the triple W, we can all see their work:

Natural History Museum in London

New Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum

The second museum I have not visited yet and will not be able to attend until mid-February. It only opened this year and it already sustains large amounts of traffic and has to coordinate all visitors who attend the museum. Have you ever tried to describe a cell and all its parts to a group of kids or even one other person? Extremely difficult. Here are visuals to make it easier:

Centre of the Cell Museum