On Friday, April 11, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History hosted an adult STEM night called “Discovery After Dark.” The event invited people 21 years and older to experience the museum’s “thought-provoking and engaging exhibits while participating in hands-on science, technology, engineering, art, and math fun,” according to Visit Albuquerque.
Attendees were catered to by local vendors, such as food trucks and the nearby Bombs Away Beer Company.
Among the exhibits was a booth where Gabriel Nemiroff, the museum’s director of education, gave lessons on folding origami cranes. The origami cranes were part of a project called Peace Cranes, related to a large hanging art installation above the exhibit.
Peace Cranes “invites every student on the planet to fold an origami crane, write a message of peace on its wings, then exchange it with another student somewhere in the world,” according to its website. The project comes from the story of Sadako Sasaki, a child who suffered from cancer as a result of radiation from the nuclear bombings in Japan and folded over 1,000 origami cranes before she died, according to the website.
Nearby, a volunteer presided over a booth that demonstrated how to use a Geiger counter.
Upon stepping outside, where old planes and rockets are on display as a part of the museum’s permanent collection, another volunteer operated an arts-and-craft stand where visitors could make small “smash rockets.”
Near the entrance to the museum was a DJ with a replica of Wall-E hanging out nearby. Another type of music occasionally filled the building, coming from an exhibit with Tesla coils that generated sound.
Musical notes from a laptop played through two solid state Tesla coils, producing purple flashes of electricity as various popular songs, such as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme music, boomed through the room.
Jennifer Galloway, the museum’s director of development, said that after the success of the museum’s annual STEM event in February — which is geared toward kids and families — it developed Discovery After Dark to get adults interested in STEM fields and activities.
Both museum staff and volunteers developed their own exhibits.
“We have planning meetings, and we’re like ‘Okay, who's got an idea? What do you want to do?’ and we come up with it together,” Galloway said. “We let people on the team decide what we want to do and how we should implement that.”
Emmett Di Mauro is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
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Elijah Ritch is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
