OLYMPUS TECHNOZONE Vol.65 2005-11
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The development of new concepts is vital
to the creation of interesting science events
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| When a polarizing plate is used, the light is split into many different colors according to the thickness of the cellophane tape. Audiences are amazed by the beautiful star-shaped arrays of color. |
There is also concern about the declining academic
performance of Japanese children, but I think we should be more worried about
the fact that our children have forgotten how to play. Because they can't play
properly, their development as human beings is also incomplete. I see the Olympus
Waku Waku Project as a kind of play activity. Children play at being scientists
or engineers. Small children learn many things by trying to catch up with older
groups, even though they may be being bullied or treated as pests. That no longer
happens, but instead of lamenting this fact, adults are trying to create these
opportunities intentionally. Is that the aim of your activities?
Exactly. Our hope is that the project will inspire children to see
the possibilities of science and technology.
That is my aim, too. But of course it's also my work. And I'm determined
to do it well.
How many staff do you have. How long do you spend on each event?
Science Production is a small company with only six employees. Sometimes
we hire casual workers. We bring between 300 and 1,000 people together in halls
or other large spaces for events that last between 60 and 90 minutes. Our audiences
see experiments presented in a science show format, and they answer quiz questions.
Sometimes the experiments involve audience participation. Because our sponsors
use the events for commemorative or advertising purposes, we aim to attract
as many people as possible. However, the types of activities that we can undertake
vary according to the number of people and the size of the hall. For example,
if we have an audience of 500 children, we can afford to spend about 100 yen
per person on simple materials and kits that audience members can use to participate
in the experiments. If there are more than 1,000 people this becomes too expensive.
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| Children are fascinated by the static electricity game with balloons. (Photographs courtesy of the Science Museum) |
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| Another popular experiment is the "100-Person Magnetic Shock," in which audience members join hands to feel the effects of electric shocks. |
I
see. What kinds of experiments are popular with large audiences?
We
have a number of standard items, such as boomerang demonstrations, air cannon
experiments, and experiments in which we raise or lower the pitch of people's
voices with helium gas. In most cases, we create shows by changing the combinations
of experiments. However, when we are presenting a series of shows, we can't
use the same experiment in subsequent shows. That's hard, because we have
to develop entire programs. What's really tough is the fact that we can't
add these new programs to our standard repertoire. Many of them are only
used once. That's a problem from a business viewpoint.
But
surely most of your audiences want to see the standard items.
Since
we perform our standard items 60-70 times a year, we have become very proficient
with our patter and jokes. We're like comedians. [Laughs] But we also need
new material. We gather as much information as we can in Japan and overseas,
but it's not easy. Our work isn't as complex and time-consuming as your work
in technology development. But as soon as we try something new, things start
to go wrong. Development is a difficult process. I would appreciate any advice
you could give me.
Of
course. Though we only stage our seminars once every three months, we try to
avoid repetitiveness by adding one new concept each time.
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