In the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit, Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder is on display for the first time.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of Landspeeder image © 2006 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM Photo: Dom Miguel Photography

Star Wars Exhibition Brings Reality to Fantasy
News story originally written on April 16, 2008

An exhibit developed by the Museum of Science, Boston, in collaboration with Lucasfilm, Ltd. explores the possibility that some of the robots, vehicles and devices of the Star Wars films are closer to reality than one might think.

The exhibition--now at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pa., through May 4--showcases landspeeders, R2D2 and other icons as engineering design challenges and highlights how researchers are currently pursuing similar technologies.

"We were surprised and delighted when we were developing the exhibit, to discover that many scientists working today were inspired by the fantasy technologies in the Star Wars movies," said Lawrence Bell, senior vice president at the Museum of Science and the lead investigator for the project. "We developed the exhibit with the goal of continuing that inspiration for the kids who will be the next set of future scientists."

Developed with the support of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings, the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibition carries its messages with the help of film clips, props, models and costumes and invites visitor participation with hands-on exhibits and activities.

"By reaching more than 1.25 million visitors so far on its national tour, Star Wars is demonstrating the power of popular culture to engage both children and adults in activities that increase technological literacy," said David Ucko, deputy director for NSF's Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings Division, who oversaw the Museum of Science grant.

Following its stay in Philadelphia, the exhibit will next head to the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minn., on June 13, 2008.

Text above is courtesy of the National Science Foundation

Last modified June 9, 2008 by Becca Hatheway.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Triggers of Volcanic Eruptions in Oregon's Mount Hood Investigated

A new study has found that a mixing of two different types of magma is the key to the historic eruptions of Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest mountain, and that eruptions often happen in a relatively short...more

Oldest Earth Mantle Reservoir Discovered

Researchers have found a primitive Earth mantle reservoir on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Geologist Matthew Jackson and his colleagues from a multi-institution collaboration report the finding--the...more

It’s Not Your Fault – A Typical Fault, Geologically Speaking, That Is

Some geologic faults that appear strong and stable, slip and slide like weak faults. Now an international team of researchers has laboratory evidence showing why some faults that 'should not' slip are...more

Extended Period of Lower Solar Activity Linked to Changes in Sun's Conveyor Belt

A new analysis of the unusually long solar cycle that ended in 2008 suggests that one reason for the long cycle could be a stretching of the sun's conveyor belt, a current of plasma that circulates between...more

Growth Spurt in Tree Rings Prompts Questions About Climate Change

Anyone who has ever cut down a tree is familiar with the rings radiating out from the center of a tree trunk marking the tree's age. Careful study of tree rings can offer much more: a rich record of history...more

Did Life First Develop in a Mica Sandwich at the Bottom of a Primordial Sea?

Earth's first life form may have developed between the layers of a chunk of mica sitting like a multilayered sandwich in primordial waters, according to a new hypothesis. The mica hypothesis, which was...more

Acid Rain Has Disproportionate Impact on Near-Shore Ocean Waters

The release of sulfur and nitrogen into the atmosphere by power plants and agricultural activities--commonly referred to as acid rain--plays a minor role in making the ocean more acidic on a global scale,...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA