On Saturday, May 19 the Newark Museum will unveil an interactive exhibit, “emPOWERED: Your Renewable Energy Future”, showcasing energy sources such as the wind, sun, water, bio-energy and the earth. The exhibit aims to foster an understanding of these energy sources and inspire young people to pursue scientific and so-called green careers.
Visitors to emPOWERED will discover how electricity is produced using alternative energy sources — wind, hydro-electric, wave, solar, bio-fuel — and how these energy sources are be used to drive electrical generators. A series of interactive digital kiosks will show videos illustrating how the technology works and the future of power generation, as well as introduce the various green job professions involved.
Stations within the exhibit allow visitors to experiment with different sources of renewable energy through hands-on activities. These include testing different turbine blade shapes to learn how wind power can be harnessed; using a water tank to explore how waves and tides at the beach can be used to generate power; learning how solar panels on a home harness photons of light and convert it into electricity; pumping water into the earth’s interior and using its heat to power homes and businesses; and using biodigesters to process corn and other plant material into fuel. In addition, the Dynamic Earth gallery will include a mobile cart filled with hands-on activities that expand on the emPOWERED exhibition.
A family festival featuring a range of activities including racing miniature solar cars, using the power of the sun to make SunPrint art and building the hand-held wind-powered devices, is planned for May 19 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
