Nerd is the new cool.
Despite a vicious assault on math and science by the Bush II administration and blind and dumb disciples of Alaska Governor Sarah Pallin, who as a collective think the disappearance of polar ice shelves is a fabrication and that human life began in the Garden of Eden a few thousand years ago, there are hopeful traces of a paradigm shift in America.
The country where scientific exploration, discovery and practical applications of physics and chemistry once held captive the imaginations of the youth, has been left in the dust by China, India, Europe and well, to be honest, the world. A national curiosity in the vast machinery and mystery of the universe hit a meridian point in the 1960’s under President John F. Kennedy and his avid support of the Space Program. Since that idealistic and aspirational decade however, America has become more and more conservative, insular, religious, xenophobic and apprehensive of knowledge in general. Opportunistic politicians on the right have been faithful to the same script over the years: exploit collective insecurity and fear to gain an advantage. The strategy plays well in middle America and the Bible Belt.
Thankfully, there are symptoms of a pushback. Nerds can only take so much, after all.
To see hope on display, check out these 10 terrific museums.
10. Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
With a beautiful location in Jackson Park, on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Museum of Science and Industry is a popular Windy City landmark. The museum features a WWII German submarine and NASA space capsule, among other fine exhibits.
The best research and technical university in the world has a fine museum on campus. Just outside of Boston proper, the MIT Museum has collections on robotics and artificial intelligence and boasts a record stash of holography that is without precedent.
8. Pacific Science Center, Seattle
The Pacific Science Center in Seattle is one of the most popular museums in the Emerald City. Permanent collections include the Tropical Butterfly House, Puget Sound Model and Saltwater Tidepool, Science Playground and Insect Village.
The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum was the first to be built in North America. The National Historic Landmark has two giant planetarium theaters and has undergone several recent additions of note.
The popular Museum of Science in Boston is one of the best in the country, with IMAX and 3-D digital cinema, planetarium and full-motion simulator. All in all, over 1.6 million people visit the museum’s 400 plus exhibits every year.
With an original mission to house biological and anthropological collections for the World’s Expo in 1893, the superlative Field Museum has since expanded to include more than 20 million specimens. The facility also features a library with over a quarter of a million volumes.
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4. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
Since 1853 the California Academy of Sciences has been a paramount center for knowledge and discovery. A recent move into a specatcular location in beautful Golden Gate Park showcases the formative facility to a brand new generation.
3. National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
Part of the preeminent Smithsonian Institution, the National Air and Space Museum has the best collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. As a foremost center for planetary science, aviation technology and space exploration, the museum is peerless.
2. National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Another vital cog in the Smithsonian complex in the nation’s capital, the National Museum of Natural History has over 125 million natural science specimens and cultural artifacts. The size of 18 football fields, the museum has phenomenal dinosaur exhibits, rare gemstones and over 400,000 anthropological photographs.
1. American Museum of Natural History, New York City
Perhaps the most famous museum in the world, the American Museum of Natural History is a Manhattan monument, with 46 permanent exhibition halls, a planetarium, library and 32 million specimens. Main attractions include the Fossil Halls, Halls of Meteorites and Halls of Minerals and Gems.
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