Comments on: New Exhibit Celebrates Tyrannosaurus “Sue”

By: Sally

Sally — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:41:21 +0000

I visited the museum this past weekend and wasn’t really impressed by the 3D movie. It contained a lot of useful information about the life-span of a T. Rex, but I think it was overshadowed by all of the 3D gimmicks.

However, the animatronic exhibit (Robo-Sue) was a thing of beauty. It was amazing to realize that the first dinosaur (a Velociraptor cousin) you encounter is actually reacting and responding to your movement. The Triceratops had two screens showing its field of vision, and when you place yourself directly in front of the Triceratops then it doesn’t see you (and you’re not in either screen), and it doesn’t react to your presence. The T. Rex is a bit more showy, but still definitely impressive with advanced animatronics and a convincing roar. We were expecting “cheesy” and got far more than that.

Then again, maybe that’s just the engineer in me geeking out about the technology. But I was genuinely impressed by the amount of information I gained from both exhibits.

By: jdaniel

jdaniel — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:28:34 +0000

While I can certainly see Gould’s point, it must be remembered that education does not happen in a vacuum or without money. Entertainment provides money and can be done to educate at the same time. As an example, the show Prehistoric on the Discovery Channel is entertainment, but because of watching that show, my six year old daughter walked into a museum last week, saw a skeleton on display and correctly identified it as Castoroides, and not just as “giant beaver”, but as Castoroides.
There is a big stigma from museum personnel against “Disneyfication” even as they try to copy the theme parks. However, Disney does try to put on educational exhibits and has the money to do astounding shows museums could never dream of. Imagine what they could do education-wise in a real museum under the guidance of trained professional curators.
It is not a competition. Education loses that way. It should be a collaboration. Our knowledge and training, their money and exhibit expertise. That I think is a winning combination.

By: Zach Miller

Zach Miller — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:46:11 +0000

Well, here’s my question: Have they fixed her wishbone yet?

By: Ian Garofalo

Ian Garofalo — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:29:34 +0000

I honestly don’t have a problem with these types of exhibits. I see them as a primer to help spark an interest in the science. I think people get a little too caught up in the educational aspect of museums and forget that people don’t just go there to learn dry facts. In my opinion, people should be allowed to enjoy themselves.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:51:29 +0000

seems like an effort to garner and hold interest. Animatronics are just models that move. If they can be effectively integrated into the exhibit, i say go for it.

But there other ways to do that. I have always loved museum exhibits that create a sense of environment. If i ever get my museum off the ground, i will look to lighting, color schemes, and model rocks and plants to create an immersive environment to lure visitors in to learn about this world and the creatures in it. Just as museums have been doing in recent times.

By: David Orr

David Orr — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 02:29:55 +0000

A friend hit it this past weekend. I asked him about Robo-Sue. Answer: “really cheesy.” I’ll make it up there at some point to check it out myself, though nothing will top the first time I saw Sue, I’m sure. Or when I saw the Archaeopteryx exhibition at the Field a few years before that…