Climate & Energy Central is no longer available for booking.
Originally developed for installation at the opening of the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, KS, in 2012, Climate & Energy Central was designed and produced by Flint Hills Design (now Upland Exhibits) in collaboration with Kauffman Museum and is based upon work supported by National Science Foundation with matching support from the State of Kansas through the Kansas Board of Regents. Following an initial two year installation at FHDC, the exhibit spent an additional nine years traveling around the state of Kansas, amassing thirteen total installations at twelve unique institutions.
Can we help develop
cost-effective, renewable
energy supplies?
This traveling exhibition featured Kansas scientists who worked together to address the grand challenges of renewable energy and potential climate change. Featuring large scale graphics, photo murals, and a real section of a center pivot irrigation system, the modular displays created an immersive environment that brought to life scientists and the work they did.
EXHIBIT THEMES
Four modules introduced research to address these complex and interconnected issues:
- Farmscapes examined how land is used and the complex choices Kansas farmers make.
- Climate Science focused on collecting local data and then looking for broad climate trends, what the trends mean, and their impact on future decisions.
- Energy presented research to find better ways to harvest the sun’s energy, explored protein-based solar cells and nanotechnology.
- Pathways explored how Native American traditions could be used to return us to a balanced relationship with nature.
The exhibition listed challenges our planet faces:
- Will there be enough fresh water?
- Will we have enough food to eat?
- Will there be enough energy?
- Can we help develop cost-effective, renewable energy supplies?
INSTALLATION VIDEO: FLINT HILLS DISCOVERY CENTER
EXHIBIT GALLERY
BACKGROUND
Exhibit Support
Development of the exhibit was supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. EPS-0903806 and matching support from the State of Kansas through the Kansas Board of Regents. The Kansas Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research is a partnership of University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University and Haskell Indian Nations University.
Exhibition designed and produced by Flint Hills Design in collaboration with Kauffman Museum.
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Across from the main campus of
Bethel College
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kauffman@bethelks.edu
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