Niagara Science Museum facts for kids
The Museum is housed in the 1910 former Union Carbide Building.
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| Established | 2009 |
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| Location | 3625 Highland Ave. Niagara Falls, New York 14305 United States |
| Type | Science museum |
The Niagara Science Museum was a cool place in Niagara Falls, New York where you could learn about science. It was open from 2009 to 2016. Its main goal was to show how science has grown over time. They did this by keeping, fixing, and showing old science tools and machines.
The museum had more than 2,000 science tools and inventions. Some were very old, from the 1700s, and some were from recent times. The museum closed its doors in December 2016.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's History
Who Started the Niagara Science Museum?
A scientist named Nick Dalacu started the Niagara Science Museum. He had collected hundreds of important science tools and machines over 40 years. He wanted to share these amazing items with everyone.
What Was Inside the Museum?
The museum showed its collection in special rooms called 'living laboratories.' These rooms were like old 'cabinets of curiosity' from the Renaissance period in Europe. A cabinet of curiosity was a room filled with interesting objects.
The museum had many different rooms. Each room focused on a different area of science. For example, there were rooms for:
- High-voltage electronics and galvanometers (tools that measure electric current)
- A large collection of microscopes and optics (tools for seeing tiny things)
- Weather instruments
- Communication and media technologies
- Hydraulics and vacuum technologies
- Medical technologies
- The history of computers
The museum also had a special room called the Charlie Troutman Printing Press Room. This room had a working letterpress machine from 1914. A letterpress is an old way of printing words onto paper.
Where Was the Museum Located?
The museum was located in an old building. It was the former Union Carbide building, built in 1910. This historic building was fixed up to hold the museum's large collection. It was even powered by solar cells on its roof!
Public Programs and Recognition
How Did People Visit the Museum?
The museum offered public demonstrations of its collection. This meant visitors could see how the old science tools worked. The museum was part of special events like Atlas Obscura's Obscura Day in 2010 and 2011.
Many schools from the area also visited the museum. It was a great place for students to learn about science hands-on. The museum was also invited to show some of its artifacts at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College.
Important Donations and Certifications
In 2010, the museum received a big gift. It was a large collection of important items from the early days of making electricity. These items helped tell the story of how electricity became common.
In 2011, the Niagara Science Museum became an official not-for-profit educational organization. This was approved by the Board of Regents of the State University of New York. This meant the museum was recognized for its important educational work.
