WebExhibits
Encyclopedia
WebExhibits is a virtual museum
of science, humanities, and culture that uses information, virtual experiments, and hands-on activities that prompt visitors to think, to formulate questions, and to explore topics from a variety of angles.
, and was one of the first virtual museums of it's kind.
The site launched with two exhibits on Calendars and Daylight Saving Time, as a complement to www.time.gov. This was the anchor that started the museum. Subsequent exhibits were multidisciplinary, looking at the nexus between science and art. The largest sources of funding have been from contracts and grants from NIST
, the U.S. Dept of Ed.
, and the National Science Foundation
.
The first version of WebExhibits in 1999 included a directory of cultural and scientific offerings at other sites. At the time, the major search engines were doing a poor job of directing web users to exhibits at Library of Congress, PBS, Discovery Channel and other sites. This directory was discontinued in 2003 once search engines became powerful; and it was no longer feasible to include all major online exhibits.
The museum is widely cited in academic, student, professional, and general writing.
WebExhibits was the first testbed of interactive concept maps using the SpicyNodes
presentation approach.
Virtual museum
A virtual museum is a museum that exists only online. A virtual museum is also known as an online museum, electronic museum, hypermuseum, digital museum, cybermuseum or Web museum...
of science, humanities, and culture that uses information, virtual experiments, and hands-on activities that prompt visitors to think, to formulate questions, and to explore topics from a variety of angles.
Exhibits
There are nine main exhibits. They are:- "Causes of Color,"
- "Color Vision & Art,"
- "Pigments through the Ages,"
- "Investigating Bellini’s Feast of the Gods,"
- "Van Gogh’s Letters,"
- "Poetry through the Ages,"
- "Calendars through the Ages,"
- "Daylight Saving Time."
- "Butter,"
History
It was founded in 1999 by Michael Douma at IDEAInstitute for Dynamic Educational Advancement
The Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that seeks to improve scientific and cultural literacy among the general public...
, and was one of the first virtual museums of it's kind.
The site launched with two exhibits on Calendars and Daylight Saving Time, as a complement to www.time.gov. This was the anchor that started the museum. Subsequent exhibits were multidisciplinary, looking at the nexus between science and art. The largest sources of funding have been from contracts and grants from NIST
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
, the U.S. Dept of Ed.
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, and the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
.
The first version of WebExhibits in 1999 included a directory of cultural and scientific offerings at other sites. At the time, the major search engines were doing a poor job of directing web users to exhibits at Library of Congress, PBS, Discovery Channel and other sites. This directory was discontinued in 2003 once search engines became powerful; and it was no longer feasible to include all major online exhibits.
The museum is widely cited in academic, student, professional, and general writing.
WebExhibits was the first testbed of interactive concept maps using the SpicyNodes
SpicyNodes
In concept mapping and information visualization, SpicyNodes is a method for displaying hierarchical data in which a focus node displays rich information, and the surrounding nodes display related information .- Main idea :...
presentation approach.