I mentioned that we stopped by the MIT Museum in Boston during a recent trip to visit Sophie. It’s been on my list of things to do for the past couple of visits, and I’m glad we finally made time for it. It’s an interesting place- not too large- but someplace you can easily spend an hour or six, depending on what you like.
Not too overwhelming…
One of the best parts of the museum, in my opinion, is that it is not super large. There were four main exhibits- on AI, Genetics, Data, and MIT history. The brilliant part about it was that you could wander through the exhibits and get a decent sense of the story in an hour or so. But the exhibits provided lots of opportunities to go super deep in certain topics. It is really up to you.
And I liked how the MIT Museum takes a slightly different spin on the topics. A large focus of the AI exhibit was on deep fakes, with a section on creating an alternative version of the moon landing footage. Complete with a 1960s living room and TV.
Work at MIT by researchers and students was the main focus, but the scope was broader than that. I particularly liked the exhibits on how data can be used in new ways to solve problems. How many cars are really needed in Manhattan? What can we learn from city waste water?
An interesting spin
The genetics exhibit took a novel approach to how the revolution in the space can change our culture, our lives. This poster illustrated how one might consider how mermaids are derived from the DNA of fish and primates. And there was one thought-provoking one about how we could gestate human embryos in pigs. Hmmm….
Dear Husband and Sophie enjoyed perusing the various exhibits. Afterwards, we needed a snack. (We stopped by Tatte Bakery for gingerbread loaf and an enormous walnut brownie. They were delicious! At some point in my childhood, my mom introduced the idea of stopping at the museum cafe after the visit and having a large slice of chocolate cake and I do my best to keep up the tradition.)
Other bits and bobs
There’s a coffee shop next door to the MIT Museum. And a small gift shop. Not exactly as good as the V&A, but they did have these cute little stuffed scientist dolls. Sophie proposed taking a couple back home for Cheddar’s amusement. Not at $22.99 a piece!
I’d recommend a stop at the MIT Museum the next time you’re in Boston. We really enjoyed it.
MIT Museum, Gambrill Center, 314 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02142
