Planning a Virtual Jews in Space Education Experience

Blog post from Museum Educator Alex Malischostak.

Ever since I was a kid, I loved learning about space. Image:  STS-95 Discovery Launch, courtesy of NASA.

I would dream of being an astronaut and blasting off to the moon or Mars or to other galaxies far beyond our sun. So, I was really excited when I found out that the next exhibit at JMM will be Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit. Beyond referencing my favorite film director with the title, I was looking forward to researching more about Jewish contributions to space travel for the education team and to share my knowledge of astronomy with visiting school groups when they came to visit.

Unfortunately, with the COVID-19 pandemic, I do not know how many in-person school groups we will have this Fall. However, the education team continues to persevere and adapt. We are working on creating some exciting virtual programs that we can bring to classrooms starting this Fall, whether classes are meeting in person, online, or a hybrid of the two. For the last few weeks, I have been working on digital presentations based on the Jews in Space exhibit.

Students will learn about Judaism’s connections to astronomy, Jewish scientists, mathematicians, and astronauts, Jewish contributors to science-fiction and local connections in Maryland to the space exploration industry and the people who work there.
One person I learned about while preparing for this exhibit is Hugo Gernsback. I cannot believe I had never heard this name before! Hugo Gernsback, a Jewish immigrant to the U.S. from Luxembourg, was an inventor and publisher and coined the term “science-fiction.” He published Amazing Stories, the first magazine devoted entirely to science-fiction short stories.

Some big names were published in this magazine including H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and Isaac Asimov. Gernsback was able to create a science-fiction following among loyal readers that launched an entire genre. Stories about space exploration, human colonies on spaceships and other planets, visitors to Earth from other planets all appeared in Amazing Stories and the other science-fiction periodicals that sprouted up afterwards. These stories not only influenced future writers, movie directors, and actors but also future generations of scientists and engineers who dreamed to make the science-fiction they read about a reality. After all, what starts as a spark of childhood imagination about piloting spaceships across the stars can lead to a career as an astrophysicist, electrical engineer, or even an astronaut!

I cannot wait to share this presentation with school groups when Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit opens.

 

Tags: , , , ,
Explore More Stories In These Categories:
Categories
Education jewish museum of maryland Past Exhibits

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.