See the science of small
Enjoy a summer of science at Te Manawa with touring interactive science exhibition Mighty Small, Mighty Bright.
Developed by MOTAT in Auckland, with scientists from the Dodd Walls Centre and the MacDiarmid Institute,Mighty Small, Mighty Bright focuses on the science of the very small. Te Manawa is its first stop.
Visitors can get hands-on with scientific fields such as photonics (the science of light), advanced materials and nanotechnology. Mighty Small, Mighty Bright explains the science in ways designed to be as accessible as possible to all ages.
The exhibition also highlights New Zealand researchers who are leading their fields in developing practical applications for these technologies.
Measuring air pollution has until now needed bulky and expensive machinery — but Kiwi company Aeroqual has worked out how to shrink those requirements, developing a device that fits in the palm of someone’s hand. Mighty Small, Mighty Bright shows how they did it.
The Laser Doppler Vibrometer uses beams of light to create and measure tiny earthquakes inside individual apples; these provide information about how ripe the apple is and whether it should be picked.
One interactive station demonstrates how magnetically sensitives particles of different sizes react — the effect of a magnet on iron sand may be familiar, but what will it do to nanoparticles?
With its broad range of topics demonstrating all kinds of science, Mighty Small, Mighty Bright will fascinate visitors young and old.
■ is open until April 26, 10am to 5pm daily. Entry is free.