The judges said:
An impressive and innovative achievement in technology, this kiosk allows visitors to adopt the quick-thinking, fast-acting, ultra-observant guise of a
photojournalist on the scene of a breaking news story (in this case, a dramatic river rescue). Visitors get their assignment from an editor (noted New York Times
photographer Charles Higgins, Jr.), go to the scene, move between three different locations, and fire their camera shutter away, striving to get the ultimate shot
for the front page. Visitors get to look through all their shots and must assess which picture best tells the story. Visitors even get a critique from the
editor—customized according to their chosen final shot! Additionally, the kiosk shows the real story behind a Pulitzer-winning, water-rescue photograph
taken by photographer Annie Wells. This kiosk nicely connects with audiences of all ages. A highly appealing activity and a fun exploration of a popular career
choice. Also a way to get into the head of a photojournalist and explore issues related to the profession (such as aesthetics, timing, judgment, and ethics).
The producers said:
Our goal was to give visitors the experience of being a photographer on the scene of a breaking news story. In "Be a Photographer" visitors move from
location to location by touching one of three video streams then touch the shutter button to capture the picture. Visitors get to test their news judgment in
choosing locations, taking pictures and choosing which photo appears on the front page. Once the story ends, visitors review their pictures and choose one to
submit for the front page. Then the editor, New York Times photographer Chester Higgins, Jr., critiques the picture. The kiosk also shows the story behind a
Pulitzer-prize winning photograph of a water rescue told by the photographer, Annie Wells. This kiosk appeals to younger visitors interested in the game features
and technology and visitors interested in photojournalism. "Be a Photographer" will be a major feature in the Interactive Newsroom when the Newseum opens
on October 15, 2007.
The judges said:
This appealing and appetizing presentation allows users to think like computer software programmers and navigate their way from problem to solution. It is a
participant observer experience where it allows four visitors at a time to direct the experience by manipulating a number of commands to write an algorithm to
guide their car across town, stop by a pizza parlor, and arrive at a party on time with a hot pizza. The result is a program written by the user, which behaves like
a real program, where certain hardware elements will produce unpredictable results.
The producers said:
Pizza Run gives four visitors at a time a direct experience in software programming. It provides them with a limited set of commands from which they must
write an algorithm to guide their car across town, stop by a pizza parlor, and arrive at a party on time with a hot pizza. The goal was to convey the role of
creativity in software programming, show how software developers use a range of approaches to solve problems, and to provide a successful experience in programming.
We used the metaphor of driving a car since it represents a rite of passage attractive to our middle school aged target audience, and we integrated the habits of the
young pioneering software developers: eating pizza and going on late night pizza runs in Albuquerque, to develop an emotional connection to the young computer
pioneers featured in the exhibit. The tabletop presentation with its 3D houses and buildings is inspired by the train tables from the MIT's Tech Model Railroad
Club (featured in an earlier section of the gallery).Visitors write programs that behave as real programs where certain hardware elements will unpredictably slow
them down. Visitors many times purposefully crash their cars, an example of the open ended aspect of the activity which is appealing to this
audience.
The judges said:
Even if you are not a whaleboat connoisseur you can't help but be impressed by this 3D model. It lets you move around the different levels of the boat, an experience
that you wouldn't see otherwise. The story is extensive. It is beautifully designed and gives the user the control to navigate his or her own experience.
The producers said:
During much of the nineteenth century, whaling was one of America's major industries, reaching the farthest corners of the globe; and New Bedford, Massachusetts, was
its epicenter. Today, the New Bedford Whaling Museum is the leading interpreter of whaling history. The Museum plans to present this compelling story in a long-term
core exhibition, From Pursuit to Preservation: the Global Story of Whales and Whaling.
Through a grant from the Institute for Library and Museum Services, the Whaling Museum undertook a pilot project to develop a template for interactive kiosks that
will be part of the exhibition. The project begins with a 3D virtual tour of the world's largest ship model, the bark Lagoda. Symbolizing the zenith of
the American whaling industry, the Lagoda will serve as the exhibition's central interpretive tool. The kiosk enables visitors to explore the
Lagoda's inaccessible areas, identify every major feature and connect with hundreds of images and objects, such as logbooks, crew accounts, letters,
paintings, prints, photos, scrimshaw, music, and dances, along with text, that illuminate numerous layers of interpretive information about whaling. An evaluation
indicates that the kiosk succeeds in reaching and engaging visitors at many different learning and interest levels.
Credits: The project was funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, with additional funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Content and
format was developed by New Bedford Whaling Museum consultants and staff: Stuart Frank, Candace Lee Heald, Margaret Latimer, and Laura Pereira. Second Story
Interactive Studios provided the design and development: Creative Director: Brad Johnson; Producer: J. Paige West; Designers: Brad Johnson, JD Hooge; Programmers:
JD Hooge, Matt Arnold; 3D Modeling and Visualization: Matt Arnold; Video and Motion Graphics: Alphonse Swinehart, Martin Linde, Matt Arnold; Quality Assurance:
Jennifer Young; Production Assistant: Shane Farrell. Additional materials were provided by Smithsonian Folkways Records and Mystic Seaport Film and Video
Archives.
The judges said:
As close as you'll ever get to "probably the most extreme and mysterious objects in the Universe!" Through extensive, up-to-date, and very readable
scientific content, extraordinary images from state-of-the-art telescopes, and playful animation and interactive experiments, this kiosk sheds a lot of light
on a very (quite literally) dark topic. Launches you into the science of black holes by sending you deep into space to investigate. Includes a whole galaxy of
information, activities, and options for further learning. Presents complicated information in a visitor-friendly way. Answers the questions we most want to know
such as what will happen if someone falls into a black hole (hint: it's not good). Effectively achieves the producer's goal: "In the broadest sense, our goal
is to show that even the most mysterious of things can be understood with the combined application of human thinking and powerful technology." That there are
mysteries yet to be solved is an enticing message for young future scientists. Black holes—they're far out!!
The producers said:
Black holes are the most extreme objects in the universe and carry great fascination to people around the world. We therefore created an interactive museum kiosk
that explains the astronomy and physics of black holes. The kiosk is rich in interactive, video, and audio features and teaches many basic science concepts in
addition to black holes. The kiosk software is available free of charge to musea and educational institutions. It can also be accessed as a stand-alone website
at http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/. The project was produced by Roeland van der Marel, Gijs Verdoes Kleijn, and eduweb with financial
support from NASA.
