News Releases

IEEE Launches New Exhibit That Simulates Real-time Electronics Engineering at Science and Technology Museum in Uruguay
 
“E-Scientia” Opening Attracts Attendees from Government, Corporate and Educational Institutions

22 July 2010 – On 15 July, IEEE held a special event to launch a new exhibit in the principal Science and Technology museum in Uruguay, Espacio Ciencia.  The exhibit, named E-Scientia, is presented in a large, space-ship like structure equipped with the latest computation, electric circuit hardware, and audio-visual equipment. Students use this equipment to solve challenges posed during a simulated space flight.  E-Scientia is directed toward pre-university students ages 8-16 with preliminary interest in science and engineering.

Five stations, each occupying two students at a time, are used by “space travelers” to create solutions to problems in the areas of  energy, monitoring and detection, sensing of the environment, communication, and biomedical measurements.  Students are provided with descriptions of the developing challenges, receive real-time training on how to address them, and use circuit components and devices to build hardware solutions.  E-Scientia was conceived and built by volunteers of the IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) who reside in Uruguay, led by Ing. Marcel Keschner. It was funded by IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, with in-kind support by IBM, Interamericana de Cómputos S.A. (INCO), an IBM
business partner; Análisis de Sistemas, a provider of multimedia hardware and turnkey systems; and Markel Engineers.

The opening of the exhibit was attended by more than 100 decision makers, government representatives, leaders of major companies and electro-technology enterprises, and engineering and science educators.  Speakers included:
 

• President of the Uruguayan Senate Lucia Topolansky;
• Vice Minister for Education and Culture, Maria Simon;
• Head of the LATU agency (Laboratorio Technologico del Uruguay) Rodolfo Silveira;
• IEEE President-Elect Moshe Kam;
• E-Scientia Director Ing. Marcel Keschner; and
• Ing. Miguel L. Aumento, chair of the IEEE Uruguay Section. 

Espacio Ciencia is an interactive museum in Montevideo, Uruguay, dedicated to Science and Technology. It is part of the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU). Espacio Ciencia provides recreation and dissemination of science and technology, and allows visitors from preschoolers to adults to become actors in the great technological adventure. Participation is the centerpiece of the museum and it stimulates the imagination, creativity and critical thinking.