American Museum of Science and Energy
Encyclopedia
The American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE) is a science museum
in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
, designed to teach both children and adults about energy
, especially nuclear power
, and to document the role Oak Ridge played in the Manhattan Project
. The museum opened as the American Museum of Atomic Energy in 1949 in an old wartime
cafeteria on Jefferson Circle. It moved to its current facility in 1975 and was re-named AMSE in 1978.
The museum has both permanent and rotating exhibits, including robot
s, science puzzle
s, a NOAA
weather station
, a timeline of atomic discoveries, a large Van de Graaff generator
, a display devoted to nuclear weapon
s and the Y-12 Plant, and a solar energy demonstration project. Its flagship exhibit, titled "Secret City - The Oak Ridge Story", was completely redesigned and rebuilt in 2007. A World War II-vintage flattop house, one of many inhabited by Manhattan Project workers in Oak Ridge, opened as a walk-through attraction in 2009. Several photos by Ed Westcott
are on display.
The museum is open seven days a week. The museum was free to the public for many years when its operation was fully funded by the U.S. federal government, but now charges for admission. The museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate.
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
, designed to teach both children and adults about energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
, especially nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
, and to document the role Oak Ridge played in the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. The museum opened as the American Museum of Atomic Energy in 1949 in an old wartime
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
cafeteria on Jefferson Circle. It moved to its current facility in 1975 and was re-named AMSE in 1978.
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s, science puzzle
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
s, a NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
, a timeline of atomic discoveries, a large Van de Graaff generator
Van de Graaff generator
A Van de Graaff generator is an electrostatic generator which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high voltages on a hollow metal globe on the top of the stand. It was invented in 1929 by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff. The potential differences achieved in modern Van de Graaff...
, a display devoted to nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s and the Y-12 Plant, and a solar energy demonstration project. Its flagship exhibit, titled "Secret City - The Oak Ridge Story", was completely redesigned and rebuilt in 2007. A World War II-vintage flattop house, one of many inhabited by Manhattan Project workers in Oak Ridge, opened as a walk-through attraction in 2009. Several photos by Ed Westcott
Ed Westcott
James Edward Westcott is a photographer who worked for the U.S. government in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War...
are on display.
The museum is open seven days a week. The museum was free to the public for many years when its operation was fully funded by the U.S. federal government, but now charges for admission. The museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate.
External links
- AMSE Official Web Site
- AMSE Flickr page - Images of the Museum, plus many historic Manhattan Project photos.