The Museum of Tomorrow wins an award for its contribution to the dissemination of science

The Museum of Tomorrow is the winner of the 41st edition of the José Reis Prize for Scientific and Technological Disclosure, promoted by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). The museum won in the category of “institution or means of communication” for its contribution to the dissemination of science in the country. The CNPq Prize is one of the main awards for professionals and organizations that contribute to the dissemination of national science. The award ceremony will take place in virtual form, during National Science and Technology Week, scheduled from October 2-8.

CNPq President, Evaldo Villa, highlighted that the award encourages scientific publishing and recognizes its importance in the development of Brazilian science. “Through initiatives like the Museum of Tomorrow, we take scientific achievements to the general public, encourage young people and children to learn and enjoy science, and bring researchers and their achievements closer to society in general. This is essential to understanding the importance of investing in scientific and technological research and to value institutions and people working in science, Villala said. The award jury noted that the Museum of Tomorrow entered the tourist and educational calendar not only in the city of Rio de Janeiro, but throughout the country.

Ricardo Pique, President of the Institute of Development and Management (IDG), responsible for managing the Museum of Tomorrow, emphasized that the equipment attracts an audience that was not accustomed to going to museums and that it values ​​the team’s work to make science. More easy and attractive. “The award places us in the limelight of great scientific institutions and great researchers and reporters. It is a great honor to receive this recognition from an institution like CNPq, for sharing knowledge, in an innovative way, with the general public, especially in a year when science has become a part of people’s daily lives, and has proven to be fundamental Our presence is reinforced.

The value of knowledge

For the Director of Knowledge and Creativity at the Museum of Tomorrow, Leonardo Menezes, the award was received as “a great appreciation for the work the Museum has done for nearly six years” to make different audiences serve, both personally and OnlineRegardless of each person’s condition and background, “visit the museum and learn about the value of science to society, especially in this time of pandemic, and how, in fact, science becomes a beacon to guide us in these times of uncertainty and prepare for the great current and future challenges that we will face on this planet “.

The director also argued that the award shows that it is possible to address different topics, such as climate change, robotics, artificial intelligence, longevity, city growth, and biodiversity, in a way that the public can connect with their daily lives and understand that there is still much to discover and develop in the community, so that people’s lifestyles are sustainable and more pluralistic.

In March of this year, the museum opened the temporary exhibition “Coronaceno – Reflections in Times of an Epidemic”, which means inviting the public to reflect on the importance of human influence and globalization in the spread of the new Corona virus. NS a tour The default view is available at Online. This month, the equipment opened the “Urban Future” exhibition, an immersive experience about the future of cities.

Amazon

At the moment, a temporary exhibition is being produced at the Museum of Tomorrow, which will open at the end of the year, called “Futuros – Tempos Amazônicos”, which will talk about the current and future challenges of the Amazon region.

“It is a large exhibition of 650 square metres, and it will focus precisely on the relationship between the different times in which the Amazon coexisted.” Among them, focus on the millennium of indigenous peoples; secular time of the traditional population; the accelerated Amazon in the past 50 years; the question of cultural expressions; And future scenarios based on biodiversity and climate change, as well as the emergence of a bio-economy, which will be a means to achieve new social and economic development in the region, based on three pillars: science, traditional knowledge and commitment to the status of forests. “This is, in a way, related to the way we, in a museum, seek to work with different kinds of knowledge.” The museum’s scientific committee, which has been in place since its opening in 2015, was recently renovated and given a new name: the Science and Knowledge Committee, bringing in representatives of traditional knowledge for dialogue with its 15 members.

registration

Leonardo Menezes explained that the exhibition scheduled to open at the end of this year also intends to address the current situation in the Amazon region, including the increasing deforestation. “We have shown that in the last 50 years, we have gone from a situation where, in the early 1970s, we had about 1% of biomes deforested, which were primarily cities, to today 20% of the biome has been deforested or degraded. It is A very big challenge because in the next 50 years, we will lose nearly half of the forest, and to add to the challenge of climate change, where we have less moisture and less rain, we will start to convert the biome into another type of vegetation that is not this dense vegetation.”

Menezes pointed out that the system in place in the Amazon is what brings rain, especially to the region of central and southern Brazil. He also noted that in the country’s food production, most of it is concentrated in the Midwest, 95% non-irrigated. That is, they depend on the rain and it is already decreasing. “In other words, they are great challenges that we will face if Brazil is to continue to be a leader in food production and a benchmark in the environmental issue in which, unfortunately, we have seen significant challenges.”

Museum

The Museum of Tomorrow was opened in December 2015 by the City of Rio de Janeiro, a cultural facility of the Municipal Ministry of Culture, which operates under the management of the Institute for Development and Management (IDG). As a successful example of the partnership between the government and the private sector, the museum has already received more than 4.5 million visitors in its five years of existence. The equipment has a narrative organized into five spheres (the universe, the Earth, the Anthropocene, the Tomorrows, and us), with a total path that proposes the visitor to think of five questions: where we come from, who we are, where we are, where we are going and how we want to go. Building on scientific evidence and data provided by institutions and scientific centers around the world, the Museum offers an informative, fun and interactive visit, through videos, games, photos, and installations.

an award

The José Reis Prize for Scientific and Technological Disclosure is awarded in rotation to three categories: “journalist in science and technology”, “institution or means of communication” and “researcher and writer”. Created in 1978, it is a tribute to physician, researcher, journalist and educator, José Reyes, who has been able to combine an important career as a world-renowned researcher with the work of explaining science in an educational way through journalism.

According to CNPq, the diversity of the winners proves the importance of the José Reis Prize in stimulating the creation of the most diverse mechanisms for scientific and technological dissemination