2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Science and engineering museums must leverage a variety of pedagogical strategies to facilitate STEM learning for a public audience. Complex, abstract concepts such as reliability engineering and risk analysis are difficult to convey in a technical manner to non-technical visitors without losing fidelity. Techniques such as exhibit interactivity, open-ended tinkering, and competitive games are frequently used to hold visitors’ attention and draw analogies to more familiar concepts.
Reliability engineering principles are vital to the growth and continued safety of the nuclear energy industry. General knowledge of risk as it applies to nuclear energy can be expanded by disseminating this information to the public via engaging educational content. In this paper, we present the design of an interactive, game-based museum exhibit developed through iterative collaboration between exhibit designers and reliability engineering researchers at the University of Maryland, curators at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History (Nuclear Museum), and media design students and faculty at the New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU). Museum visitors have frequently asked how the risks of nuclear power compare to other energy sources, and to date, no museum exhibit at the Nuclear Museum has answered this question. This work presents examples of museum exhibit content, artifacts, and graphics to convey concepts in probabilistic risk assessment at a level accessible to the general public. In addition to the physical exhibit installation, the game will also be available on the public-facing museum website to increase the breadth of outreach. Finally, a proposed questionnaire method for evaluating exhibit efficacy and public engagement is presented. Feedback obtained will allow for periodic revisions of exhibit content.