Smithsonian Institution Response to "What's New" by Robert Park, American Physical Society July 1, 1994 As chief curator of the Smithsonian Institution's "Science in American Life" exhibition, I have been surprised by the characterization of the show in Robert L. Park's comments on visiting the show and by others, prompted by his remarks, who obviously had never seen the exhibit at all. The docent's comments, as quoted by Park, and Park's further comments are simply not a fair and accurate representation of the exhibition. We're making every effort to make sure that our docents present the show's themes as accurately as possible on their tours. For those of you who have not seen the exhibit, I'd like to clarify what it's really about. "Science in American Life," a new permanent exhibit at the National Museum of American History, documents the dynamic interactions between science and society over the past century. It explores the development of science and the scientific community through a series of case studies, but the history of public response to science is an equally important part of our story. The exhibit shows how science -- its achievements as well as its controversies -- has grown into a complex enterprise interwoven throughout American life. "Science in American Life" includes a hands-on-science center in which visitors can experience directly some of the excitement of doing science. Park's criticisms have taken the contents of our exhibition out of context. It is true that we deal with some controversial topics, but "Science in American Life" presents them in a balanced way. It is impossible to talk about science and society in our century without addressing controversy. But we deal with many other subjects as well. Park's list of topics is also misleading in that it represents only a small fraction of our 13,000 sq. ft. exhibition. I invite you to come to see it for yourself and make up your own mind about it. All comments and perspectives are welcome, therefore I further invite you to contact me directly. The exhibit is at the National Museum of American History at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. Arthur P. Molella Chief Curator, "Science in American Life" BITNET: MAH0H24@SIVM INTERNET: [log in to unmask] National Museum of American History (202-357-1963) (A copy of this note has already been sent to Robert Park with a request to post it to his "What's New" newsletter.)