New hands-on exhibit opens at National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium

DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) - A new hands-on exhibit has opened at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Popnology.

The exhibit showcases how science and technology have influenced pop culture and vice versa. Parents and kids had the chance to operate robotic arms, watch a 3D printer in action, and manipulate machines to make lights and sounds.

“I really liked learning about the 3D printer,” said Alexandria Perdue.

It wasn’t only a fun way to explore technology, but also how it has advanced over the years.

“It’s kind of fun to see some of this new technology and get to play around with it a bit,” said Tom Cassell.

“Technology isn’t something to be afraid of,” said National Mississippi River Museum Assistant Store Manager, Emily Bennett.

The exhibit showed popular movies like ET, the Star Wars series, and the DeLorean from Back to the Future.

“Pop culture really depends on technology and vice versa, technology also depends on pop culture,” she said.

Even if some were too young to understand all the pop references, this was a chance to get a hands-on look at science and technology and see how it might be used in the future.

“They can make a choice on how much to indulge as they get older,” said Perdue.

The exhibit will be at the National Mississippi River Museum until September 5th.

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