This document discusses the potential for virtual labs to extend the reach and impact of science centers. It notes that as digital technologies become more prevalent, museums will need to adopt new ways to engage visitors using these technologies. Virtual labs allow students and the public to conduct experiments and access expensive or delicate equipment remotely through simulations. They provide more flexibility than physical labs in terms of time, costs, and safety. The document outlines how science centers could offer virtual tours of exhibits, live and on-demand virtual experiments, and interactive virtual labs through partnerships and digital platforms to broaden their educational impact.

1. Virtual labs-An Extension of Science
Centre
K. Madangopal
VITM

2. Virtual labs
An Extension of Science Centre
Abstract
As people are becoming more accustomed
to the freedoms and empowerment of digital
technologies, museums will be encouraged to
invent new ways to popularize science, engage
visitors and in the process create and curate
content with new technologies. Museums of
the future will be filled with digital applications.

3. Virtual labs
An Extension of Science Centre
Visitor participation will take a new dimension
in the future museums. This is most likely
through adaptable digital interfaces driven by
big data. Abundance of content that can be
adapted to the preferences and real time
visitors choices.

4. Why Virtual labs
We have grown up interacting with
Physical objects around us. The serene
nature, accessibility to natural vegetation,
organisms, insects etc had provided us natures
lab open for 24X7 with the opportunity to explore
interact and experiment. But slowly with the growing
population, urbanization, Industrial revolution, and
paucity of open spaces in rapidly expanding cities the
Natures lab spaces/workspaces are dwindling. It is
expected that by the next decade more than 50 percent
of the population in the country will be city dwellers.

5. Cities & Towns need
for Virtual Labs
Situation in cities is interesting. High
competition for spaces, education, congestion,
traffic jams, are on one side whereas revolution
in communication, mobile accessibility, Television,
high speed Data and voice communication, Internet,
social websites, satellite accessibility etc have opened
up new opportunities.

6. Limitations of
traditional labs
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Time
Money
Equipment availability
Instructor time/ resources/ knowledge
Safety concerns
Virtual laboratory exercises can remedy
nearly all of these concerns!

7. Need for
Virtual Labs
With the non affordability of lab equipment,
ban on using live specimens for experimentation,
Virtual lab simulations are the alternative and
most effective mode of experimentation for
Education.

8. Virtual Laboratories
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Familiarize with equipment.
Learn the Scientific Method – Problem
statement- Hypothesis – experiment – observation
study the results – verify the hypothesis
Understand theoretical concepts in a better way.
Learn standard practices and procedures

9. Advantages of
Virtual Labs
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Broadens virtual access to expensive or delicate
high-end equipment
Provides students with access to remotely-hosted
science lab facilities rather than just local ones
More time on task / less setup & cleanup
More experimental runs

10. Advantages of
Virtual labs
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Safer
Can do labs before and after class, at home – not
limited to 50 min class period
Share & compare data locally or globally –
just like scientists do
Enables new economic models and public/private
partnerships.

11. From Lab to
‘ Virtual lab’
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Traditional labs use expensive apparatus.
There are restrictions to conduct work on live
biological specimen.
Labs restricted to research institutions or places of
higher learning or other educational institutions,
unreachable to laymen.
Remote and simulated laboratories reduce
overall costs and enrich educational experience

12. Virtual laboratories
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Virtual laboratories use technology to
enhance learning experience.
They can supplement real laboratories for
education.
Use pictures, animations and interactive simulations.
Free choice learning
No restriction on the education level/age etc of the user.

13. Digital Age –
Inspiration for Virtual labs
As we continue to push the boundaries
of the digital frontier, we are also redefining
the scope and range of our mission as public
learning facilities. By implementing the latest
advances in digital technologies with wisdom and
vision, the students as well as common people can
team up in a unique way for understanding new
scientific advancements.

14. Virtual Lab
A virtual lab could be computer based
or web based simulated environment
intended for its users to interact, both
remotely as well as in-situ.

15. Museums & Virtual labs
Virtual labs are the extensions to science
Museums due to the following common
interests namely:
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Both are free choice learning
environments.
No restriction of education level/ age etc.
Self-learning without any evaluation
during the process
Repeatability

16. Virtual Labs –
Scope of activities
for Museum

17. Virtual lab in 3D

18. Virtual lab on
Mobile

19. Virtual Science
Experiments

20. Live Lab activities
on demand

21. Guided Lab
Activities on demand

22. Take away Lab

23. Virtual tour of
/
Museum Galleries
In the age of broadband connectivity,
science communication through internet is
going to be a major area of operation of science
museums/science centres. Such communication
will not be time bound and it will not require
physical presence of the visitor.

24. Virtual tour of
Museum Galleries
A virtual tour of museum galleries through
online payment mode will be the modern mode
to discover museum exhibits. It will be powered
by high speed internet and the digital world of
virtual reality.

25. Virtual tour of
Museum Galleries
The digital technology coupled with
automation will provide a way for museums to
deliver highly compelling, individually- curated
experiences, where exhibits, with light, sound and
space interacting with digital media will create a
seamless environment.

26. Virtual Museum
Tour on Mobile
Mobile users in India who are science
enthusiasts can opt to take a short tour of a
specific exhibit/exhibition in a museum during
their free time during shopping / marketing / while
waiting to catch a delayed flight/ train /bus or
while they are on move.

27. Virtual Science
Experiments
The innovation lab with student innovators
also has the scope to begin with startup
Science experimentation for students, before they
embark on working with their ideas.

28. Virtual Science
Experiments
The activities at the innovation lab can
be virtually accessed live through satellites
on Television. In addition multimedia
resources, virtual experiments on different
topics, in soft format can be made available
through dedicated servers/ cloud. This can be
similar to the pay channels now available on
Television.

29. Guided Lab
Activities on demand
Multimedia demonstration of ideas / activities in the
innovation lab including curriculum based experiments
can be uploaded on internet which can be
made available on demand on payment mode.

30. Lab Experiments
Virtual lab experiments with on screen
instructions for remote access and
Interaction to give a real life experience can
be developed and made available on shared
servers/cloud with access facilities through
different media like tablets/ mobiles and other
communication devices.

31. Live Virtual Lab
Virtual labs can also have fixed time
Mentors interaction with remote students
to help them perform a experiment or discuss an
idea/ discuss on a scientific topic. This can be
a two way communication.

32. Live Virtual Lab
Live chat programs / blogs can also be
a part of virtual access with fixed time
availability of mentors drawn from different
scientific institutions.

33. Virtual Lab : Example 1
Course: Advanced chemistry lab
Traditional: Students follow a specific
procedure for mixing cations, to see how they
react. The experiments can take week safety is
an issue because some cations are toxic.
Virtual: Students use a computer simulation that allows
them to experiment with virtual cations. They can safely
use virtual representations of toxic cations, such as
mercury, and experiments that normally take weeks are
finished in minutes.

34. Virtual Lab : Example 2
Course: Advanced microbiology lab
Traditional: Students combine
bacteril cultures with various chemicals to amine
reactions. The experiments can take weeks, and
the students usually must avoid certain procedures
that could ruin expensive cultures.
Virtual: Students run experiments With
virtual bacterial cultures by telling a computer
what chemicals to add. Reaction times are cut to
minutes, letting students spend more Time
experimenting.

35. Virtual Lab : Example 3
Course: Advanced physics lab
Traditional: Students work in the lab to measure
the speeds of remote-controlled cars and plot the
Results on graphs.
Virtual: Students use computer simulations of remotecontrolled cars While students conduct the experiments,
the software acts as a virtual lab partner and offers good
and bad advice to the students to test their problem
Solving skills.

36. Thank you!