"Madison has a tremendous venue for athletics, tremendous venues for the arts," says David Nelson, a UW professor emeritus of biology. But aside from a few small UW departmental museums, "There really isn't a place to go and hear and see about the history of science in Wisconsin."
But that's about to change as a new museum is expected to open downtown this summer. Currently, the leading site option for the Madison Science Museum is the entire top floor of the North Carroll Street campus of Madison College.
"The campus and city are incredibly rich in science, currently and historically, particularly in biotechnology," says Nelson, one of the organizers. "But if you come here as a visitor, what could I see here of all this science? The answer would be, 'It's going to be tough.'"
The Madison Science Museum will feature hands-on learning opportunities as well as historic artifacts, exhibits that demonstrate cutting-edge science, and even art.
The museum is intended for all ages. "It's absolutely a learning facility," says Olga Trubetskoy, one of the founding directors.
"A friend said that what we really should call it is a 'Do-seum,'" rather than a museum," adds Nelson.
Organizers are negotiating a lease with Madison College to begin Jan. 1. They hope that, in time, the museum will grow beyond the sixth floor of the building.
This addition to the other downtown museums may seem unexpected. However, work has quietly been going on for years to combine private and public resources, including holdings of the UW-Madison.
In addition to Trubetskoy, who worked with the Boston Museum of Science while serving as a research scientist in pharmaceutical discovery programs, the museum's founding directors include Nelson; Terry Sivesind, entrepreneur and cofounder of several biotechnology companies, including PanVera and Mirus; and attorney Kirby Brant. Sivesind explains that the organizers especially want show how UW science has partnered with private enterprise for more than a century.
At first, there were two visions for a museum. Nelson worked for many years with a group on campus that included Dr. Tom Zinnen, outreach program manager at the University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center. Funding and location were always problems.
Unknown to that group, Trubetskoy and Sivesind were working to create a biotechnology museum off-campus, where parking would be easier.
They discovered each other three years ago and decided to combine efforts. With Brant, they incorporated a freestanding nonprofit, allowing for grants and corporate sponsorships.
The organizers want to start small. Fundraising will be an early and significant challenge. A nominal admission fee may be charged. Volunteers from the university and Madison College will be sought to help remodel the space and create exhibits.
The centerpiece of the Madison Science Museum will be a full-size charcoal study by celebrated regionalist painter John Steuart Curry, for his mural "The Social Benefits of Biochemical Research." (The completed work is currently in the UW's biochemistry building.)
Nelson and his wife, Brook Chase Soltvedt, acquired the 9-by-10-foot sketch from Curry's widow. It was in two pieces. He loaned the rolled drawings this summer to the Wisconsin Museum of Art, in West Bend. It came back beautifully mounted in one piece. "And I immediately realized it wouldn't fit through any doors," he says.
"So we had to start a museum," laughs Trubetskoy.
One of the first planned exhibits will be an appreciation of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2015. WARF discoveries include vitamin D, and Warfarin, widely used to treat heart disease.
"We intend to highlight an exhibit featuring their contributions and accomplishments over the years, says Sivesind. "We'll show all that as the basis for discoveries and technologies moving forward."
"The historical perspective and the Wisconsin focus distinguish our museum from other exhibits and outreach programs on campus, but it's not going to be a collection of old stuff that you walk by," vows Nelson.
Still, "The city and the university and the biochemical community have a pretty dramatic and remarkable history, and we'd be crazy if we didn't take advantage of that," he adds. "We have a lot of remarkable discoveries here, and they're not over. There are going to be more."
