New exhibit teaches kids about reflectivity and safety

max donath at The Works

The Roadway Safety Institute celebrated the grand opening of its safety-themed museum exhibit at The Works Museum in Bloomington on December 9. The exhibit, a permanent installation at the museum, helps teach kids and their parents how to “be safe and be seen” while walking or biking in the dark.

At the grand opening event, advisory board members, Institute staff, and other stakeholders toured the exhibit along with kids visiting the museum. The exhibit includes a dark room where kids can try on reflective clothing to see how visible they would be to drivers at night, a microscope area for examining reflective materials up close, and a video produced by 3M about the importance of wearing reflective gear for safety.

In his opening remarks, Institute director Max Donath noted that besides getting the safety message to kids—and their parents—the exhibit aims to get them excited about technology and transportation topics and eventually, perhaps, transportation careers.

“It’s really important that we get kids to think about transportation safety and then interested in science and technology,” Donath said. “We’re trying to attract a diverse audience into [the transportation field].”

The exhibit was created for the Roadway Safety Institute in partnership with The Works Museum, HumanFIRST principal researcher Nichole Morris, KidZibits, and CTS.

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Michael McCarthy
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