What's going on at SPARK?
At SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention, we love to celebrate visionaries. After all, behind every electrical invention is someone with vision — someone with a brilliant mind asking the question “what if?” or exclaiming “I wonder …” Nikola Tesla, whose birthday we remember on July 10, is one such person. It’s difficult to delve into the history of electricity without …
Everything at SPARK Museum is built for discovery. Whether it’s from viewing a sparking, 10-foot-tall Tesla coil or from sticking small, inflated balloons to their heads, everyone who enters SPARK gets to discover the power and wonder of electrical energy. Truly, it is a place of scientific interaction — where people young and old can see, touch and listen their …
On June 8th, SPARK Museum hosted our first ever education symposium! Educators from Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, and King counties filled the room representing 18 different institutions. We came from a variety of different museums, centers, and schools, but what unifies us all is our desire to serve the students in our communities to the best of our ability. Creating educational …
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention presented Western Washington University assistant professor Melissa Rice its first SPARK Award earlier this year. The award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to science education and advocacy, was presented at IGNITE!, the Museum’s inaugural fundraising gala. “We selected Dr. Rice for this award because she is someone who ignites curiosity in science not only in kids, …
“SPARK Museum is everything that a teacher could ask for,” says Kellie Goodman, a third-grade teacher at Alderwood Elementary School in Bellingham. “It’s an engaging place for my students to come and learn and inquire about the world.” At SPARK, we often say that electricity sparks imagination. The simplest way to prove that point is to watch students walk through …
Truly, necessity is the mother of invention. Imagine you’re an undertaker working in Kansas City in the late 19th century. You’re one of just two undertakers serving a city of more than 50,000 people, so business must be booming, right? Not if your competitor is stealing all of your clients. Legend has it that Almon Brown Strowger found himself in …
“This is not a movie. We’re going to do this live, right here in this room, right before your eyes. Let’s go!” The docent stands in front of the dark room, his voice quivering with excitement. A group of visitors sit in rapt attention, eyes wide with anticipation. Suddenly, 4.5 million volts of energy light up the room as a …
On display at The SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention are myriad devices that tell the exciting story of electrical history, including a string of devices that walk visitors from the early thought experiments of Michael Faraday to the electric induction motors of Nikola Tesla: Faraday Rotating Cup Experiment: Michael Faraday’s rotating cup device, which he invented in 1822, is one …
Thank you to everyone who came out for our MLK Day of Service! We had over 20 volunteers from Americorp Vista and the community and our building looks better than ever. We could never do what we do without the dedication and support from our regular volunteers and the community. Your involvement keeps us inspired to be better …
It’s OK to admit it. You’ve been searching for weeks for the perfect gift for that special someone who LOVES Bellingham, but you haven’t had much luck and it’s getting down to the wire. Well, we’ve got your back. There’s not much that says Bellingham more than a gift from the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention (if we do say …
