Science is an inseparable component of culture, shaping the horizons of societal progress and redefining our understanding of humanity, time, and the world. Museums, archives, and scientific outreach initiatives bear the crucial responsibility of interpreting and presenting science to the public. This raises a pressing question: Why do some scientific achievements become embedded in cultural memory while others fade into obscurity? The answer lies largely in symbolic selection — what society deems significant and who shapes that perception. Science operates ahead of its time, investing in knowledge that will become relevant for the future generations of researchers. But how do we, in modern day, identify and preserve the most impactful discoveries? Science museums are assuming a new role: they are no longer just spaces for explanation but also archives of potential — repositories of unanswered questions and ongoing experiments.
How does scientific knowledge become part of cultural memory? What museum formats and practices can help science gain popularity and engage the public? How can museums contribute to preserving and archiving scientific heritage?
Moderator: Konstantin Fursov, Head of the Science Popularization and Cultural Projects Laboratory, Talent and Success Foundation (Sirius); Research Associate, ITMO University; Member of the Coordinating Council for Youth Affairs in Science and Education under the President of the Russian Federation
Speakers: Andrey Golovnyov, Director, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences Anna Klyukina, General Director, State Darwin Museum Elena Mironenko, General Director, ATOM Museum Marko Krstic, Director, Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade