Skip to main content
Ingenium Logo

You are leaving IngeniumCanada.org

✖


This link leads to an external website that Ingenium does not control. Please read the third-party’s privacy policies before entering personal information or conducting a transaction on their site.

Have questions? Review our Privacy Statement

Vous quittez IngeniumCanada.org

✖


Ce lien mène à un site Web externe qu'Ingenium ne contrôle pas. Veuillez lire les politiques de confidentialité des tiers avant de partager des renseignements personnels ou d'effectuer une transaction sur leur site.

Questions? Consultez notre Énoncé de confidentialité

Ingenium The Channel

Langue

  • Français
Search Toggle

Menu des liens rapides

  • Ingenium Locations
  • Shop
  • Donate
  • Join
Menu

Main Navigation

  • Browse
    • Categories
    • Media Types
    • Boards
    • Featured Stories
  • About
    • About The Channel
    • Content Partners

Testing Things Out: An Intern’s Experiences at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Share
3 m
Apr 19, 2022
Categories
Aviation
Categories
Education
Exhibitions
Media
Article
Profile picture for user Jesse Edrington
By: Jesse Edrington
Ingenium – Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
A young man stands in the foreground. The elevated nose section of a jet airplane is on display behind him, flanked by two jets sitting behind a low barrier.
Photo Credit
Erin Poulton, Ingenium
Intern Jesse Edrington stands in the “Jet Age” area at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. Note the nose section of the Avro Arrow in the background.

The Task at Hand

I’ve always had a passion for all types of history, including aviation. As an Algonquin College student in the Applied Museum Studies program, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum seemed like the perfect place to complete my final-year field placement. I visited the museum many times growing up, so it felt like a logical step to do my internship there as well.

Working at the museum, I gained firsthand experience and was able to apply what I had been learning in a real-world environment. The placement focused on interpretation and exhibition development, and I worked under the supervision of the museum’s Exhibition Interpretation Officer, Erin Poulton.  Over the course of the placement, I completed many projects, such as developing braille-based self-guided tours for people with visual impairments, conducting accessibility testing, creating interpretive text, archiving usage rights for images in exhibitions, and writing descriptive captions for educational videos. Working on such a variety of projects was very rewarding. I was able to participate in projects at different stages of development, each with its own unique quirks and nuances. In future, I know I’ll be able to build off the wide range of experiences I had during my placement. 

Visitor Testing

Though I felt that all of my projects were compelling in their own way, one of the most memorable was conducting visitor testing. The Canada Aviation and Space Museum is starting a major update to its Jet Age section, which will now focus on the Cold War. In order for the Exhibition Interpretion Officer to learn more about visitors’ existing knowledge of the era, and what themes interest them most, I was tasked with conducting formative testing. Questions gauged levels of knowledge and interest in topics in general, as well as specific aspects, such as the threat of nuclear war, and the Canadian aircraft industry.  
I conducted interviews during a two-week period, aligning with high March Break visitation. Participants were asked a series of questions related to the exhibition’s potential themes, and sorted a series of topics based on their levels interest. Answers, along with helpful observations, were recorded and compiled in a testing report to assist the core exhibition team as they make decisions about the project’s development. Over the two-week period I surveyed 87 visitors. 

Observations

After completing the Cold War testing, my impression was that a strong majority of the participants were familiar with the topic, and that they had a solid interest in learning more. I quickly understood the importance of having direct contact with visitors. Since the focus of my placement was interpretation and exhibition development, I was glad to gain this first-hand experience. Being able to speak with people directly allowed me to hear different perspectives and gain a better sense of what visitors want to learn more about at the museum. Interestingly, even when visitors thought they lacked knowledge of a topic, they usually shared a general sense of enthusiasm and openness for opportunities to learn more.  

A Piece of the Puzzle

As a student beginning my career in the museum field, testing was especially compelling to me as I was able to be part of the broader exhibition development process. I appreciated being able to contribute to a large-scale project and help shape this new exhibition’s content. Not only was I able to participate in the process, but I enabled visitors to play a part as well. Through performing visitor testing, I helped to ensure that visitors’ opinions influence the content that they will eventually be invited to explore. With a deeper understanding of what visitors want, museums can craft experiences that better appeal to them. I am thrilled knowing that I was able to contribute to this future exhibition by helping to shape the visitor experience. 

Final Thoughts

Working as an intern at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum for four months has been a very enriching experience. Completing projects related to interpretation, such as visitor testing, will serve me well as I begin my career as a museum professional. I have always had a passion for history and museums, and look forward to sharing this with others. In the future, I hope to help influence what stories are told in exhibitions, and shape how visitors engage with these narratives.


Enjoying the Ingenium Channel? Help us improve your experience with a short survey!

Share your insights
Author(s)
Profile picture for user Jesse Edrington
Jesse Edrington

Jesse Edrington is currently completing the Applied Museums Studies program at Algonquin College. As part of the program, he is working as an exhibition intern at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum for the spring of 2022.

Related Stories

The main protagonists of the University Crisis of 1919. Anon., “Professors Asked To Resign From University.” The Saskatoon Daily Star, 28 July 1919, 3.

“Is This Prophetic of Future?”: University of Saskatchewan professor Robert Dawson MacLaurin and the billowing saga of straw gas, part 3

The straw-gas powered McLaughlin D45 touring automobile with its gas bag, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Anon., “Is This Prophetic of Future? Auto Is Run With Straw Gas.” The Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 20 August 1918, 1.

“Is This Prophetic of Future?”: University of Saskatchewan professor Robert Dawson MacLaurin and the billowing saga of straw gas, part 2

The illustration which brought the straw gas production project of University of Saskatchewan professor Robert Dawson MacLaurin to the attention of many. Anon., “Straw Gas Here: Novel Motor Fuel Used to Save Gasoline.” Visalia Morning Delta, 15 November 1918, 6.

“Is This Prophetic of Future?”: University of Saskatchewan professor Robert Dawson MacLaurin and the billowing saga of straw gas, part 1

Caricature by illustrator / graphic designer Jacques Gagnier promoting the weekly Québec radio game show Auto-Tram broadcasted by the radio station CKAC of Montréal, Québec. Jacques Gagnier, “–.” RadioMonde, 27 November 1948, 18.

Auto-Tram, Pic et pic et colégram, Bour et bour et ratatam, Auto-Tram: Do you want to participate with me in the weekly Québec radio game show Auto-Tram?

The left-hand photo shows several square bins lined with clear plastic, full of bunches of purple grapes, with rows of grape vines visible in the background. The right-hand photo shows a cathode ray tube computer terminal and small keyboard. The computer has yellow plastic housing and black plastic frame. The keyboard is grey. To the right in this photo is a conservation photography colour correction card.

2 things you should know about how grape diversity could help save winemaking in Canada and how conservators use an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer to uncover and analyze the materials in the collection's artifacts

Advertisement of Campbell Motors Limited of Vancouver, British Columbia, promoting the AZNP Škoda 1101 or 1102 automobile. Anon., “Campbell Motors Limited.” The Vancouver Sun, 10 June 1950, 11.

“Reds Carry Cold War to North Americans:” A brief roadmap of the circumstances surrounding the importation of Czechoslovakian automobiles into Canada at the height of the Cold War, part 2

Three smiling children stand on a green lawn. On the far left is a young girl with short brown hair who wears a light pink dress. In the middle, a taller boy wears a scouting uniform. On the right, a young child wears a formal blue coat as well as a white hat, gloves, and purse.

Scouting and Guiding on Overseas RCAF Bases During the Cold War

Woman

Celebrating Women’s History Month in Canada with Dr. Shohini Ghose, Quantum Physicist

An advertisement of the Czechoslovakian foreign trade company Omnitrade Limited of Montréal, Québec, for the AZNP Škoda 440 automobile. Anon., “Omnitrade Limited.” The Montreal Star, 28 November 1958, 24.

“Reds Carry Cold War to North Americans:” A brief roadmap of the circumstances surrounding the importation of Czechoslovakian automobiles into Canada at the height of the Cold War, part 1

Map of the Caribbean with indicators highlighting the countries of Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

‘It is all up to you!’ – The West Indian Domestic Scheme in Canada (1955–1967)

The Constantin proof of concept wind turbine, Roanne, France. Jean Labadié, “Le vent source d’énergie inépuisable. » La Science et la Vie, June 1927, 491.

“Here’s good wind, here’s pretty wind:” A whirlwind overview of the fascinating wind turbine of French engineer Louis Constantin, and of a few other things besides that, part 2

Louis Constantin’s wind turbine prototype, in the South of France, circa 1928. Jean Labadié, “L’œuvre originale d’un aérodynamicien français – Girouettes stabilisatrices et turbines éoliennes.” Science et Monde, 5 October 1933, 639.

“Here’s good wind, here’s pretty wind:” A whirlwind overview of the fascinating wind turbine of French engineer Louis Constantin, and of a few other things besides that, part 1

Footer

About The Channel

The Channel

Contact Us

Ingenium
P.O. Box 9724, Station T
Ottawa ON K1G 5A3
Canada

613-991-3044
1-866-442-4416
contact@IngeniumCanada.org
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Channel

    • Channel Home
    • About the Channel
    • Content Partners
  • Visit

    • Online Resources for Science at Home
    • Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
    • Canada Aviation and Space Museum
    • Canada Science and Technology Museum
    • Ingenium Centre
  • Ingenium

    • Ingenium Home
    • About Ingenium
    • The Foundation
  • For Media

    • Newsroom
    • Awards

Connect with us

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest Ingenium news straight to your inbox!

Sign Up

Legal Bits

Ingenium Privacy Statement

© 2023 Ingenium

Symbol of the Government of Canada
  • Browse
    • Categories
    • Media Types
    • Boards
    • Featured Stories
  • About
    • About The Channel
    • Content Partners