On a recent trip to San Francisco, John Magolske was kind enough to show us around the Exploratorium, an interactive museum of science, art and human perception at the Palace of Fine Arts, in the Marina District. Magolske is an Exhibit Developer at the Exploratorium, who designed an interactive exhibit that uses LI-COR infrared gas analyzers.

Unlike traditional museums, the Exploratorium encourages visitors to touch, look through, pick up, and tinker with any of the more than 650 interactive exhibits. The Exploratorium also has exhibits located at 35 international and 38 U.S. science centers, partnerships with 15 science centers worldwide, and travelling exhibitions.

In the Traits of Life collection, the LI-800 CO2 analyzer is used in a small-scale interactive exhibit entitled "Trading Materials" that demonstrates the relationship between photosynthesis and aerobic respiration.

Two connected chambers, one containing grass and the other termites, are used to show what happens to CO2 levels when air flow between the chambers is cut off. Visitors hold a button to cut off the air flow, and watch a real-time chart of CO2 levels in each chamber.

The LI-800 and its replacement, the LI-820 CO2 analyzer, are low cost, light weight, low maintenance analyzers that are ideal for continuous CO2 monitoring, and for inclusion into larger measurement systems such as the one featured in this article.