Cats love science. They noticeably outnumbered the human visitors at the Suzanne Mubarak Science Exploration Center, even on what employees described as a “busy day.” The cats watched in fascination as a beach ball floated in midair at the Bernoulli Effect booth, chased each other playfully around the solar system, and napped soundly in one of the chambers of the human heart. Cats are also, by far, the most entertaining display at the SMSEC. Inaugurated in 1998, the Suzanne Mubarak Science Exploration Center is a product of the First Lady's ongoing campaign to encourage the nation's interest in all things educational. However, like most of her projects, the SMSEC suffers from a general lack of interest. Few people have heard of the SMSEC, probably to the delight of the center's administrators who not only stop you at the entrance to ask what you want, but will repeatedly try to convince you that admission is only granted to those with a specially-signed permission slip, or to students on a field trip. Feel free to ignore them—the same laziness that motivates their attempts at discouraging visitors also keeps them from stopping you from walking in. But, be advised that the center does seem to operate under a strict gender-based schedule, which an administrator explained was enforced to “avoid problems.” This reporter was told he should consider himself lucky to have shown up on an all-male day. Even beyond its gender policy, the SMSEC is an unusual place, with a variety of exhibitions that range from eccentric (battered stuffed animals leading up to the main building), to weird (a lifesize model of a woman pregnant with what appears to be a giant fur-ball), to disturbing (wrinkly puppy fetuses sharing shelf space with a human baby figurine). Several printed notices remind employees and visitors of their religious duties, and an electronic display tallies the numbers of visitors per governorate—Cairo, 863,739; Qena, 209. Past the main hall, which features an aquarium and an informational bulletin board—last updated in 2004—the building is split into several wings. First is the Geological Exhibit, which impresses with its three large dinosaur statues and disappoints with its Pangea display, in which the continents are stacked in a tower. The walls are lined with fake fossils and plastic rocks and the Big Bang is depicted as a blotch of white paint on a black wall, next to a Koranic verse describing the event. The Physics Exhibit has the feel of an elementary science fair and disappoints the most, as roughly half of the promising exhibits are out of order or barely functioning. A working model of an automobile's interior whines painfully, a water spinner is clogged with algae, and a hydraulics system doubles as a coffee table. The balance tester broke down, prompting the tour guide, former science teacher Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, to mutter “nothing works around here,” as he reached over to unplug yet another display. The Physics Exhibition leads into a corridor of electronics workshops and activity rooms. The Technology Club features several rows of archaic computers, while the Environment Club seems limited to an older woman asleep on her desk surrounded by several plastic baby dolls. One room, worryingly labeled “Child Heaven” turned out to be less grand than its name suggested. “This is an activity center for six to twelve-year-olds where they can develop different types of skills,” explained the tour guide, while gesturing to a box of Legos. Through a courtyard, which includes a stationary Foucault pendulum, visitors make their way to the Light Hall, which features several mildly amusing exhibitions dedicated to “optical illusions.” The Severed Head booth allows children to stick their head through a hole in a table, while the Infinity Mirror reflects a toy bear hanging between two vertical mirrors—“It may look like there's hundreds of bears but there's actually only one,” the tour guide explained. The Mirror Wall is, according to the tour guide, “how they made Superman fly in the movie.” No further explanation was offered. The Human Body exhibit is where things start to get truly disturbing, and somewhat educational. The development of the human fetus is depicted in a spiral of babies nailed to a wall and a variety of large plastic limbs and organs sprout from the opposite wall. An open-palmed hand lights up to show nerves and pain receptors, while digestion is represented by lights flashing in an open torso. Although some of the exhibits are outdated—does anyone still believe the tongue is divided according to taste buds?—the Human Body display is surprisingly comprehensive, even if the reproductive organs were kept in a corner and completely ignored by the tour guide. If the SMSEC's Astronomy wing is anything to go by, outer space smells like an old boot and is even more disorienting than Kubrick's “2001.” Dimly lit, this wing is populated by life size plastic astronauts, some with dead television screens in their chests. The exhibits are mostly a mystery, as the lack of illumination made it impossible to read any signs or labels. Where the walls aren't painted black, they're covered in collages of strange animal images—including chicken anatomies, tigers and ox skulls. In a terrifying homage to sci-fi classic “Alien,” a cat leaped out of a plastic spaceman's chest cavity, scaring the living daylights out of this reporter. Ancient Egypt and Early Islam are incongruously lumped together in one particularly messy wing of the Exploration Center, with dioramas of cow-headed goddesses and Koran recitals sitting side by side. Primitive writing instruments, texts, utensils and medical tools—all fake—are displayed, along with informational posters and diagrams. Ironically, these artifacts are the most convincing of the entire center's displays, as they are the only ones to benefit from the obvious carelessness with which they are treated. A Hall of Fame—with posters commemorating 99 of history's most recognized scientists, a wall of quotes and several prayer rugs—connects to the Jungle Exhibit which, strangely enough, was completely cat-free. Dark, lush with plants and giant, plastic insects, the Jungle Exhibit could have been impressive, but instead ends up being the SMSEC's worst-kept wing. The only display that doesn't require automation—and, as such, can't break down—is a giant bug head which visitors can walk into to experience “bug-vision.” Unfortunately, even this is inoperable as the section supervisor has turned it into her own private kitchenette. The final exhibit, the Planetarium, was closed for repair. Children with a thirst for knowledge would gain more by watching a commercial break on the Discovery Channel than visiting the center. Considering cable television is a luxury most Egyptian children can't afford, it's a shame the SMSEC is as sorely and crucially lacking as it is. The center's potential remains buried under neglect, ineptitude, and worst of all, the apathy that plagues similar endeavours, offering more for cat-lovers than science fanatics. The Suzanne Mubarak Science Exploration Center is open Sunday-Thursday, from 9AM-3PM. The center is located on the corner of El-Wafa and El-Safa wal Marwa streets in Hadayek el-Kobba. For more information, call: (02) 2259-7277/2256-6035.
