Hops and History: Questionable Medical Devices

Join Laurie Kleinbaum Fink, PhD, from the Science Museum of Minnesota, to learn about the collection of questionable medical devices that form the backbone of a popular exhibition, Weighing the Evidence. The exhibition opened in 2016 and offers visitors three important take-away messages: When making health care decisions, ask questions of a trusted source; consider the costs, risks, and benefits; and look for scientific evidence. The exhibition pulls in museum visitors using a very charismatic collection of over 300 objects collected by Bob McCoy, a minister, steel salesman, and founder of the Minnesota Skeptics, and given to the Science Museum of Minnesota in 2002. Come and learn about the collection, the exhibition that showcases the collection, and how the Science Museum of Minnesota uses objects to engage the public in STEM.