A walk-through of wall-mounted cases with replicas of inventions created by Spanish and Latin American scientists, doctors, engineers and architects is expected to open soon on the first floor of Kiekhofer Hall this spring.
The Spanish club, Fusion Española, is working to have replica models of historical inventions displayed to the students and staff of the North Central College community, such as the submarine, created by Isaac Peral, or the space suit, invented by Colonel Emilio Herrera de Hinares.
“The intention for designing a museum like this is to bring sciences, cultures, and people together for discovery, learning and enjoyment,” says Jelena Sanchez, professor of Spanish at North Central College, and advisor of the Fusion Española club.
For Tyler Drozd, a junior at North Central, and a participant of this project, helping to make this museum come to life is a very exciting and rewarding experience. “It gives people a…(chance) to experience what Hispanics/Latinos have contributed to the world — inventions that we still use today,” Drozd says.
Members of the club will construct paper models of historical inventions through the use of paper, cardboard, Legos, wood, and paint. Later, once the replicas are constructed, they will be placed in fiberglass cases and mounted to the walls in Kiekhofer for display.
“I think that is going to be one of its main contributions, that unless you are in the Spanish department (at North Central), you usually don’t learn about things like this,” adds Jessie Kickert, a junior who is majoring in Spanish.
The idea to create a museum through the first floor of Kiekhofer originated when Professor Sanchez noticed that many students wandered or stood outside the hallways of Kiehkofer while waiting for their next class.
For Professor Sanchez, her hope is that these displays will attract the attention of the students and help them learn something new. “This is going to be a contribution that is permanent for the college; this is a not a temporary exhibit,” Sanchez says. “It will to show students that Hispanic discoveries are world discoveries.”
