In a bid to build public awareness of its work — and not incidentally, to attract more scientists and researchers — the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is opening a four-month exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
The exhibit, called “Redefining Possible,” runs from May 5 through Sept.ember 5. It will feature the humanoid Atlas robot, a model of the unmanned submarine chaser Sea Hunter, along with examples of DARPA’s work in microelectronics, prosthetics and other technologies. Attendees can also traverse an immersive, 100-foot timeline of DARPA-supported technological breakthroughs.
“Our guests are very interested in what tomorrow’s going to look like,” said Kathleen McCarthy, the museum’s head curator, during a conference call with reporters. “If they’re interested in that, they should look at what DARPA is doing today.”
While the exhibit has kid-friendly exhibits and is designed for public education, DARPA has a strong recruiting motive as well, said Deputy Director Steve Walker, speaking during the same call.
“It happens that MSI is smack in the middle of a resource-rich domain, from a recruiting point of view,” he said, noting that Chicago is home to prestigious universities and technology companies.
DARPA is looking in particular for people to work as project managers for a few years on specific programs, he said.
“We’re happy to be able to tell our story and hope catch the attention of some of the nation’s leading scientist and engineers,” he said. “We are constantly looking for superstars.”
