For Immediate Release
Contact: Tina Cervone
(312) 822-9545
Chicago, August 29, 2006
Representatives from Modern Museums of Science in Chicago and Milan
Discuss the Social and Academic Importance of Science Museums
Wednesday, August 30, Italian Cultural Institute, 500 N. Michigan Ave, #
1450, 6:00 pm.
To mark the closing of the successful exhibit, Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius at the Museum
of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Italian Cultural Institute will present a roundtable discussion by
Salvatore Sutera and Marco Iezzi, two representatives from the “Leonardo da Vinci” National Museum of
Science and Technology in Milan and Kurt Haunfelner of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
They will discuss their museum’s respective collaboration on this exhibit, as well as discuss the larger issues
that science museums face in today’s society. They will discuss the crucial role science museums play in
society, focusing their presentations on the ways in which science museums distribute scientific knowledge to
scholars and to the general public. They will also discuss how the individual and society as a whole are
impacted by these museums. Additionally, they will make remarks on finding the balance between education
and entertainment in science museums, as well as discussing how a museum can function effectively as a source
of teaching. The program will be conducted in English.
Salvatore Sutera is the Scientific Coordinator of the “Leonardo da Vinci” National Museum of Science and
Technology in Milan. He has organized numerous national and international conferences regarding the
conservation, management, and promotion of cultural, scientific, and technological assets. He served as the
Secretary General of International Council of Museums in Italy (1993-2003) and was instrumental in designing
the Council’s official ideology, speaking extensively on the social significance of the museum as not simply an
emblem, but as an expression of the society it represents.
Marco Iezzi is the curator of the Department of Transportation by Air, Land, and Sea at the “Leonardo da
Vinci” National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. Iezzi was heavily involved in the transportation
of the S-506 Enrico Toti, the museum’s latest arrival.
Kurt Haunfelner is the Vice President of Exhibits and Collections at the Museum of Science and Industry in
Chicago, and is responsible for the creation, design, budgeting, execution and management of the next
generation of exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry. Since joining the Museum in August 2002, Mr.
Haunfelner has overseen the nationally recognized completion of the U-505 Submarine restoration project ($35
million); the successful opening and ongoing tour of “Action: An Adventure in Moviemaking,” a 14,000 square
foot exhibit that includes an 8,000 square foot working soundstage; and the groundbreaking exhibit of real
human bodies, “Body Worlds,” which attracted more than 800,000 guests to the Museum in 2005.
Please call (312) 822-9545 for further information.