Designed and developed by The Franklin Institute, the Philadelphia opening of Identity marks the first stop for the exhibit in a planned trek through the United States. Identity will focus on how science can shed light on three areas of our identity – physical, psychological and social, and enlists, among other things, the work of ground-breaking science, personal art and stories and even the work of an Emmy Award-winning musician to create an engaging journey through the science of human identity.

“We’ve been creating traveling museum exhibits for over twenty years, and are especially proud to launch our newest exhibit here in Philadelphia,” said Dennis Wint, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute. “We have gathered together some of the best scientific experts and research on the topic of identity, and have transformed it into an experience the whole family can enjoy. This is a very entertaining way to demonstrate the science behind various concepts of the ‘self’, and we invite everyone to attend.”

The Exhibition

What makes you YOU? IDENTITY: An Exhibition of You explores the physical, psychological and social elements in your life that make you tick. Each area of the exhibition will feature vignettes along with a variety of interactive activities. Visitors can compare fingerprints, determine if they are an introvert or extrovert, and view the differences between male and female brains.

Physical – “Why Do I Look Like I Do?” – Visitors start their journey by taking a new look at the most familiar aspect of identity: their physical selves. Physical traits and genetic inheritance are explored – from combining genes in a computer interactive exhibit, playing the game “Family Match-Up” to find out who belongs in which family, or stepping into a booth to look at your future self – and seeing how the choices you make today can impact your identity tomorrow.

Psychological – “Why Do I Think Like I Do?” – Differences in our brain chemistry, brain structure, brain activity and even gender can impact how you think. Visitors are challenged to make choices about their personality and explore exhibits that transform their personal qualities into interactive experiences. Explore how smells tell you something about yourself, or “hear” your personality in an open-ended musical art piece designed by an Emmy Award-winning musician. “Touch” the brain and activate a video that explains what that part of the brain does – and what happens to your identity when something goes wrong. Learn about the differences gender brings to your brain, beginning in the womb.

Social Identity – “How Do Others Affect Who I Am?” – Visitors can step onto a “dance floor” and enter a playful, group experience about their personal space. Further in, discover what kind of groups you identify with and challenge your assumptions about what people are really like. Take a spin on the “Who Shares Your Skin” wheel, and see who else in the world shares your skin color, and then take a digital photo of yourself and change your gender/ethnicity on a computer. Finally, take a “rapid implicit association test” designed to probe for biases or find out if you are a science or humanity person. The answers may surprise you!

Identity was developed by The Franklin institute for the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative and is on view through April 20, 2008. -- www2.fi.edu