Within the strategy established by the University of Porto to the museological heritage, the Museum of Science of University of Porto shall guarantee an unitary purpose to the overall science museological heritage existent in the faculties museological poles and to enhance its valorisation through the research, inventory, documentation, integration, protection, interpretation, exhibition and promotion, looking for scientific and educative objectives, supporting in this way the connection of the University to the society and to the surrounding region.
DESCRIPTION
The Science Museum of University of Porto was founded in 1996 and is located in the downtown in the historic building of University of Porto, where is currently installed the University Rectory. The Museum heritage consists of old scientific and didactic equipment from the periods of the Academia Real da Marinha e Comércio and Academia Politécnica, as well as from the laboratories of Physics, Chemistry and Mineralogy/Geology of Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto (FCUP). This equipment has been recovered, catalogued and studied, and shown in temporary exhibitions organized by the Museum and others. The Museum holds dozens of interactive modules, acquired or built by technical staff of FCUP, tested in exhibitions and installed since November 2007 in a dedicated space open to the Public.
The Science Museum in its actual configuration has a collection that derives from the origins and history of FCUP. A process in on way with the objective to gather in the Museum the entire museological heritage in exact sciences of University of Porto, being constituted for this purpose articulated museological poles following the mission established for the Science Museum of University of Porto.