In April, dozens of superheroes and supervillains alike signed up to try out LabEscape, a super science-themed escape room, at the annual Chicago Comic Expo. & Entertainment Exhibition (C2E2).
every year, C2E2 It attracts tens of thousands of fans of cosplay, comics, video games, movies and television. Over the course of three days, pop culture fans gather to meet entertainment heroes, hear top entertainment industry figures discuss their projects and meet other fans to celebrate their shared passions.
Sometimes, they indulge in a big puzzle that blows their minds.
LabEscape, created by Professor Paul Kouyat of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) which was originally developed using funding from the American Physical Society and the National Science Foundation, is the world's first and only science-based escape room. It was a hit C2E2was sold out before the exhibition opened on April 26.
“LabEscape aims to show people that science can be relevant and accessible to them, that it can be aesthetically beautiful and that it can be fun. — Paul Kouyat, UIUC
The LabEscape event was supported by Q-NEXT, a US Department of Energy (Ministry of Energy) The National Research Center for Quantum Information Sciences is led by Ministry of EnergyArgonne National Laboratory.
“I'm thrilled that these fans – people with a clear passion for artistic culture – are also getting involved in solving scientific mysteries. “It speaks to the broad appeal of science and the possibilities of getting more people involved in science,” said Koyat, a Q-NEXT and Q-NEXT collaborator. UIUCJohn Bardeen Chair in Electrical Engineering and Physics.
LabEscape participants play the role of agents given a mission: to help world-renowned quantum computing expert Alberta Schrodenberg save the world using the power of quantum information. Because she was hiding from enemies, Schrodenberg left clues for agents in her laboratory to complete the mission.
“I honestly loved it. Catherine D. said: From California: “My dad was a computer geek, and half my family are scientists, so a lot of this is familiar to me, but I learned more details than I knew before.” “Even the familiar parts were really fun – to do that in an escape room.
Players solve physics puzzles to enter the later stages of the escape room, and ultimately – hopefully – save the world before time runs out.
““LabEscape is about showing people that science can be relevant and accessible to them, that it can be aesthetically beautiful and that it can be fun,” Kwiat said. “It gives people a window into what it means to be a scientist. We experiment, and they may fail, but when they succeed, it only raises more questions. This is the same thing that happens in any escape room.
LabEscape for everyone. No science education or background is required. Sometimes, the less scientific knowledge you have, the better.
““How did one computer, the classical computer, evolve into one quantum computer? It was a little better, but not as much as two quantum computers, which did things very quickly,” said nine-year-old Gabriel N. From Indiana.
“the person who thinks, '“I know what it's going to be like, or who has a preconceived idea of how to escape — they always hurt the group,” Kuyat said. “Those who may not know much science tend to be more successful.
LabEscape is an example of scientific play, illustrating collaboration and fun in science, even in busy academic settings, Kwiat said.
“I think most people think that scientists go it alone and scribble pages and pages. Most of us don't. Things don't happen in isolation. Science is very social. We bounce ideas off each other. “This is important in an escape room,” he said.
“He was really smart. The twists still blow my mind. I'm glad I was surrounded by the right people for this. Patrick O said. From Plainfield, Illinois: “I've created three escape rooms over the past year, and this was the best escape room we've done.” “Our host was really enthusiastic. He allowed us to ask questions afterward, and gave us some other great details that blew my mind. Totally worth the price of admission. People who love escape rooms: Don't miss this one.
This work was supported by Ministry of EnergyNational Office of Science Centers for Quantum Information Science Research as part of the Q-NEXT Center.
