GM's Interactive Environmental Lab Exhibit Tours the Country
In 1999, working with General Motors' Design for the Environment Group, part of the GM truck division, Chicago Scenic developed the Environmental Lab, an interactive computerized display that makes GM's environmental initiatives come alive.

The display is centered around a specially modified GMC Yukon that interacts with the exhibit's various elements. The truck is connected to fuel canisters, hoses, test tubes, and even an ethanol-processing unit to demonstrate GM's environmental initiatives in a fun and interactive way. Project Manager Ross Hamilton supervised the project.

The tour started at the 2000 International Auto Show in Detroit. From there, the display traveled to the Detroit Science Museum, the Arizona Science Museum, the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, ScienceFest in Philadelphia, and auto shows in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. The exhibit was so popular at the Detroit Science Museum that the museum brought it back a second time for an extended stay.

As part of an on going relationship with GM, the exhibit has since returned to CSSI for regular maintenance and service upgrades. Nick Levinsky and Wayne Adams are currently working on the display to prepare it for an extended showing in Chicago at a location to be announced.

Unique Exhibit comes to the Museum of Science and Industry
CSSI helped install a unique travelling exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. The Greek Ministry of Culture had a unique collection of utensils that were used in Crete for day to day cooking over 5,000 years ago and, in an effort to share information about Crete's regional agriculture, they created an exhibit to display the collection.

The World Council of Hellenes Abroad sponsored the exhibit that was displayed for four weeks at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. CSSI Project Managers
John Beckman and Mark Ewing worked closely with Charles Mouratides of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad, Jim Gorman of the World Trade Center Chicago, and Brooke Delach of the museum during the installation process.

The antiquities had to be flown from Europe to Chicago by the Greek military due to customs complications caused by the September 11th tragedy. The plane landed at O'Hare Airport, where three semi trucks, provided by the World Trade Center of Chicago, were ready to pick it up. The CSSI crew was onsite and ready to begin the installation when the trucks arrived at the museum.

Job Lead, Dave Duwell led a CSSI crew through the complicated five-day installation process. The first few days were spent putting up the vitrines, exhibit panels, and showcases. The third day was dedicated to getting the antiquities into the building. The fourth day was spent placing the delicate items in their appropriate spots, and the fifth day was spent making adjustments.

CSSI remained flexible and ready to provide extra materials and services, such as supplying additional glass panels for the vitrines that were too big to ship with the exhibit, and converting European electrical systems for showcase lighting. CSSI also worked with the crew from Greece that was familiar with unpacking and setting up the exhibit. There was a bit of a language barrier but CSSI employees learned some basic Greek and were able to communicate just fine!

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