the niagara science museum was founded by nick dalacu, a physicist who amassed a personal collection of hundreds of historically significant instruments and technologies over four decades. the museum presents its collection in 'living laboratories' in the style of the wunderkammern, or cabinet of curiosity, of renaissance europe. its dozen rooms include laboratories dedicated to high-voltage electronics and galvanometers, a large collection of microscopes and optics, meteorological instruments, communication and media technologies, hydraulics and vacuum technologies, medical technologies, computing history, and others. it also houses the charlie troutman printing press room, a working letterpress studio using a 1914 chandler & price press. the museum is housed in the former union carbide building, built in 1910, and restored to house the museum's collection, and is currently powered by an array of solar cells on its roof.