Project: The Science of Sharing

Role: Lead Exhibit Developer

Team: Chris Cerrito, Peter Scheidl

Description: The Trust Fountain is an interactive exhibit designed to illustrate the Prisoner’s Dilemma, challenging visitors to make a pivotal decision: Do they trust their partner? Both sides of the fountain appear identical, but each user controls the outcome for the other—deciding whether their partner gets a sip of water or a surprise squirt in the face.

Users are guided through the experience with audio and physical prompts, building anticipation as they make their choices. Once both decisions are locked in, the outcome is revealed. To make things even more interesting, if both players betray each other and choose "Squirt," neither gets anything—except for a sad trombone sound effect, reinforcing their mutual loss.

By turning game theory into a playful, real-world interaction, the Trust Fountain explores themes of cooperation, betrayal, and mutual trust in a way that is both engaging and unexpected.

More Information: https://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/sip-or-squirt, The Science of Sharing

2013