This article features three critiques of the exhibition "MN150" at the Minnesota History Center, part of the celebration of the Sesquicentennial of the State of Minnesota. Roger Barrett, Exhibit Designer at the Science Museum of Minnesota, Liza Pryor, Project Leader in the Exhibits Department at the Science Museum of Minnesota, and Jeanne Vergeront, Principal of Vergeront Museum Planning, each provide an assessment of the exhibition.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Roger BarrettLiza PryerJeanne W. Vergeront
In this article, John Jacobsen, CEO and CO-PI at the White Oak Institute, President of White Oak Associates, and Co-Chair of the Professional Interest Committee for Green Museums (PIC Green), explores sustainable design and argues that large museums have a lot to learn from smaller institutions. Jacobsen outlines how and why museums should take a "leaner and greener" approach.
In this article, Lea T.F. Warden, Independent Researcher/Collections Manager, examines traveling exhibitions and their impact on the environment. Warden discusses there interrelated aspects of traveling exhibitions where resource conservation is particularly in need of improvement: transportation, packaging, and scheduling. Warden argues that museums must take more responsibility for the role it plays in the larger context of environmental degradation if they want to continue to produce and house traveling exhibitions.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Lea T.F. WardenNational Association for Museum Exhibition
In this article, Eric Siegel, Director and Chief Content Officer at the New York Hall of Science, addresses examples of exhibitions that attempt to create experiences that communicate phenomena too big, small, slow, or abstract for normal sensory comprehension. This article also includes a case study by Gretchen Baker, Exhibition Development Manager at the Field Museum, and a case study by Tim Martin, Principal of Tim Martin Design.
In this article, Joan Krevlin, Partner at BKSK Architects, discusses the "Preschool Playground" exhibition at the New York Hall of Science, where children discover the environment and learn principles of science through sensory exploration. Krevlin outlines the background, planning process, and design of the unique exhibit.
This article offers new research to the discussion about the role of museums in the context of changing society. The authors hoped to add to the community discourse by sharing how they promoted and recognized visitor action in their museums. The article examines the Social Diffusion of Ideas by John Fraser, the COURAGE project by Tom Hanchett, and Time's Running Out - Act Now by Jon Deuel and Jenny Sayre Ramberg.
As teachers respond to the demands of educational reform and strive to meet increasing pressures of educational benchmarks and standards, there is less and less time to utilize innovative teaching techniques. Education reform expectations, coupled with increasing class size and shrinking budgets has significantly impacted the way that science education is delivered in schools. 4-H Wildlife Stewards, a Master Science Educator's Program was developed in response to these emerging concerns in science education. The program is based on the premise that trained volunteer Master Science Educators
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Mary ArnoldMichael DaltonMaggie LivesayRobin Galloway
In this article, Barbara A. Becker, independent exhibit developer and museum consultant and Kris Nesbitt, exhibit developer, share the benefits of traveling to the Amazon region to develop the "Amazon Rising: Seasons of the River" at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. The authors describe the trips the teams made to research and collect artifacts and analyze how travel greatly strengthened the exhibit development process, the effectiveness of the exhibit, and the power of their message.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Barbara A. BeckerKris NesbittNational Association for Museum Exhibition
This article highlights some of the diverse ways that different types of museums use place-based education to further their missions and benefit their audiences. Authors include Janet Petitpas, Assistant Director of the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Maggie Russell-Ciardi, Education Coordinator for the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Lori Salles, Exhibit Manager at the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, and Mary Jo Sutton, Director of Exhibitions at the Bay Area Discovery Museum.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Janet PetitpasMaggie Russell-CiardiLori SallesMary Jo Sutton
This is one of three focus point presentations delivered on day one of the Citizen Science Toolkit Conference (at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York on June 20-23, 2007) as part of the opening session titled “Citizen Science Challenges and Opportunities.” Prysby discusses biodiversity inventories and the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Prysby uses this case study to illustrate one form of citizen science collaboration as well as how environmental education centers and nature centers can be key partners for citizen science efforts.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Michelle D. Prysby
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The following is one of three focus point presentations delivered as part of the session titled “Citizen Science Project Design” on day two of the Citizen Science Toolkit Conference at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York on June 20-23, 2007. Wilderman discusses different models for community science and the pros/cons of each model.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Candie C. Wilderman
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The following is one of three focus point presentations delivered as part of the session titled “Citizen Science Project Design” on day two of the Citizen Science Toolkit Conference at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York on June 20-23, 2007. Sandra Henderson, UCAR Citizen Science Programs Manager, discusses two citizen science campaigns, GLOBE at Night and Project BudBurst. Henderson reviews some concerns about data quality and lessons learned on data verification. Henderson also introduces a new project called Great World Side Star Count.