This project will provide for a national tour of a 5,000 square-foot exhibit about the great Inca archaeological site of Machu Picchu, and will give a national public audience the opportunity to view one-of-a-kind and seldom exhibited Inca artifacts, while also learning about archaeological science through engaging interactive exhibits and displays. The exhibit demonstrates how understanding the past through science has made it possible to determine the purpose, activities and the nature of daily life on a royal Inca estate. Laboratory research is at the core of the visitor experience, which will include osteology, paleopathology, astronomy, stable carbon isotope analysis, faunal analysis of animal bones, compositional and structural analysis of metals and ecological analysis of the flora and fauna of the Machu Picchu National Researve in Peru. Project funding will also create a Website including a virtual exhibit tour, a self-guided tour of Machu Picchu and web-based archaeological science curriculum for classroom use. The larger project also includes an international scholarly symposium entitled "The Archaeology of Inca Cuzco." The exhibit will open at the Yale Peabody Museum in January, 2003, and after six months, will travel to Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Denver, Washington, DC and Chicago, before it returns to New Haven for long-term installation at the Peabody. The project will reach an audience estimated at well over 2,000,000 visitors, school children, and Website users.
The New England Aquarium proposes to develop a traveling exhibition based on recent research implicating human activities in the worldwide increase in jellies. Humans are changing oceans so that they are becoming more suitable for jellies than for fish. The exhibition is expected to reach 12 million people -- primarily families with school-aged children -- across the nation. No jelly exhibit to date has shown jellies as important indicator species and ecosystem linchpins. Dissemination will include materials and programs for school and community outreach. A Sea Jelly Activity Kit and a community art/science program will be developed. In each year of the project approximately 100 urban teens will intern in the jelly culturing facility, where they can learn about the science of culturing jellies and present their experiences to the public.
The Bell Museum of Natural History is seeking a planning grant to begin the exhibit development process for a national traveling exhibit on nature in urban settings. "Nature in the City" will be designed to encourage the exploration of diversity of life in the city in the same way ecologist study ecosystems. The overall goal of the exhibit is to improve the public's understanding of ecology and biodiversity, and the relevance of these concepts to their lives in creating healthier and ecologically sustainable communities. The project will include front-end evaluation, identification of key themes and take-home messages, and a survey of potential host sites. The target audience assessment will examine interest, knowledge and attitudes about nature and the environment among urban audiences. Methodology will include interviews with community members, focus groups and surveys, all conducted in collaboration with museum staff and community groups. The results will be applied to the design of the 3000 sq. ft. "Nature in the City" traveling exhibit, mini-kiosks and supporting programs.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Donald Luce
resourceprojectProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The Exploratorium will create the "Outdoor Exploratorium," a 10,000-square-foot, open-air exhibit environment comprising 20 to 25 original installations. Each exhibit will allow visitors to interact directly with a variety of elements, that is water, wind, sound, light, and living things, as they exist in the natural world. One of the key components of this project will be the use of "Noticing Tours." Led by staff scientists, artists, educators, exhibit developers, and other "expert noticers," the tours will initiate a dialogue with the visitors as a starting point for exhibit development. To augment visitor learning and unify the museum's entire collection, exhibit text will relate the "Outdoor Exploratorium" experiences to exhibits. The project will culminate in a workbook for the field and two workshops for museum professionals. The Exploratorium Teacher Institute staff will develop two-week institutes that make extensive use of the "Outdoor Exploratorium." Classroom activities and inquiry-based learning experiences will be developed based on the new exhibits.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Peter RichardsThomas HumphreyThomas RockwellTheodore KoterwasJoyce Ma
A new, permanent exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Man will reflect the great scientific strides made in unraveling the mysteries of our uniquely human biology. The exhibit of 7,000 sq. ft. will take visitors on a 65-million year journey through time and even go beyond the present with glimpses of current technologies which will shape the future of human evolution. The exhibit development is being guided by a team of renowned scholars, museum professionals and community members in order to insure that the material is scientifically accurate, current and comprehensive. Evaluation and community input combined with engaging exhibitry will further enhance the informal science learner's experience. The exhibit will be about time, genetics and the environment. Dioramas, casts, artifacts and engaging interactives will convey the storyline. As a result of the development of culture, technology is refined and becomes intertwined with the human evolution. The exhibit will unify and draw together other halls in the museum. Further hands-on discovery will be encouraged in an outdoor archaeological site. Associated programming, which will foster the integration of research and education, will include a lecture series, on-line chats and guidebooks, as well as resources for teachers and students.
The New York Aquarium, a subsidiary of the Wildlife Conservation Society, is developing Alien Stingers, a 4000 square foot, permanent exhibit featuring Cnidarians, jellyfish and their relatives. This exhibit will showcase species such as the purple stripe, umbrella and lion's mane jellies. Other animals to be presented include colorful sea anemones and live corals. Visitors will learn about Cnidaria and their habitats, ecological roles, adaptations and relationships with other ocean life. Endangered species, human impact on habitats and various conservation efforts will also be highlighted. The exhibit design will create a sense of wonder and mystery using dramatic lighting, music and unique displays. Moveable 3D models, interactive graphics and specially designed cylindrical tanks will result in an exhibit experience that stimulates curiosity and invites learning. The project has a comprehensive, multi-level evaluation plan structured around two exhibit openings. The first round of evaluation will look at the impact of two-dimensional graphics and prototype interactives. A second opening is planned which will add complex prototype interactives that are designed to present more intricate messages. Both layers of evaluation will be used to shape the permanent exhibit graphics and promote self-directed learning. A website with a live jelly-cam supports this exhibit, along with a host of educational programs and materials for various audiences. A family handbook, children's activity guides, visitor guides and a children's book on jellyfish are among the supplemental materials planned. It is anticipated that over 815,000 visitors will view Alien Stingers on an annual basis.
The Natural History of Museum of Los Angeles County will mount and administer a five (5) year tour of an exhibition, "Dogs: Our Canine Companions," which explores the evolution, behavior, diversity and cultural significance of dogs. Visitors to the 6,000 sq. ft. exhibit will gain a better knowledge of these familiar animals through a variety of componenets including hands-on displays, videos, graphic panels, computer-generated images, dioramas, fossil skeletons and educational curriculum materials. The exhibit will be divided into eight (8) sections. Throughout the sections there are recurring themes to unify the educational messages of the adaptive diversity of canids, the relationship between wild and domestic dogs, and the relationship between dogs and humans -- especially service dogs. The dissemination of DOGS will include presentations to groups and conferences, with particular emphasis on the exhibit's treatment of accessibility issues. There will be an extensive web site with animation, movies, sound and interactive elements to further enhance the effectiveness of the exhibit and the availability of educational materials. the final ancillary materials to accompany the traveling exhibition will be a theater production, a free-standing, self-contained learning center, an exhibit guide, and a CD-Rom. Formal education providers will benefit from workshops, curriculum guides, and teaching kits.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Linda AbrahamBlaire Van ValkenburghRobert Wayne
The Computer Museum will develop two 2500 sq. ft. computer-based exhibits the "Virtual Fishtank: Splashing Into Complex Systems". One exhibit will be installed permanently in the Computer Museum and the other will travel nationally for three to five years. These exhibits will use computer modeling of fish to introduce the public to new ideas about complex systems science and demonstrate the central concept that complex behaviors and patterns can emerge from simple interactions among simple rules. Visitors will spend eight to ten minutes designing their own fish at one of the ten FishBuilder computer stations. As they make decisions, they will be able to observe the effects of their rule selections on a computer display. When satisfied with their design, visitors can then "tag" their fish by placing their initials on fish tails and launch them in the central "fishtank". Large projection screens will encircle visitors in a dramatic simulation of an underwater aquarium environment. Visitors will observe and analyze how the few simple rules imbedded in the design of individual fish give rise to complex behaviors and patterns in the entire ecosystem. This exhibit draws on research conducted at MIT's Media Lab, The Computer Museum, and the New England Aquarium and will be able to reach people with a variety of learning styles. It anticipated completion date is March, 1998 for the TCM's version and the traveling version will begin it's national tour in September, 1998.
The Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) will carry out a museum-wide initiative to distribute exhibits and programs about new science and research among its core exhibits. The project goal is to redefine science for visitors as a dynamic human endeavor that is rich in discovery and relevant to their lives, as well as to position SMM as a resource for complex science and science issues. The project includes Current Science Central (500 sq ft) plus three Current Science Zones (250-300 sq ft) distributed among existing galleries (Mississippi River, Human Body, Experiment). Standardized formats (e.g., newscast scripts, quiz questions, multimedia kiosks, bulletin/graffiti boards) will provide frameworks that simplify the constant need for updating content and increase the ability to respond quickly. Target audiences are families, school groups, teachers, teens and lifelong learners from among the 850,000 annual visitors; involvement of the Youth Science Center will engage underserved audiences. Project collaborators are researchers (University of Minnesota, Augsburg College, Gentra Systems, 3M and JPL), as well as media (Physics Today, television and radio). The science museum field will benefit from the experience gained through this project.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Liza PryorCari DwyerMark DahlagerPaul Martin
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) will develop "Outdoors Indoors, an Interactive Natural Science Exhibition for Young Children," ages 3-8, and their families. Two 2,500 sq. ft. versions of the exhibition will be developed -- one to be installed at OMSI and the other to travel. Building on children's innate curiosity about the natural world, the exhibition invites visitors to explore a woodland environment where they can develop process skills and learn natural science concepts. The exhibition will also focus on ways that parents can help encourage their children's science learning, both through exhibit activities and through exploration of the natural world outdoors. Bilingual text (English and Spanish) will help make the exhibition accessible to a diverse audience. Ancillary materials for families and educators will further enhance learning.
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History proposes to develop a 5,000 sq ft traveling exhibition, along with educational material and programs. Motivated by the challenge of solving a crime, visitors will become engaged in a scientific investigation that cuts across the multiple disciplines of forensic science. This project builds upon the successful implementation of "Whodunit? The Science of Solving Crime," funded by a prior NSF grant (ESI-9253370). The proposed exhibition will travel to the member institutions of the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative, where the primary target audiences will be children in the upper elementary and middle school years. The proposed 12-month planning grant would enable research, front-end evaluation, project team meetings, and the development of a conceptual plan and a business plan for the new exhibition beginning. The Museum will develop specific plans to reach underserved audiences and to examine the feasibility of creating a version for small science centers.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History will construct a new 9,000 square foot Bird Hall utilizing interactive exhibitry in a unique combination with original mounted specimens. The exhibition will cover avian biology in a comprehensive fashion, including the physiology of flight, adaptation, behavior, ecology and species diversity as well as traditional systematics. The exhibition will be directed at all levels of visitors, from small children to well informed adults; birds represent a familiar and powerful vehicle through which modern biology can be presented. A broad range of educational techniques will be used, including specimens, interactive exhibit stations, electronic media, and modern walk through habitat groups. Substantial formative evaluation and audience surveys will precede detailed design and construction, and leading ornithologists will serve as advisors and consultants. More than 80% of the total $3.2 million cost of exhibition development will come from county and private sources, and the exhibition will be seen by more than 1,000,000 visitors a year.