The Arizona Mineral Museum and the Flandrau Science Center at the University of Arizona will use this planning grant to develop a new interpretive exhibit "Minerals, Mining, and Mexico: A Cultural Bridge to Science." The University of Arizona Mineral Museum is about to receive the Miguel Romero mineral collection which is one of the most complete collections of Mexican minerals that exists. It contains over 8500 specimens and this collection plus their present collection will bring into being one of the finest regional mineral collections available. With it they will develop exhibits and programming that explore minerals and mining of Mexico and the southwestern U.S. With this planning grant, they will explore the exhibition and programming opportunities to realize their vision of creating a "living and engaging museum that promotes an understanding of basic science principles and an appreciation for the beauty and economic importance of minerals in the context of the historical and cultural perspective of the New World." The planning activities will include meetings of the advisory committee, visits to other museums, and development of two prototype exhibits. At the end of the twelve-month planning period they will have an overall script for the exhibit and recommendations for individual exhibit units, a traveling exhibit version, and curriculum materials for use by formal educators.
The Field Museum will develop a 10,000 sq. ft. exhibit "Life Underground: Foundations of the Biosphere." This exhibit will introduce visitors to underground ecosystems and the importance of soil upon which we all depend. Visitors will be invited to explore the diversity of underground organisms and the vital processes in which they participate. It will consists of three main parts: 1) Underground Expedition, where things will be enlarged 100 times life-size; 2) Changes Over Time, which will highlight the dynamic nature of soil communities and forces of change, and 3) a World Tour, which will compare soil communities from a variety of ecosystems including forests, grasslands, deserts, tundra, among others. The exhibit utilizes ideas and research from all four of the museum's academic disciplines -- botany, zoology, geology and anthropology and will incorporate hundreds of specimens from the museum's botany, mycology, and zoology collections to illustrate the diversity of organisms in and around the soil. Complementary educational programming will be developed and the project is especially targeting rural and inner city residents. School and community programs will extend the exhibit into classrooms, vacant lots, and community centers. The materials developed for use in a formal education setting will be integrated with current objectives of the existing curricula. In addition, on-line access to the content of the exhibit and complementary educational materials will be provided. The scheduled opening date for the exhibit is May, 1998 and during the ten year projected life span of the exhibit and complementary programming, it is expected that more than eight million people will be introduced to "Life Underground."
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TEAM MEMBERS:
M. Frances Muraski-StotzGregory MuellerDebra Moskovits
The National Museum of Natural History is producing 3-D and 2-D versions of a large format film on natural history. With a working title of Wonders of Life, the film will explore the diversity of life on Earth and how this diversity came to be. It will examine the biological, geological, and cultural entities that interact in myriad ways to generate, shape, and sustain the enormous biological and cultural diversity of our planet. The film will be supported by outreach material designed to support further exploration of the topic of diversity in both informal and formal settings. An inexpensive family activity guide to be available at venues that show the film will feature engaging and challenging activities for families with children ages ten through 15. A teacher resource guide, distributed free to teachers attending the film with groups of students, will be developed for use in grades 5 through 8. A classroom activity poster will be developed to serve grades 2 through 5. A Wonders of Life home page will support in-depth study of the film's topics. Larry O'Reilly, Director of The Discovery Center Project at the NMNH, will be PI and Executive Producer for the film. The Senior Scientific Advisory Board will be chaired by Dr. Robert S. Hoffman, Senior Scientist and former Assistant Secretary for Science at the Smithsonian Institution. The board also includes Sir David Attenborough, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Margaret Geller, Ivan Hattingh, and Dr. Thomas Lovejoy. Dr. Kay Behrensmeyer, Curator of Paleobiology and former Associate Director for Science at the NMNH, will lead a core team of scientists who will be directly involved in production. The film will be produced by Christopher Parsons and David Douglas will be Director of Photography.
Anchorage Museum of History and Art will used this planning award to develop the script, identify artifacts, and do other preliminary planning activities for and exhibit "Lifting the Fog: Exploration of the North Pacific, 1728 - 1867." The exhibit will be a 5000 to 6000 sq. ft. presentation that will give visitors insights into the scientific discoveries made in the North Pacific during the Russian era of dominance of this area. These Russian lead voyages, which included individuals from a number of European countries, made major findings in biology, hydrography, marine science and technology, geography and cartography, and ethnography. With this planning grant, they will bring together a group of museum professionals representing a diversity of approaches including hands-on science museums, scientists, and historian of science, formal educators, native Alaskans, and an evaluator to refine the plans. Project staff will draft the concept design, draft the label text, develop the specifications for the exhibit design, and develop the catalogue, among other activities. At the end of the twelve month planing period they will have refined their exhibit theme, developed their floor plan and concept design, developed plans for the interactive and hands-on activities, developed the interpretative labels and laid plans for the complementary activities including the catalogue, a curriculum plan, and other adjunct activities such as workshops demonstrating how scientific investigation was carried out in the 19th century.
The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum will develop and produce a planetarium show for distribution to other planetariums and informal learning centers across the United States. The forty-minute planetarium sky show will help audiences build their own experiences upon the observations and rich interpretations of astronomical events of the traditional Skidi Pawnee. The sky show will have four major science themes: (1) Pawnee observations as the basis for their cosmology; (2) native use of the sky for ceremonial and agricultural calendar-keeping; (3) audience familiarity with the sky and its cycles; (4) indigenous astronomical and meteorological knowledge as systematic scientific knowledge. Pawnee Indian Skies will help public audiences learn how to manipulate star finders to see how stars move in each sector of the sky, understand that stars rise and set in predictable directions on the horizon, understand the Pawnee ceremonial earthlodge as an astrological observatory, and to understand the position of stars, planets, and constellations importance to the Pawnee Indians. This nationally-distributed planetarium show is projected to reach 4.8 million people over 5 years. The development of this show will be shaped in consultation with the Pawnee Skidi chiefs, tribal educators, artist, musicians and elders.