California Academy of Sciences
Elizabeth Babcock, Moe Flannery, Puja Dasari
Project Lab
"Science in Action” # 265 – “1957
Science Fair”
Given that, how do you pick the most
effective/powerful tools/programs
to scale the scientific impact of the
education and engagement
experiences?
Bringing scientists and the public
together to do science
Courtesy of the California Academy of Sciences
Archives.
Host, Earl Herald, interviews local fair
first prize winner Carl Edward
McLaughlin. Mclaughlin and his tictac-toe computer went on to win
second place in the National Science
Fair that year.
>240 programs with scientists and
the public in the summer of 2011
How do you reconcile the drive to be
a best-in-class research operation
with the drive to be the most
innovative public engagement
operation, when there are just not
enough research scientists to
participate in all of the programs?
The ways we’ve chosen to leverage
research for engagement are:
1. Project Lab
2. Citizen Science
3. Science in Action
4. Nightlife
5. Lectures
6. Field based programs
7. Student Science Fellows
8. Field Guides
9. Digital Engagement from the field
AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM, SYDNEY
Dr Lynda Kelly, Manager Online, Editing and Audience Research
KEY ISSUES
Sustainability
Recognising and serving the needs of
communities
Meaning something and being relevant
“Tell it like it is" without fear or favour
Taxonomy a key underpinning idea , but
how to excite people?
Scientific practice, research and results
being attacked: how can we explain and
defend science and scientists w/out
being attacked too?
JURASSIC LOUNGE: where art, music,
science and museum comes together.
Tuesday nites @austmus.
@missiexox The jurassic lounge was so
much fun! Alcohol was good, band
sounded amazing, dj was cool and the
dinosaurs were freaking awesome!
@skygirrl Just smelt stick insect
(Phasmid) poo. Like eucalyptus. How
often so you get to say that in the city?
@kymtje Tonight I stroked a python,
smooched a diprotodon and snorgled a
Goliath stick insect. Epic amount of
awesome.
@hellocarmel Going through Hyde Park
after #jurassiclounge OH: Look there's
a possum. Hey we've just seen your
skeleton! And your brother, who's
extinct!
The future of learning:
scrolling, swiping,
viewing, interacting,
mashing-up
EDUCATION
Natural History Museums are a key part
of demonstrating what and how we know
about the world in an easily digestible
way – BUT we need to find ways to make
this more engaging for visitors
Meeting new modes of learning, esp.
mobile technologies / social networking
NOTE: I’d like to thank the variety of AM
staff contributors to this slide
Alaska Museum of Natural History
Practice
We believe what
makes our Museum
unique is the
touchable nature of
our exhibits. Easily
1/3 of our displays
are designed to be
touched, picked up
and examined by
both children and
adults. Our exhibit
space is small but we
have many returning
visitors who come
back because of the
hands on exhibits.
This practice
challenges the
stereotype that
Natural History
Museum exhibits are
for viewing only.
Bronwyn Jones and Kerri Jackson
Challenges
Description
Museums are places for people to ponder and understand
life and the world around them. We are not only faced with
the challenge of how to present scientific information to
our visitors, but with what information to present because
the field of natural history is so vast.
 Keeping exhibits
and education
programs relevant
to visitor’s day to
day lives by
presenting the
information in a
way which allows
them to come to
their own
conclusions.
 Keeping exhibits up
to date with
technology and
science.
 Bridging cross
cultural views and
beliefs on science.
 Presenting exhibits
to non-English
speaking visitors.
Clemson University
Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management Department
Rob Bixler
I am attempting to understand how people develop
interest in nature, natural history, the outdoors, and
the environment across life stages through informal
familial and formal institutional transactions and
serendipitous events. My work is pragmatic/realist,
less focused on theory building and more on
informing practice.
Biggest Challenges Facing Natural History Museums
(from someone who does not work in a natural history museum):
•Moving from teaching to “experiencing”—recognizing and
embracing that museum visits are leisure experiences
•Competition for people’s leisure time particularly from sports
•Looking inward instead of acknowledging and then facilitating
natural history experiences among and between many
organizations that already do or could provide direct and
ancillary natural history experiences. Stated differently, keeping
people engaged with natural history across the lifespan is
probably near impossible for one organization.
•Need to robustly explore non-natural sciences gateways into
appreciating natural history through anthropology, arts,
humanities and religion.
Linking science and education practice:
Heart comes before head
--Ken Finch
•High cost of visitor studies research for small institutions
•Finding good matches between skill sets and interests of
researchers/evaluators and needs/wants of institutions
•Too much focus on research to make generalizations and not
enough on conducting evaluations to accumulate results (realist
paradigm).
•Hard to locate research and evaluation results conducted
internally or by for-profit consultants. Evaluations are not easily
published in journals. Essentially lack of access to much existing
research.
National Audubon Society Nature Centers
Dave Catlin and Bob Petty
What values can be derived from nature
centers? Staff and community members
have different answers to this question.
We can use technology as a tool to encourage
exploration in nature. . . .
. . . But how do we ensure that technologies
enhance experiences with nature rather than
replace them?
Yale Peabody Museum
Jane Pickering & Chris Norris
EVOLUTIONS is an after school
program for a diverse group of
teens focused on science literacy
and college preparation. The
students spend many hours in the
Museum in classes, internships, and
learning about science
communication by presenting
activities in the galleries. They have
become part of the museum staff
community and have worked with
many collections staff and faculty.
How do we build closer partnerships
and shared understanding between
educators and collections staff?
For example, many educators
come to museums with extensive
experience with public audiences (e.g.
schools) but little or no knowledge
about the activities going on in the
collections, and the daily life of
collections staff. As part of their
training, could they spend an
afternoon a week helping with
collections activities?
Icaronycteris, a 50 million year old
specimen of one of the earliest known
bats. This rare and delicate specimen
typifies the sort of material that is not
usually available for education purposes
MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE, DALLAS
Steve Hinkley, Vice President of Programs Tony Fiorillo, Chief Curator of Earth Sciences
Statement of challenge:
MNS Beer & Bones:
Beer and Bones is a
thematic adults-only
program held quarterly. As
adults circulate through the
museum, there is
opportunity to conduct
science experiments,
observe collections not
normally on display or,
listen to a short lecture
about a science topic while
enjoying a glass of beer or
wine. The events feature a
DJ and are developed
around a central theme
(e.g. Dinosaurs,
Engineering. Etc.). The
event attracts a diverse
audience of approximately
300 individuals per evening.
Learning science in formal
settings (e.g., schools) has
typically evolved into a process
by which facts are isolated from
experience and emphasized to a
disproportionate degree.
Many formal institutions
adopted a learning process that
ignores the importance of
learning environments and
student interest.
Beer & Bones Event:
Over time our museum moved away from
what was once a robust set of adult-only
programs. We have re-engaged adults and
found their passion for learning to be equal to
the thirst for learning by younger children.
Museums are uniquely situated
to provide a direct alternative
through offerings of exciting
spaces, active and fun learning
experiences, and actual
materials (fossils, etc.) that
imbue content with context.
Museums must engage young
audiences who want and need
these experiences.
OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
Douglas Long and Don Pohlman
Practice: In various ways, we are trying
to incorporate community voices
within our gallery to model and inspire
a deeper sense of place in our visitors.
Challenge: Framing natural history in
ways that include humans within the
system.
Question: Is content delivery really
our most important and effective
role?
Museum I by Ikka Halso
Lincoln Park Zoo
Steve Thompson & Leah Melber
What’s the Problem?
Challenges to Effect Science & Education Collaborations
Internal Survey Results:
60% Researchers
20% Educators
20% Animal Care
Young Researchers
Collaborative
Young Researchers
Collaborative is a multi-contact
program, conducted over the
course of a school year,
focused on building students’
science literacy.
Specifically, the program helps
middle school students
develop research skills by
leading them through an
original research project in the
area of either ethology or
biodiversity.
Top Responses:
Fiscal & Logistical
Considerations
Ironically NOT:
Robust Treatment of Topic
or Communicating w/ a
Common Language
How do we overcome old
notions of collaboration &
information sharing to better
connect with audience
Why Try Even Harder?
“A united message [to
audience] is a stronger
message”
Museum of Science, Boston
Andrea Durham, Anna Lindgren-Streicher
21st Century Challenge:
Finding ways to connect the human-made and natural
worlds in which our visitors exist in relevant ways.
Picture of a firefly on a blade of grass, a creature for
which there is much sentimental attachment and
which can connect people to scientific research
The Firefly Watch program is a webbased citizen science project that
invites people across the nation to
observe and record firefly activity. By
using technology to link the process of
science to a sentimental creature in
their own backyards, participants
engaged in memorable experiences
that connected them to scientific
research and the broader natural
world.
Participant quotes:
“…I recently purchased vacant land in
order to recreate firefly habitat”
“…But I most enjoyed the "excuse" to
get out in the early evening to just look
around and appreciate our planet…”
“I liked the idea that my observations
could help scientists understand the
current state of fireflies and how they
are impacted by light pollution.”
Natural History Museum, London
PROGRAMMES AND PRACTICE
CHALLENGES
• Explaining the major natural world
issues to multiple audiences
• Engagement with natural science –
progression into science careers;
• Being heard within changing patterns
of information consumption –multiple
information channels; time deficit;
authority vs conversation
Using an arsenal of approaches for
learning from virtual to face to face,
based on audience knowledge and
drawn from authentic museum
research procedures and results:
• The award winning multiple media
twin screen experience on
evolution and human origins.
• A practical workshop delivered by
Science Educators extracting
microfossils from clay, based on a
museum micropalaeontological
procedure.
• A daily programme of science
communication, Nature Live –
initial results of a PhD to explore
the learning impact of a
conversation with a scientist
TRICKIEST QUESTIONS
• Developing Scientists as engagers:
communication skills; recognition of
communication practice
• Distilling authenticity of authentic
process into content and activities that
will captivate and engage multiple
audiences
• Keeping ourselves relevant
• Increasing commitment to out of
classroom learning from current
government; limitation of time and
funding
Multiple approaches to learning
LYON ARBORETUM
Heejoon R. Sears and Reiko Trow
Lyon is collaborating
with the Hawaiinuiākea
School of Hawaiian
Knowledge, Papa Loi o
Kānewai, Waikīkī
Aquarium, and Mānoa
Heritage Center on the
Welina Mānoa Project.
We aim to interpret our
bio-cultural sites,
collections, and
research from a Native
Hawaiian perspective.
This will bridge the
historical gap between
Western and
Indigenous knowledge
systems, bolstering
each other in this 21st
Century.
Natural History Museums
must meet the needs of their
diverse audiences to address
21st Century issues:
• Biological and cultural
conservation/preservation
• Sustainability
• Water and food security
• Societal disconnect with
natural world
• Increased dependence on
technologY
• Health and nutrition
To add to the thousand words already spoken by this photo, it is the children
of Hawaiʻi who hold the promise of the future. Their experiences here will
resonate throughout their lives. Natural sciences such as horticulture,
hydrology, botany, conservation biology, and ecology, will be a living part of
their memories, associated with sights, smells, sounds and emotions. These
educational experiences will inform their life choices.
BURKE MUSEUM
Diane Quinn and Kirsten Rowell
Program Highlight:
Salish Bounty exhibit
 Based on original museum research
 Emphasizes community collaboration
 Involves interdisciplinary stories of
natural history, culture, & science
 Features local interpretive lens
with broad global relevance
 Engages multiple learning styles
Challenges:
• Community building
• Inoculating younger generations
• Developing unique & personal
experiences for diverse audiences
• Enabling and engaging citizens in
their practice of natural history
• Funding for collections & programs
• Inspire deeper exploration and
sustainable stewardship for the
natural world
Trickiest question:
Salish Bounty exhibit graphic,
museum specimen (traditional
fishnet weight), and object
loaned from the community
(commodity food ration).
• What is the most eloquent and
effective way to interface between
our resources and constituents?
Canadian Museum of Nature
Anne Botman & Maggie Kilian
Trading Post
Kids bring their own natural history collections to the
museum’s Trading Post where they can get help
identifying specimens, accumulate points, and exchange
them for new treasures!
Biggest Challenges
• Revenue generation & funding
• Changing expectations/roles
• How to enable great social
experiences
Sticky/Tricky
How do we get beyond current
rhetoric and inspire the public with
science and natural history?
Reflections on our strengths and
challenges for the future.
SAN DIEGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Erica Kelly & Nan Renner
How do children integrate action and perception
as they explore objects and ideas in the exhibit
environment?
Through analysis of behavior, we want to
understand relationships among
• the designed environment,
• multimodal interaction, and
• consequences for learning.
We face the challenge of overcoming
PERCEPTIONS:
• Of science (it’s inaccessible)
• Of nature (it’s scary)
• Of museums (they’re boring, and not for me)
• Of ourselves (I am not a “science person”).
In linking science and education
practice, we face the sticky/tricky
truth that our work would be easy if
we were creating exhibits and
programs for ourselves. But our
charge is to create them for others.
The Golden Rule:
Treat others how you would want to
be treated.
140 characters or less to
describe object photo or
cartoon
The Platinum Rule:
Treat others how they would want to
be treated.
That’s where it gets hard—and that’s
where we have to go.
denver museum of nature & science
kirk johnson (chief curator) & kathleen tinworth (chief voyeur)
Not
us!
Presentation
Current
Everyone
Relevant
Accessible
Digestible
Fun
Exciting
Engaging
Compelling
Safe
visitor &
community
photo
studies
…tracking and timing
the entire visitor
experience through
their eyes
Preservation
Historical
Scientists
Real
Discovery
Precise
Smart
Accurate
Necessary
Responsible
TRUST
Ask this guy about Snowmastodon!
PS: That’s Kirk!
RESPECT
FRIENDSHIP
EQUITY
National Zoo
Ed Bronikowski and Judy Tasse
New at the Zoo:
Our Bird Plateau renovation will be a
unique major exhibit engaging
visitors in the story of migration and
the science behind it.
Our Challenges on the Inside:
•
•
In the future, we will use
technology alongside authenticity
to get people closer to the natural world.
Conquer feeling of hopelessness
Commit serious resources to this
endeavor
Our Challenges on the Outside:
•
•
•
Increase science literacy
Combat misinformation
Work within culture of instant answers
Charles Eldermire & Rhiannon Crain
Biggest Challenges
Opportunities facing
N. H. Museums
• Rethinking physical relevancy
with increasingly deeply digital
resources.
• Long view science
Program
• Supporting informal learning
writ large (beyond that which
takes place “in” the museum)
• 7 Million/Year
Website Visitors
• 200,000
Participating
Citizen Scientists
• 112 Million N.H.
Observations
Arguably, the Cornell Lab engages quite a lot of people in natural history informal
learning in entirely virtual venues—what does that mean?
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
Albuquerque, NM
Alicia Borrego Pierce, Deputy Director
and
Justin Spielmann, Geoscience Collections Manager
GREATEST
CHALLENGES:
HIGHLIGHTED
PRACTICE:
Commitment to
provide bilingual,
exhibit content that is
easy to read and
understand by the
general public
Scientific literacy
amongst the
general public
AND
Communicating
complex scientific
ideas to the general
public
NMMNHS Visitor interpreting exhibit content
in our Dawn of the Dinosaurs Hall.
Oklahoma City Zoo
Teresa Randall & Stacey Sekscienski
Citizen Science Programs:
These programs are unique
opportunities that allow
researchers to work with K-12
students, teachers and
community members while
furthering their own research.
 Fall Monarch Tagging
 Summer Zoo Lake Turtle Census
Biggest Challenges:
Creating those “Instant
Connections” for our guests and
calling them to action in a short
amount of time
Stickiest/trickiest Question:
How can we strike a balance
between science, education, and
entertainment while also giving
them a realistic call to action?
Interactive experiences with animals not only reach people of all ages, but they are great venues for
making those “instant connections” with visitors. With the litigious and bacteria phobic society we live
in today, it seems more and more of these interactive experiences are fewer and far between. This adds
more pressure on our educators to come up with unique and effective teaching strategies. Many folks
that eventually work with animals and/or nature have had one of these moments in their lives which
probably made a lasting impression and changed how they viewed the animal/natural world. And for
some, these intimate interactions probably have led many folks to professions in the sciences.
Florida Museum of Natural History
Bruce J. MacFadden & Betty A. Dunckel
Data and images for millions of biological specimens are
being made available in electronic format for the natural
history research community, government agencies, students,
educators and the general public.
Challenge: Fostering understanding of and
appreciation for the value of natural history
collections in addressing 21st Century challenges.
Fossils in the Cloud: Engaging amateur
paleontology groups in iDigBio as a model
for other amateur groups.
The Chicago Academy of Sciences and
its’ Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Rafael Rosa and Steve Sullivan
Practice
Over 20,000 students each
year participate in guided
workshops at the Museum.
While most are objectbased, we have often used
models instead of real items
due to cost, difficulty
attaining and maintaining of
real natural objects.
This year we have made an
active effort to convert all
such models with positive
results on student
enthusiasm and knowledge.
[INSERT OBJECT PHOTO
OR CARTOON HERE.]
Challenge
Growing disconnect from real
experiences because of the
perceived “realness” of virtual
experiences
Linking Science and Education
How do you provide learning
experiences for a variety of
audiences that want/need real
examples while protecting and
preserving valuable scientific
collections?
The view from our rooftop prairie
Teaching about the natural world in an urban environment
Carlyn S. Buckler, PhD - Richard A. Kissel, PhD
Practice…
Natural history museums are social institutions that stand at the intersection of scientific research and education. PRI
presents a collections- and systems-based approach to science education, with geology, biology, anthropology, and
other disciplines integrated into the single, larger, and more relevant conversation of Earth systems science. Such
conversations incorporate inquiry-based instruction and the nature of science, and they are designed to promote not
only on-site learning but productive curiosity beyond. Informal science venues can and should also provide credible,
timely information for local populations when issues involving Earth systems science (e.g., drilling for natural gas)
impact their daily lives and decision making.
Challenges & Linking Areas of Practice…
•Considering visitors’ prior knowledge, misconceptions, and worldviews
within program and exhibition development
•Embedding how we know what we know—the process of science—to
encourage exploration and counter misunderstandings
•Providing those “sticky moments” that visitors remember, expect, and want
from natural history museums.
•Empowering learners to become teachers
•Within an institution, researchers can feel that ISE providers are “dumbing
down” science, making collaborations difficult; consensus is challenging.
The goal is collaboration with scientists to nurture visitors’ skills, enabling
them to read an environment, contextualize that to the broader Earth
system, and to assimilate this experience into their everyday actions.
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Lori Mannel, Executive Director
Annie Holdren, PhD, Exhibitions Curator
Free public
programs featuring
• open-ended,
hands-on science
investigations
• multi-generational
participation
•Museum partners
Demonstrating
value of
informal
education in a
structured,
metric
outcomedriven world.
c
©Kevin T. Karlson 2008
Transformational Evolving Multi-Generational
Dynamic Inspirational Sensory
Putnam Museum
Christine Chandler & Kara Fedje
The Smithsonian Community Reef, a
Satellite of the worldwide Hyperbolic
Crochet Coral Reef Project created by
Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the
Institute For Figuring in Los Angeles, is an
exciting, new exhibition that combines
math, natural science, and art. The Reef
engages diverse audiences in conversation
about sustainable practices, hyperbolic
geometry, and community art projects. At
our institution we have a coral cart that
utilizes fiber art forms to discuss higher
math, classes that will help students learn
about how the coral reef was assembled,
and real corals that are shown in
comparison to the crocheted reef. The
Reef demonstrates the motivation of over
700 individuals that donated over 4,000
pieces of hand crocheted corals to the
Smithsonian. The Reef traveled to the
Putnam Museum in Aug of 2011 and has
already reached school groups, science
fairs, and community members
throughout the area.
[INSERT OBJECT PHOTO
OR CARTOON HERE.]
“Preserve, Educate, CONNECT” has
become our mantra here, with CONNECT
being the anchor in innumerable ways .
The public’s insatiable appetite for the
newest, fastest, “most real” experiences
technology can supply has distanced
them from the physical world. Even with
all the emphasis on STEM, current school
standards often exacerbate the problem
in that they rarely include
“environmental” or “natural” science
topics. This disconnect may ultimately
have disastrous results. As naturalist
Robert Michael Pyle (2005) put it, “What
is the extinction of a condor to a child
that has never seen a wren?” Natural
history museums need to use their
unique position (real objects, real
scientists) to re-connect the public to the
physical world and re-instill a love and
respect for nature.
Life On Earth
Chia Shen, Judy Diamond, Margaret Evans, Michael Horn
Harvard University, University of Nebraska, University of Michigan, Northwestern University
Life On Earth (LOE) integrates macro and micro-level evolution concepts
in an exploratory interactive multi-touch Tree of Life exhibit. Life on
Earth will be installed in five museums across the U.S. in 2013.
Biodiversity
•Bridge scientific and visitor
understanding.
• Research visitor learning
DRL-1010889
Descent with modification
• Integrate virtual exhibits,
scientific datasets, and the
authentic world to enhance
learning in museums.
All life on Earth is related
DeepTree
[INSERT OBJECT PHOTO
OR CARTOON HERE.]
FloTree
Build A Tree
Josh Gutwill
One of our projects:
Science of Sharing: Exhibits and activities
exploring cooperation, competition, and social
interdependence.
Build visitors’ skills for thinking
about Climate Change & other
Resource issues via Social
Psychology, e.g.:
•
•
Tragedy of Commons
Prisoner’s Dilemma
Challenges for NHMs:
Satisfy people’s psychospiritual needs for
understanding origins of
life and the human
position within biological
and ecological contexts.
Communicate scientific
creation stories.
Reduce the polarization
around science.
Help people think about
systems and build their
observation skills.
Research
Learning at the Natural History Museum;
Past, present and Future(2009)
Key conclusion:
Perceived risk dominates current teacher
preparations for visits
Recommendation:
Increased integration of pre/post activities
using technology, to facilitate teachers
integrating learning around museum visits.
Implementation:
Use of NHM NaturePlus social media site to
create schools activity groups around
fieldwork events
e.g. Costa Rica 02.12
Bringing Natural History to life
Question: (Doctoral research in progress )
Habitat exploration, natural history workshops
and animal shows are accepted methods for
pupils to learn about habitats and adaptation.
How does children’s learning vary in these
settings?
Pilot study
Focus: habitat exploration and specimen
workshops for pupils age 9, in London
Initial Conclusion
In both groups, children increased in skills more
than they increased in knowledge. Habitat
explorers reported ‘discovery’ skills such as
‘how to find an animal- being patient, being
quiet, knowing what it looks like’. Specimen
workshop participants described observing, and
increased in knowledge of types of science‘the departments of handling’.
Attitudes show that there is a spectrum of
preferred ways to learn, from the computer to
real exploring. Need to develop ‘Ecological
literacy assessment’ as a baseline for study
Grace Kimble
Challenges
(opinions from researchers at IOE,
King’s College London and Leicester
University)
-inspiring next generation of
scientists with a realistic image of
science careers
-civilised nature/ wilderness?
-What counts as nature. Who does it
‘belong’ to?
-integrating people’s perspectives
Museums don’t hold knowledge anymore,
google has meant the situation above is
no longer an issue!
However, opportunities to be inspired by
developing skills in authentic settings
(interpreting real specimens, taking part in
outdoor experiences, observing living
species) are unique to natural history
settings.
How can technology be leveraged to focus
visitors’ attentional spotlight on relevant
natural history, in ways that blend onsite
and offsite learning?
Linking science and education
practice
-what should be the level of
involvement
of
scientists
in
education activities? authentic role
models need time to research.
-addressing origins of collection with
pupils
-positioning
natural
history
collections as relevant dynamic
contexts for learning about science
-position
of
education
for
sustainability and education for
sustainable development
Natural History Museum of Utah
Randy Irmis, Becky Menlove, and Madlyn Runburg
Engaging the broadest possible audiences in
the enterprise of science, through holistic,
interdisciplinary approaches, is what NHMU
programs and exhibits are all about. For
example, through NHMU School Programs,
every 4th grade classroom in Utah’s 500
public elementary schools receives one of
three programs--Museum on the Move,
Junior Science Academy or Youth Teaching
Youth--at least once every three years. Many
receive programs every year.
Each of these programs provides specimen
rich, inquiry-based activities that are
facilitated by museum educators on a classby-class basis. This approach, a departure
from previous iterations more heavily focused
on content, evolved to include inquiry-based
methods and has since shifted to a focus on
science processes. As students engage in
science they are encouraged to wonder, to
observe, to infer. And as students engage in
these new ways, our methods for reflecting
on our practice have also evolved. We’ve
recently developed tools for classroom
teachers and museum educators to assess
learning in terms of science process skills.
[INSERT OBJECT PHOTO
OR CARTOON HERE.]
At a recent retreat, staff
members visualizes our
mission: to illuminate the
natural world and the place
of humans within it.
It may be that what’s most challenging for
natural history museums is what we are, in
fact, uniquely situated to do: effectively
communicate with diverse audiences our
research and institutional knowledge about
global/climate change and biodiversity loss.
While our collections hold historical data from
which it is possible to reconstruct past
conditions, analyze current conditions, and
predict and mitigate for more favorable future
conditions, it can be tricky to quickly and
smoothly transfer knowledge about these
complex topics and difficult issues.
To remain credible and authentic to our
audiences, it’s essential that we build trust
both inside and outside our institutions.
Scientists and those who interpret science
need an open and honest exchange of
information. A clear and precise lexicon of
readily understood terms and their meanings
is needed to avoid confounding the
sometimes highly charged dialogue. And
strategies for identifying and engaging with
varied audiences are needed in order to make
the processes and outcomes of natural
science research truly accessible.