COASST is a citizen science project of the University of Washington in partnership with state, tribal and federal agencies, environmental organizations, and community groups. COASST believes citizens of coastal communities are essential scientific partners in monitoring marine ecosystem health. By collaborating with citizens, natural resource management agencies and environmental organizations, COASST works to translate long-term monitoring into effective marine conservation solutions.
The Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History will plan activities related to their proposed exhibit "Texas Pre-History: How Do We Know?" This will be a 10,000 sq. ft. permanent exhibit along with a traveling exhibit and education program menu and will feature a constructivist approach to inquiry-based learning focusing on archaeological and paleontological fieldwork being carried out in Texas today. Research sites prominently featured in the exhibit will be several early Cretaceous dinosaur sites excavated by paleontologists Louis Jacobs, and Dale Winkler, Southern Methodist University, and archaeological sites from early Clovis and Dalton Periods being excavated under the direction of archeologist Reid Ferring, University of North Texas. The exhibits and complementary activities will explore the questions a) what is being learned about the prehistory of Texas b) how do scientists interpret their findings and c) what don't we know? With this planning grant, they will conduct extensive front end studies to identify key questions that visitors will have when they come to the exhibit. Meetings with advisors to develop a conceptual plan for the exhibit and educational materials. During these sessions such questions as the following will be explored. A) "How can the Museum pre-design multiple mysteries and outcomes to satisfy the interest of diverse visitors...", b) can the museum combine paleontology and archaeology without perpetuating the naive notion that dinosaurs and people lived at the same time, c) what materials and policies will be developed to handle the creationism vs evolution that might arise, and d) how will the challenges of circulating the traveling exhibit be addressed? Museum staff will travel to other museums to examine model exhibits, and project staff will work with teachers to develop project-related formal education programs.
The New England Aquarium (NEAq) will develop a traveling exhibit and associated programs to focus on parallel scientific and environmental issues facing Lake Victoria (East Africa) and North American fisheries. The NEAq is working in partnership with the national Museums of Kenya (NMK). This project results from NSF supported research on Lake Victoria biodiversity crises and a workshop that involved 70 scientists, policymakers, and resource managers. A 5,000 sq. ft. exhibit "Lake Victoria: Mukasa's Tear" will be developed that will present both the Lake Victoria and North American fisheries issues in six modules including: Biodiversity Then and Now; Changing Life Styles; Lake Victoria Timelines; Fisheries Technology; Global Markets; and Towards the Future. Complementary educational programs will include on-site interpretation, special programs for K-12 classes, teacher workshops and curriculum materials, special events. The exhibit will open at NEAq in 1998 and will begin its national tour in 1999. A second version of the exhibit (which will be funded separately), will be shown in Kenya.
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will develop Lost Civilizations of the Tarim Basin. This will be a 6000 sq. ft. traveling exhibit that will introduce visitors to the extraordinary archaeological discoveries that have recently been made in the Taklamakan Desert in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Due to the arid desert conditions the preservation of sites, artifacts, and human remains is exceptional and the artifacts represent some of the oldest extant items made of perishable materials (wood, paper, silk, and leather.) What has intrigued scientists about these remains is the fact they are Indo-Europeans. These remains have challenged the scholarly world by adding fuel to an already heated debate considering the origins and development of the Indo-European peoples who inhabited the Eurasian landmass for thousands of years. Who were these people, where did they come from, and what was their role in the early development of East/West cultural contact? Not only will visitors be able to see the artifacts and learn about the culture of this extinct group, but they will also learn how archaeologists and collaborating specialists work to unravel the mysteries posed by these remains. The exhibit will be complemented by resources for formal education programs. NHM will develop 1) an on-line presentation that will include "virtual" elements of the archaeology sites and materials, 2) teacher enhancement activities, 3) curriculum materials for older elementary and secondary students, and a menu of non-formal lectures, classes, and a symposium. The museum will also produce a comprehensive, fully illustrated catalogue in both printed and digital formats. The exhibit will have five venues. It is expected to reach between 150,000 and 300,000 people at each venue.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
James OlsonAdam KesslerVincent BeggsDolkun Kamberi
Kansas State University is producing a two-hour television documentary on the Tallgrass Prairie of the Flint Hills of Kansas, the last remnant of what was once the largest biome in North America. This area has survived only because its rocky soil was too much of a match for the farmer's plow. New scientific research is now beginning to ascertain just how valuable grasslands are to humankind: their salutary role in global climatology and how they provide laboratories for study of soils, species interactions, biodiversity, and ecological processes. A significant amount of this research as been conducted for more than twenty years at the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, the longest continuous Long-Term Ecological Research site of the National Science Foundation. The scientific data that have been compiled at Konza will form the backbone of the film's content as it examines: the geological and human history of the Tallgrass Prairie, especially the displacement of the bison and the introduction of European cattle and row crop farming; the contemporary culture and economy of the Flint Hills regions which the prairie has formed; and the ecological impact of various approaches to range management, as well as various scientific and social aspects of the debate over how to glean as much value as possible from the grasslands while preserving them for future generations. The PI for the project will be David Hartnett, Professor of Biology and Director of Konza Prairie Research Natural Area. The film will be co-produced by Aimee Larrabee, an independent filmmaker who has co-produced several award-winning documentaries with the BBC, and John Altman, an independent filmmaker who has produced for PBS, A&E, Bravo, and the Discovery Channel. The 19 member advisory committee will be lead by Dr. Hartnett and by Alan Knapp, Project Director of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area LTER program and Professor Biology at Kansas State University, and John Blair, Associate Professor of Biology at Kansas State University and nationally recognized leader in the field of soil ecology and grassland nutrient dynamics.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
David HartnettAlan KnappJohn AltmanJohn BlairAimee Larrabee
WGBH Educational Foundation will explore new ways to accurately depict in a large format film the eruption of a volcano that occurred in 79 AD. One means is to use footage of Montserrat, a similar volcano that currently is erupting. In order to do this, however, they must film the volcano in the immediate future while it is still erupting and the block and ash flow is still clearly visible. Once this is completed, WGBH will conduct various testing to address such questions as the following: * Can original footage shot in large format film be used to dramatize events of the past? * Can original footage of the ash eruptions on Montserrat be used in a composite with live action footage of Vesuvius today? * Can original footage of the plumes be used in a composite with a miniature model of Vesuvius? * Can the original footage be enhanced with computer graphics, or will it need to be "degraded" to create an historical sense?
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 Museum of the Rockies will plan an exhibit "The Rockies Rise Again." When completed, this exhibit will illustrate evolving Cenozoic landscapes and life forms as understood through research conducted by the museum's staff in the Northern Rocky Mountain region. This exhibit will provide the natural historical context for visitors as they explore the cultural history exhibits that will follow this section. Together, the Museum's exhibits will illustrate the theme "One Place Through All of Time." With this award they will engage in a series of planning activities will include a front-end evaluation study of the public's knowledge and interest in this subject, consultation with expert advisors, review of related Cenozoic exhibits in selected natural history museums, and a two-day symposium which will include a dialogue about the exhibit concepts between the scientists and the public to help complete the plan. They will also hire an educator to develop an educational plan that will link the exhibit with the needs of teachers and will address national and state science standards. Special attention will be given to developing materials and dissemination strategies that will serve educators in this largely rural setting. At the end of the twelve month planing period they will have a completed exhibit and education plan and will be able to move forward with the exhibit.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Bonnie Sachatello-SawyerChristopher Hill