In this bibliography, Jacksonville State University researcher Stephen Bitgood presents a list of research reports on the topic of school field trips to museums and zoos.
In this article, Pete Conroy of the Anniston Museum of Natural History analyzes how "cheap thrills" can be the most effective ways to capture visitors' attentions, after which educational messages can be delivered. Conroy discusses the role of cheap thrills in zoo and museum exhibitions.
In this article, Sydney Donahoe discusses visitor research at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Donahoe explains three main reasons for conducting this research: advertising and marketing campaigns, to improve their product, and to assess visitor learning and enjoyment.
In this article, researchers at University of Florida present a report of a preliminary study that examined the effects of multispecies exhibits in zoological parks on visitor attention and possible interactions between factors identified as affecting visitor behavior. The study was carried out at the Jacksonville Zoo.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
John Scott FosterJohn J. Koran, Jr.Mary Lou KoranSteven StarkAnn BlackwoodHarriet Landers
In this article, Donald Thompson and Stephen Bitgood of Jacksonville State University discuss a study that examined three variables that influence the readability of exhibit signs and labels: label length, type size, and position (or proximity) of the label. Researchers studied subjects from 5,822 visitor groups in "The Predators" building at the Birmingham Zoo between August and December of 1987.
In this article, Donald Patterson and Stephen Bitgood outline principles of exhibit design, which describe the relationship between visitor behavior and the characteristics of the exhibit environment. These principles include exhibit design factors (size, motion, aesthetic factors, novelty or rarity, sensory factors, interactive factors, and triangulation), visitor factors (visitor participation, object satiation, special interests, demographic factors, and other psychological factors), and architectural factors (visibility, proximity of animal/object, realism of exhibit area, and sensory
The New England Aquarium will develop an "inquiry-driven" gallery for the study of aquatic sciences in a move to go beyond the "naming" experiences in biology and environmental education. The project will focus on seven conceptual themes: 1) adaptation and evolution; 2) habitat; 3) life cycles; 4) development and metamorphosis; 5) species interactions; 6) energy flow: and 7) signals and senses. The exhibits will challenge the visitor with questions, puzzles and games. Curriculum materials will be developed for teachers along with a users guide for visitors. Outreach activities are planned, aimed at minority students and visitors. The Aquarium serves approximately 155,000 students and over one million visitors every year. The redesigned gallery will house eight tanks, ranging from a series of small tanks with accompanying video clips that display seldom seen behaviors such as the "birth" of seahorses, lobster molting, etc. to three 250-gallon tanks that will display ancient fishes and a variety of species showing different kinds of locomotion, color and sound. A 2500- gallon tank housing a school of fish will demonstrate different ways terrestrial and aquatic animals sense their surroundings. A 4000-gallon floor to ceiling tank will display a salt marsh on one side and a mangrove forest on the other and a 6000-gallon tank will house large groupers, moray eels and small gobies. The NSF award represents $273,971 out of a project total of $857,986.
Dorand Shannon New Orleans' Audubon Zoological Garden will design and construct a 3,000 square foot exhibition "Pathways to the Past" that will utilize interactive exhibits to highlight the ancestral link between birds and reptiles and to explore the ensuing development of each species. The permanent exhibition, occupying a prominent place in the newly remodeled Odenheimer building, will be used both by 125,000 school children visiting the zoo each year and for the more than one million regular visitors. More than a third of the residents of New Orleans are minority group members. Zoos are increasingly emphasizing their science communication and science education mission in the context of zoological research and species preservation. They have a substantial need for improved educational resources to better meet the needs of the large and broad cross section of their visitors. The Audubon Zoo's specific plans for interactive exhibits are well thought out, with many connections back to the living collection of the zoo. They have assembled an advisory committee and consulting team that includes scientists, zoologists, educators and science education specialists. They plan a variety of educational materials in support of the exhibition, and will communicate the results of the project to other zoos through reports, publications and presentations. More than $213,000 in direct matching support will be provided by private sources. An FY87 award of $185,915 to the Audubon Zoological Garden is recommended.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Dale StastnyKevin BowlerPeter ShannonSteven Dorand
The National Aquarium in Baltimore will create 20 interactive interpretive exhibits relating to cetaceans as an integral part of a new Marine Mammal complex opening in 1989. Exhibits will complement cetacean behavior demonstrations conducted by mammologists in a 1300 seat marine amphitheater. Exhibit topics and content will be developed in response to survey and evaluation data on popular interests and misconceptions about marine mammals by a design team consisting of aquarium staff, educators, marine scientists, designers, and evaluators. The resulting interactive exhibits will be seen by one and a half million visitors a year in an exhibit area adjacent to the marine amphitheater where visitors will gather prior to and after scheduled demonstrations. NSF project support will be matched by an equal contribution from the National Aquarium.
The Brookfield Zoo, operated by the Chicago Zoological Society, will develop a participatory exhibition on avian anatomy, physiology, behavior and ecology, "Be a Bird", whose overall goal is to bring biology to life with participatory exhibits in a zoo setting. The Brookfield Zoo will design and construct a permanent exhibition that uses discovery learning concepts to improve visitor understanding of birds and to motivate visitors to observe avian behavior in their everyday lives. Accompanying evaluation activities will contribute to a better understanding of informal education methods in zoos.