AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Statement of Program Service Accomplishments
For the Year Ending June 30, 2008

Overview

The American Museum of Natural History ("AMNH" or the "Museum") is a highly complex, multifaceted organization with broad international scope and impact. For over a century, AMNH has been a leader in research in the natural sciences and anthropology, as well as in education and exhibition.

AMNH's integrated mission in science and education is "To discover, interpret, and disseminate—through scientific research and education—knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe." Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to explore and interpret the natural world and human cultures through a wide-reaching program of scientific research, education, and exhibitions.

As a museum of anthropology, biological, and physical sciences—with exhibits built upon collections that are among the largest and most comprehensive anywhere—it is among the world's most pre-eminent cultural institutions. It has built and now operates a center for earth and space that includes one of the most technologically advanced planetariums and a research program in planetary science and astrophysics. The newly launched graduate school confers the Ph.D. degree in comparative biology, making AMNH the first and only museum in the United States authorized to do so, and its scientific assets include one of the largest and most important research libraries in natural history. Its cross-disciplinary research centers include an institute for molecular and microbial biology and genomics and a conservation center that uses applied science to address the global loss of biodiversity. Educational offerings include professional development courses for K-12 teachers, both online and onsite, and a wide range of educational resources, programs, and curricular materials. AMNH is a creator and distributor of award-winning museum exhibitions, science bulletins, and planetarium shows, which are presented extensively around the world. Finally, it is also a convener of major international conferences on scientific, environmental, cultural, and educational topics.

AMNH plays a central and growing role in training the next generation of scientists and scientifically literate citizens and has evolved into a uniquely modern hybrid institution that bridges schools, universities and governments and is a lynchpin in enhancing both scientific research and the public understanding and engagement with science and culture.

AMNH is organized as a nonprofit, educational corporation, chartered in 1869 by a special act of the Legislature of the State of New York. AMNH operates under the auspices of the Regents of the State of New York. The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums, and the Graduate School has applied for accreditation from the Regents of the State of New York. The AMNH campus sits in the middle of the approximately 18 acre Theodore Roosevelt Park of the City of New York on Manhattan's Upper West Side, with a complex of 27 interconnected buildings totaling 1.6 million square feet.

Highlights 2008

Perhaps the most visible change within the Museum during fiscal year 2008 was the tremendous increase in visitors. The Museum set an attendance record of four million on-site visitors. International visitors made up over a third of the visitors. The number of school groups also increased by 14% in fiscal year 2008. More than 7 million people visited the Museum's website, www.amnh.org. Its exhibitions, space shows and video productions reached millions more through presentation at 127 national and international collaborating venues, evidencing a compelling and highly topical program of offerings.

During fiscal year 2008, the Museum underwent its ten-year reaccreditation from the American Association of Museums. This included completing a comprehensive, institution-wide self-study and hosting a visiting committee. Accreditation was awarded with a report that stated "The Museum set out to reinvent what it means to be a museum, and particularly a science museum, in the 21st century and has developed many programs, exhibits, and operational strategies that are models for the field." The report noted, "In many areas, the research pursued is intellectually and conceptually on the cutting edge and redefines what has traditionally been understood to constitute 'collections-based research' in natural history museums." The report added "AMNH is a national and international leader in the development of new permanent and temporary major exhibitions" and its planetarium "is considered the world's most comprehensive and cutting-edge facility of its kind."

Also in fiscal year 2008, the Museum admitted its first entering class to the Richard G. Gilder Graduate School. The Graduate School will confer a Ph.D. degree in comparative biology pursuant to authorization from the Regents of New York State. For the Museum, this was an historic occasion, with the Museum being the first and only museum in the United States authorized to confer a Ph.D. degree in any field of academe.

Finally, the Museum's financial position was substantially strengthened during fiscal year 2008, as reflected by two external bond rating agencies' decisions to upgrade the Museum's bond ratings. Standard & Poor's issued a rating of AA, and Moody's Investor Services issued a rating of Aa3. Much of that strength came from Museum fund-raising. By the end of fiscal year 2008, the Museum's fund-raising campaign had raised a total of $795 million against its $850 million goal. With two years remaining, the campaign was 94% complete.

Scientific Research, Scholarship, and Teaching

The Museum's scientific work underpins everything the Museum does in exhibition and education. AMNH has a full-time scientific staff of approximately 225 that conducts research in genomics, astrophysics, zoology, paleontology, earth and planetary sciences, and anthropology. The scientific staff publishes its work in major peer-reviewed journals at the rate of approximately 500 publications each year. Their work is partially funded by some 14 different federal agencies including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

In 2008, four of the Museum's curators' saw their research featured on the covers of respected scientific publications: Christopher Raxworthy's environmental analysis of Madagascar and Denton Ebel's research on chondrules were featured on covers of Science; and Ward Wheeler's research on the evolutionary history of insects and Nancy Simmons's work on bats were featured on covers of Nature. Charles Spencer, Curator in Anthropology, was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in fiscal year 2008, joining his previously elected Anthropology colleagues David Hurst Thomas and Robert Carneiro. Grant funding of scientific work also continued to be exceptionally strong in 2008.

Collections

The Museum is currently in one of the most active collecting periods in its history. The collections grew in fiscal year 2008 by over 40,000 specimens and artifacts. The collections and research assets are enriched by continued exploration that included over 120 expeditions and field projects in 2008 across the globe. Major projects are underway in Mongolia, Peru, Madagascar, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, Republic of Congo, Thailand, India, the Artic of Canada and Russia, New Guinea, and Australia.

The Museum has also invested in new areas of scientific collecting—frozen tissue and digital data—in response to emerging research needs in genomics and astrophysics, and the availability of the newest technologies such as CT data and other digital imaging procedures. Preservation of these collections for study by future generations and with new technological capacity has never been more important. Specimens and artifacts held in collections continue to yield vast amounts of new information through direct observation and comparison, and, as new technologies emerge, through high-resolution imaging and analysis. These data are increasingly linked together by way of sophisticated informatics networks, accelerating research and applications for exploration. New technologies will reveal even more.

AMNH scientific collections total over 32 million specimens and cultural artifacts. Within the Museum's collections are many spectacular individual collections, from butterflies and spiders to dinosaurs and fossil mammals; from fishes, and to crocodilians and birds. They include meteorites, gems and minerals and cultural artifacts. The collections are accessible for research on site, on-line, and through loans to scientists around the world, continually adding to the Museum's knowledge and understanding. The Museum's extensive research loan program typically has over 1,500 active loans of over 300,000 specimens to other institutions at any given time. The Museum further provides online access to its collections, with an estimated 95% of the non-entomology collections data-based and accessible online at this time.

Research Library

During fiscal year 2008, the Library was able to make available to the scientific community at large the full runs, in electronic form, of all the Museum's scientific publications and annual reports. Interested parties who can connect to the web may now instantly and freely download each publication, including the most current issue. In another web exhibit, the Library launched a site that includes a selection of historic photos, scanned from original negatives, from the larger Library image database, which presently includes close to 200,000 records.

The Research Library is one of the largest natural history libraries in the Western Hemisphere. Its primary function is to serve and support the work of the AMNH scientific staff, while also serving natural history scholars from around the world, as well as members of the general public. The Library's holdings comprise a research collection, special collections (including a rare book collection), and digital collections. Its catalogues are part of an international online library catalogue database that is available at public libraries and university libraries as well as through the AMNH website.

Gilder Graduate School

In fiscal year 2008, The Richard G. Gilder Graduate School admitted its first class of candidates for a Ph.D. degree in comparative biology. In addition, to cultivate and train the next generation of scientists, the Graduate School conducts a doctoral and post-doctoral training program in collaboration with four universities, serving approximately 100 post doctoral fellows and graduate students each year. The universities are Cornell, Columbia, New York University, and the City University of New York. In addition, the Graduate School's undergraduate training program provides a select number of undergraduate students with intensive research experience in such subjects as evolutionary biology, earth and planetary sciences, and astrophysics. In 2008 the Graduate School applied for accreditation from the Regents of the State of New York.

Rose Center for Earth and Space / Astrophysics

The award-winning Rose Center comprises 333,500 square feet including the permanent exhibition halls, educational facilities, and the Hayden Planetarium, The Hayden Planetarium houses a powerful virtual reality simulator, which is used to develop, produce and display for the public educational planetarium shows that are informative, sophisticated and realistic. The Museum's most recent Space Show, Cosmic Collisions, is currently being presented at the Hayden Planetarium and at about 33 planetariums around the United States and internationally along with the first two Space Shows: Passport to the Universe, and The Search for Life: Are We Alone?

The Museum's astrophysics department comprising over 25 PhD scientists provides curatorial leadership for the exhibitions, planetarium shows, and educational programs of the Rose Center. Conducting research in observational, theoretical, and computational astrophysics, Museum astrophysicists study the origin and evolution of planets, stars, stellar clusters, and galaxies using ground- and space-based telescopes, supercomputers, and theoretical studies. Researchers receive funding from and collaborate with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and employ partnerships with land- and space-based telescopes to further their work.

Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics

During fiscal year 2008, the Sackler Institute continued to focus on developing a comprehensive Tree of Life for species and new methods in molecular systematics and analyses. The Sackler Institute also worked to further biodiversity conservation; studied the diversity and evolutionary relationships of microbes; and applied non-human genomics research to understanding human health and disease. It also provided innovation in comparative bioinformatics through facilities and programs capable of high-capacity, high-speed computation and analysis.

In 2008, the Sackler Institute was host to "DNA Barcoding," the 3rd International Symposium on Conservation Genetics, sponsored by the American Genetic Association and the American Museum of Natural History.

The research work and activities of the Sackler Institute currently involve approximately fifty (50) staff, including Museum curators, doctoral students from universities, postdoctoral students, and visiting scientists, performing research in the field of comparative genomics in evolution, the environment and human health. Its facilities include the Museum's Comparative Genomics Research Program and the training and collaborations, several molecular and microbial genomics laboratories, the world's largest frozen tissue repository, and a parallel computing facility of the Museum.

The Sackler Institute's research programs are complemented by education and outreach activities and facilities that convey critical scientific concepts to diverse audiences. These facilities include the Sackler Educational Laboratory in the Museum's new Spitzer Hall of Human Origins.

Center for Biodiversity and Conservation

In 2008, the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation ("CBC") furthered its mission to mitigate critical threats to global biological and cultural diversity through ongoing research around the world, education and public outreach in New York City and abroad, training programs, and an extensive list of publications. Field research included expeditions to The Bahamas, Palmyra Atoll, the Solomon Islands, South America, Mainland Southeast Asia and the Galapagos Islands.

The links between biological and cultural diversity were the focus of the 2008 symposium, "Sustaining Cultural and Biological Diversity in a Rapidly Changing World: Lessons for Global Policy." The ambitious program included three days of plenary presentations, panel discussions, and poster presentations. Of some 310 participants from 40 countries, 108 were invited speakers or panelists, 24 displayed posters, and seven hosted discussions in an informal setting in the Museum's Powerhouse. Working groups were formed to prepare recommendations for the 2008 meetings of the World Conservation Congress, the United Nations' Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

In 2008, the CBC launched its new website, cbc.amnh.org, an engaging and accessible resource for information on biodiversity and its importance.

The CBC draws on the AMNH resources and forges key partnerships to conduct conservation-related field projects around the world, train scientists, organize scientific symposia, present public programs, and produce publications geared toward scientists, policy makers, and the lay public. The CBC Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners is an initiative to create a comprehensive set of teaching and learning materials in support of biodiversity conservation, and to support their use around the world. Major projects are underway in Mongolia, Peru, Madagascar, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, Republic of Congo, Thailand, India, the Arctic area of Canada and Russia, New Guinea, and Australia.

Education

In 2008 approximately 500,000 children visited in organized school groups and many more participated in programs that go beyond the Museums walls. Approximately 190,000 or 29% of all New York City public elementary and middle school students visited the Museum's 46 exhibition halls in the Museum and Rose Center free of charge on field trips each year. Instructors and volunteers guide groups through the halls and lead hands-on activities, and AMNH provided comprehensive guides for teachers to prepare, conduct, follow up, and enrich their educational visits to the Museum.

In fiscal year 2008, professional development programs provided over 6,700 educators with content knowledge in science and social studies. Many programs offer teachers the opportunity to earn certificates of continuing professional education and credits toward advanced degrees in science education through the City University of New York and other universities.

The Museum also continued to design and produce educational programs and materials using a range of technologies that include software, video, web sites, and print publications. The programs were distributed to the public, K-12 science teachers and students, schools, and to families at home. The programs include:

Resources for Learning—a comprehensive online resource for teachers;
OLogy—the AMNH award-winning web site for kids;
Seminars on Science—online professional development courses that help teachers meet the new national science standards that call for increased rigor and authentic, inquiry-based experiences for their students; and
Science Bulletins—multi-media news- and documentary-style updates on the topics of biodiversity, Earth sciences, astronomy, and human biology, evolution and genetics. The bulletins are displayed in the Museum's exhibition halls and in those of numerous museums and science centers nationwide.

In fiscal year 2008, the Museum convened its first major summit on science education, Science Generation: A National Imperative. The distinguished roster of participants, including Timothy Geithner; Newt Gingrich; Vartan Gregorian; Robert Hormats; James B. Hunt, Jr.; Joel Klein; Nicholas Negroponte and many others, represented a range of fields—from education, to government, non-profit, business, and even students and parents—reflecting one of the overarching themes of the summit: that every sector of society must—and can—be part of the solution to improve science education in the United States.

A model program showcased at the summit was the Museum's Urban Advantage, a consortium of eight New York City zoos, botanical gardens, and other science-based cultural institutions, led and organized by the Museum. Urban Advantage works in formal partnership with the New York City Department of Education to utilize these institutions' resources in improving student achievement in science at the middle school level. Launched in 2004, the program reached 257 teachers, 27,500 students and their families, and 156 schools—more than 30% of New York City public schools that include the 8th grade—in fiscal year 2008. A model program, Urban Advantage is now being studied by consortia in other cities.

Other educational programs include after-school courses and the Moveable Museum program, converted Winnebago vehicles outfitted as exhibition spaces with specimens, interactive computers, and exhibits which carry educational materials and programs out to the schools and communities. In fiscal year 2008 the four Moveable Museums in the "fleet" were The Paleontology of Dinosaurs; Structures and Cultures; Discovering the Universe; and Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries.

Exhibitions

The AMNH permanent exhibition halls provide a field guide to life on Earth, the cultures of humanity, and the universe and are supplemented throughout the year with a robust program of award-winning temporary exhibitions, almost all created, designed and built by AMNH staff. Millions of people from around the nation and the world visit AMNH annually, and AMNH was selected as the most popular family attraction in New York City and the third most popular family destination in the United States by the Zagat Survey U.S. Family Travel Guide. The Museum also displays selections from its exhibitions on its public web site.

For 363 days per year the 45 permanent exhibition halls are open to the public on a pay-as-you-wish basis. The exhibitions provide a field guide to the history of life on Earth, the cultures of humanity, and the latest discoveries in astrophysics.

The Museum's exhibitions, space shows and science bulletin video productions reached millions through presentation at 127 national and international collaborating venues. The Museum's temporary exhibition program continued to cover a wide range of subjects in the natural sciences, physical sciences, and anthropology. In addition, the Museum continued to present selective exhibitions of live animals that emphasized endangered or bellwether species, telling a larger story of biodiversity and ecosystem complexity. Examples of exhibitions on display at AMNH or at other venues during 2008 are:

The Horse — explains how horses have, over time, influenced civilization including major changes in warfare, trade, transportation, agriculture, sports, and many other facets of human life.
Water: H₂O=Life — illuminates the challenges of humanity's sustainable management and use of the life-giving, but finite, resource—water.
Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids — traces the cultural and natural history roots of some of the world's most enduring mythological creatures.
GOLD — explores the geological and cultural history of this enduring icon of wealth, beauty and power.
Darwin — presents an extensive and in-depth array of material related to Charles Darwin's life and contributions to science, including an original copy of his seminal work, Origin of Species.
Lizards and Snakes: Alive! — showcases live lizards and snakes while exploring concepts of conservation, evolution and extinction as they relate to these two fascinating species.
Dinosaurs! Ancient Fossils; New Discoveries — explores how the latest technology and discoveries made during the last decade are shedding new light on dinosaur traits and behavior.
Totems to Turquoise: Native North American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest and Southwest — explores the longstanding cultural traditions surrounding Native American jewelry arts, including the techniques, materials, and styles that have evolved over the past 100 years.
Petra: Lost City of Stone - examines the ancient city of Petra, and its creators, the Nabataeans.
Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind & Spirit — presents Vietnamese culture in the early 21st century while taking visitors on a journey through this culturally diverse country of more than 50 ethnic groups.
Einstein — profiles this extraordinary scientific genius through a series of comprehensive exhibits that include letters and personal effects; documents related to Einstein's scientific work including several rare manuscripts; and lucid, accessible explanations of Einstein's theories.
Pearls — examines the natural history of pearls, weaving science, art, literature, history, and magnificent jewelry into the story of pearls and the mollusks that form them.
The Genomic Revolution — through a range of exhibits that includes hands-on models, interactive stations, videos, films, polling stations, and artwork, this exhibition brings this subject to life by immersing visitors in the many aspects of genomic research from a scientific, technological viewpoint and from social and ethical perspectives
The Nature of Diamonds — showcases the geological and cultural story of the worlds most versatile and fascinating gem.

During 2008, scientists' work was showcased to the public in a number of exhibitions and new halls, most notably the new Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins. The new hall is the first in the world to combine evidence from the fossil record with genomic science to tell a comprehensive story of Homo sapiens.

Conclusion

In it's almost 140 years of existence, the American Museum of Natural History continues to expand it's reach and maintain it's unique appeal to the public as one of the world's leading scientific institutions.