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THIS YEAR MARKS THE SECOND ANNUAL AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
YOUNG NATURALISTS AWARDS. The Museum, a leading scientific and educational institution
for 130 years, created the program to recognize excellence in
biology, earth science, astronomy, and cultural studies in students
from grades 7 to 12. The Young Naturalist Awards is administered
by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, Inc., a nonprofit
division of Scholastic that has been running their successful
Art and Writing Awards since 1923.
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We received more than 1,000 entries from all over the country.
The theme of this year's awards was earth science, in honor of
the opening of the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth in June 1999.
Students were invited to research and observe the geology of local
environments and of environments around the world. Students selected
one of three projects listed below and were encouraged to include
original drawings, photographs, time lines, maps, or graphs that
supported their writing. The 1999 Young Naturalist Awards application outlines the projects in more detail and provides access to earth
science resources. |
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On May 14, the Museum brought the twelve Young Naturalist Award
winners to the Museum to receive their awards from President Ellen
V. Futter. She presented each of them with a certificate of recognition
and a scholarship bond. In addition, the winners toured
the new Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, took a behind-the-scenes
look at collections in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences,
witnessed the work of paleontologists in the fossil preparation
lab in the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, and met the
scientists and educators who judged their submissions. The winning
entries are being published in three ways: on the Museum's Web
site, in a printed catalog, and in the July issue of Natural History
magazine.
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1999 Projects |
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Geology of Your Neighborhood
Describe the shape of the landforms in your neighborhood, region,
or state. Explain why your local landscape looks the way it does.
What dynamic Earth processes formed it? What forces or events
shaped this landscape? Was it shaped by rivers, glaciers, wind,
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, mountain-building processes,
droughts, floods, mudslides, coastal erosion, or another force
or event? |
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Reading the Rocks
Collect 10 different rocks and/or fossils from your own neighborhood
or from somewhere you went on vacation or a field trip. Identify
each rock and describe the minerals and textures of each of the
rocks. Mark the location of each sample on a geologic map. Describe
the history of the rocks and landforms in the area based on your
collection and on the geologic map. |
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When Disaster Strikes
Choose a major volcano, earthquake zone, or river anywhere in
the world. Explain the dynamic Earth processes that cause eruptions,
earthquakes, or floods to occur in this location. Why do people
live in this hazardous area? What dangers could this hazard pose
to people living in or near this location? |
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