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Ellen V. Futter, President
American Museum of Natural History |
IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT I CONGRATULATE
THE AWARDEES AND ALL THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE 1999 AMERICAN MUSEUM
OF NATURAL HISTORY YOUNG NATURALIST AWARDS. We were delighted
with the number of submissions that we received. Their range and
variety are strong evidence of our young people's interest in
observing the changing environments in which we all live.
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| This marks the second year of the Young Naturalist Awards, an
annual program made possible by The Chase Manhattan Foundation
to recognize young people in grades 7-12 for their excellence
in life, earth, and space science, and cultural studies. The Young
Naturalist Awards is part of a new Museum initiative to extend
our scientific and educational resources—which include a research
staff of over 200 scientists, 32 million artifacts and specimens,
and a world class program of exhibitions—beyond our walls to a
national audience. It is one of many new Museum programs that
provide opportunities to connect young people to real scientists
and real science. |
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This year's awards' theme was earth science, in conjunction with
the opening of the Museum's new permanent exhibition, the Gottesman
Hall of Planet Earth. The Young Naturalist Awards invites young
people to participate by selecting one of three projects, each
involving research, observation, or analysis of the natural world
and its formative processes. Students were asked to document the
history of a geologic event, to construct a history of local landforms
based on a collection of samples, or to describe local geological
features and explain their formation. Educators and scientists
at the Museum judged and selected the awardees whose outstanding
work you will find published in this catalog. |
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Again, congratulations to all the participants, awardees, supporting
parents, and teachers. Your work gives all of us here at the Museum
great hope and confidence as we think about future generations
as the stewards of our planet.
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Ellen V. Futter, President
American Museum of Natural History
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