This year marks the fourth annual American Museum of Natural History Young Naturalist Awards. The Museum, a leading scientific and educational institution for more than a hundred years, created the program to recognize excellence in biology, earth science, and astronomy in students from grades 7 to 12. The Young Naturalist Awards is administered by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Inc., a nonprofit division of Scholastic, Inc. that has been running their successful Art and Writing Awards since 1923. We received nearly 1,000 entries from all over the country. We asked students to take an expedition based on a question, hypothesis, or theory they had in biology, earth science, or astrophysics. Students selected one of three projects listed below and were encouraged to include original artwork to support their writing. On May 18, 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. The winners also received a cash prize. In addition, the winners met with scientists on the Museum's research staff who had judged their entries, and were guided on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum. The winning entries were published in three ways: on the Museum's Web site, in a printed catalog, and in the July issue of Natural History magazine. Discovery Begins with Expeditions! Museum scientists go on expeditions to remote places such as the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and as close to home as Central Park in New York City. They go on expeditions to make observations and gather evidence to add to their understanding of the corner of nature they study and the world in which we all live. Focused on a research question, scientists observe, collect data, explore, and then document what they find in a field journal. Many months and sometimes years later, scientists are still analyzing the information they gathered on their expeditions, and then communicate their findings with other scientists and the public.
Find a Place in the World and Make It Yours! Begin by choosing a topic in biology, earth science, astrophysics, a species or phenomenon, or a place to explore that fascinates you. Plan an expedition (around a question or hypothesis/theory on your area of interest/you may have) that will provide new data, questions, specimens, or observations on your topic. All projects should incorporate illustrations, maps, or photographs from your expedition. In addition, you can include any research or interviews that helped you plan your expedition or make sense of it once it was finished. You can share your data and your experiences in several ways:
A narrative essay Scientific writing combines a strong story with sound facts, detailed observations, and insightful questions. In a narrative essay, take your reader along with you on your expedition. What was your goal? How did your expedition unfold? What were your findings? What did you conclude? What future expeditions would you take to further your research? Your essay should describe a real expedition.
A museum exhibition Design an exhibition about your expedition. What would a visitor see and do? What are the big ideas? How are they organized? What displays, specimens, or models would you show? Include illustrations, floor plans, or captions that correspond with your design.
An essay with a focus on field journal entries Field journal entries are a valuable way to capture your expedition activities, observations, and questions. What were you searching for and what evidence did you find? What were the goals of your expedition? What conclusions and new questions did you have once it was over? You should include selections from your field journal within your essay.