AMNH Moveable Museums Go to Washington

Monday, November 01 5:28 pm

On Friday, October 22, two of the American Museum of Natural History’s Moveable Museums — 37-foot-long customized recreational vehicles outfitted as mobile exhibition spaces with specimens, videos, and interactive activities — made their way to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for a two-day science Expo, the culmination of the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival.

The Expo featured some 550 science and engineering companies, museums, science centers, colleges and universities, and 200 K–12 schools presenting more than 1,500 free, hands-on activities and over 75 stage shows featuring scientists, celebrities, magicians, jugglers, rappers, and more.

A welcome video featuring President Barack Obama kicked off the event. Read more »

Student Searches for Solutions to Florida’s Droughts

Tuesday, August 31 9:55 am

2010 Young Naturalist Award winner Annika studied the effect of a manufacturing byproduct on the water-retaining properties of grass. Credit: Photo courtesy of Annika

Driving along Florida highways with her family, 12-year-old Annika couldn’t help but notice huge stacks of gray, chalky material piled high in nearby fields — and to wonder what it was.

When she learned that this material was phosphogypsum — a waste product of phosphate fertilizer manufacturing that is difficult to dispose because it contains low amounts of radium — Annika began to think about ways to put those chalky piles to use. Her research led to some interesting findings — and to a winning entry in the 2010 Young Naturalist Awards.

Aware of Central Florida’s severe drought and water shortage, Annika began to research phosphogypsum’s properties to find out if it could be mixed with soil to help retain water. If so, Annika would be finding a way conserve water while turning a manufacturing waste product into an asset for the community.

To test her hypothesis, she planted four pans with St. Augustine grass. She added varying amounts of phosphogypsum to three of the pans, carefully watered the grass for several weeks, then simulated drought conditions and recorded the results. While her findings were not conclusive, Annika’s experiment did show that phosphogypsum might help to conserve water during periods of drought, which she recounts in her essay Project Phosphogypsum: The Effect of Phosphogypsum on the Water-Retaining Properties of St. Augustine Grass.

The panel of judges, including Museum scientists and staff, who read Annika’s essay praised her for researching a topic so relevant to a problem facing her community. Annika plans to continue experiments in the hopes of finding a safe and environmentally friendly use for phosphogypsum.

To learn more about Annika’s research and to read about the 12 other winners from 2010, visit the Young Naturalist Awards website.

The Young Naturalist Awards is a nationwide, science-based research contest for students in grades 7 through 12 presented by the Museum. Since 2006, the program has been made possible through the exceptional generosity of Alcoa Foundation as part of its commitment to supporting student achievement in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines.

To learn more about the Young Naturalist Awards, visit amnh.org/yna.

Strong Showing at 2010 Urban Advantage Science Expo

Thursday, July 01 9:00 am

The 2010 Urban Advantage Science Expo, which was held at the American Museum of Natural History on June 12, provided a grand finale to an extraordinary sixth year for the Urban Advantage Middle School Science Initiative. More than 700 students brought 310 science projects (a 56 percent increase over last year) to exhibit in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, the Grand Gallery, and the Hall of Northwest Coast Indians. Visitor numbers also rose more than 50 percent from 2009, with 2,230 attending this year’s expo.

This pioneering education program, an initiative spearheaded by the Museum, has helped thousands of 7th and 8th graders pursue investigations at eight science-rich New York City institutions and to complete their science exit projects, a requirement by the New York City Department of Education for advancement into high school. The program has grown dramatically since it was launched in 2004 with 60 teachers and 35 schools. Today, the program supports over 300 teachers in more than 150 middle schools — fully one-third of all New York City public middle schools — and serves more than 37,000 New York City students in all five boroughs.

A recent preliminary analysis by the Institute for Education and Social Policy at New York University, an independent evaluator, has shown a statistically significant difference on student Intermediate Level Science (ILS) assessment between students at Urban Advantage schools compared to non-Urban Advantage schools.

For more on this year’s Urban Advantage Science Expo, check out the video below.

Museum Hosts Middle School Science Expo

Friday, June 11 10:19 am

The 2010 science expo for Urban Advantage, a pioneering middle-school education initiative led by the American Museum of Natural History, takes place at the Museum on Saturday, June 12. © AMNH/R. Mickens

More than 700 public middle school students from all five boroughs of New York City will show off more than 250 of their best research projects during a major science expo that takes place at the American Museum of Natural History on Saturday, June 12, from 1 to 4 pm under the big blue whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. Students, teachers, and the public are invited to visit this event, which celebrates the conclusion of the spectacularly successful sixth year of Urban Advantage Middle School Science Initiative.

Urban Advantage is guiding teachers and students on how best to use the incomparable science resources and expertise of eight New York institutions:  the American Museum of Natural History, which spearheaded and leads the initiative; Brooklyn Botanic Garden; The New York Botanical Garden; New York Hall of Science; Queens Botanical Garden; Staten Island Zoological Society; and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium.

Hailed as a national model, this pioneering education program has helped thousands of 7th and 8th graders pursue investigations at science-rich New York City institutions and to complete their science exit projects, a requirement by the NYC Department of Education for advancement into high school.

And this year there is even more reason for celebration: a recent preliminary analysis by an independent evaluator, the Institute for Education and Social Policy at New York University, has shown that Urban Advantage schools reported higher gains in student achievement in science than the citywide average.

Major public support for the Urban Advantage program is provided by the Speaker and the City Council of New York, and the New York City Department of Education. Additional support is provided by the Educational Foundation of America and the New York Community Trust.

OLogy Celebrates 10 Years

Friday, May 07 11:12 am

In 2000, the American Museum of Natural History launched OLogy, an innovative website for kids based on the premise that “everyone wants to know something.” Designed as a place for children to ask questions, get answers, and meet real “OLogists,” the award-winning site features hands-on activities, articles, games, and OLogy “cards” that kids can collect and use in online projects. OLogy invites children to explore the Museum’s rich and diverse content, including its scientific research and collections.

In the video below, the team behind OLogy looks back over the last 10 years.

OLogy is a project of the National Center for Science Literacy, Education and Technology (NCSLET), part of the Museum’s Department of Education.