Smithsonian Excursion:
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Dec 2, 2023):
1) Describe at least three different presentation techniques (that is, three different types of media) used to explain their information? Do you think each was effective? If so, explain; if not, also explain?
The information is presented in interactive forms, comic strips, and actual phone pieces and samples of minerals used in the creation of electronic devices. In my opinion the techniques are effective because the combination of them kept people engaged and each on its own didn’t convey too much information so that people were overwhelmed with a wall of text or images.
2) Some of what is presented has to do with the environmental issues of cellphone technology. What does the exhibit have to say about the materials used to create these tools? What does it have to say about the environmental impact of the creation, use, and disposal of cellphones? And how does it tell these stories?
The exhibit tells us that many of the materials are rare, sometimes mined in conflict affected areas, and dangerous to mine,It also tells us environmentally, it is dangerous to create and dispose of these materials because some are toxic or dangerous, and so they must be stored or treated in some way to prevent the material leaching out. The exhibit tells the stories through images and samples of the minerals and text explaining the processes of assembly and ways that electronics are disassembled.
3) The exhibit also talks about the technological and social impacts of cellphones. Discuss one (1) technological and two (2) social impacts of these tools that were presented in the exhibit, and how the museum staff chose to convey this information.
Two social impacts are ease of payment for people in remote areas who may not otherwise have income and be able to afford necessities,but the main social impact is that it connects people together and expedites communication across the globe. Technologically, the creation of cellphones encouraged work to make phone parts more efficient, therefore leading to many scientific discoveries and upgrades. This is conveyed through text, interviews, and videos throughout the exhibit.
4) Find three (3) different topics discussed in this section (Humans Change the World). Identify what those topics are; how humans have influenced them (or simply how they have changed) through time; and what means the exhibit designers used to portray these changes (be specific).
Humans Impact the World talks about how we accelerate global change in many ways, such as burning fossil fuels and animal usage shown through video, text, and columns containing representative toys like miniature horses, pigs, and sheep. Explore the Human Family Tree shows the change in the shape of hominid skulls to represent evolution of humans through actual skulls found around the world, from the earliest human to our own species, homo sapien. Creating a World of Symbols shows the changes in human expression and communication, shown through text, paintings, artifacts like necklaces, and eventually discusses human speech.
5) Some critics of the hall state that this exhibit de-emphasizes the human impact on the environment and climate. Do you agree? If so, explain why. If not, explain why not.
No, as there is an entire room dedicated to this topic, and mentions of it are made elsewhere. In addition, this exhibit is meant to focus more on how we as a species changed and the drivers of our evolution, and less on our impacts as a species.
6) “The Changing Ocean”, Right Side of Hall (from the point of view of the rotunda), along Front Right Wall: Find the interactive video stations under the label “The Changing Ocean”. Watch two (2) of the different videos available (preferably one dealing with biological oceanography and one dealing with some other issue.) Give the name of the videos. Summarize the data each provides. Do you consider this data to be understandable by a general visitor to the museum? If not, explain why.
The video Hurricane Hunters talks about the process for scientists that study hurricanes to gather information from a plane with various instruments for 8-9 hours, effectively putting themselves in danger so that others can benefit for their findings. The video No Sunlight No Problem talks about many organisms that are found in the sea and shows a machine roaming the bottom of the sea to study a variety of different species as scientists discuss the process of studying them in the deep sea. In my opinion, the videos are understandable for the general public as the information is presented simply and definitions are given when necessary.
7) “Global Ocean Video”: This information is provided on the “Science on the Sphere” format: a globe-shaped video screen. Watch through an entire sequence. What subjects does it discuss? What information did it provide? How was the spherical video used to portray this information? Do you consider this format to be useful? Explain why or why not.
The sequence discusses continental shelves, trenches, continental boundaries/tectonic plates, Pangaea and Panthalassa, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunami, currents, and explains how tectonic plates can cause many phenomena, how heat moves with currents, and how currents shaped trade routes, climate changes impact on the oceans, and how the ocean regulates global temperatures and weather. The globe is used to show changes to the Earth over time, the location of earthquakes, tsunamis, and boundaries, CO2 levels, temperature, cities, and roads as well as the locations of the Earth's currents. I find this format to be useful because it both clarifies and emphasizes the large quantity of information being provided.
8) Paleoenvironmental Dioramas: Scattered throughout the hall (Hall of Fossils- Deep Time) are a set of pylons which feature miniature reconstructions of life and environments at different points in geologic time. In each is a diorama with scale models of fossil plants and animals, accompanied by additional information. Find two (2) of these pylons. For each, describe what time is represented; what place is represented; and how the carbon dioxide level, temperatures, and sea level compared to modern times. Also, do you think these exhibits are effective? Explain.
The pylon depicting Nebraska around 24-16 million years ago had 50% higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than today, an average global temperature of 5-12 degrees Fahrenheit higher than today, and a global sea level that was 330 ft higher than today. The second pylon depicting Wyoming 66-50 million years ago had 5x more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than today, 14-25 degrees Fahrenheit higher than today, and the sea level was 720 ft higher than today. I believe that these exhibits are effective because they create a clear visual of what areas of our planet looked like millions of years ago and clearly states the differences between the Earth of the past and the Earth we currently live on.
9) Climate Change Exhibits: Along the low wall and benches opposite from the main set of skeletons in the great hall are a series of exhibits describing climate changes past and present. Find some of these. Describe what time or aspect of Earth history and past climate is discussed. What sort of data was used to figure out the past climate? Do these exhibits effectively explain how fossil and geological information can inform us about current or future climate change? Explain.
At the end of the Denovian period, global temperatures were around 53 degrees Fahrenheit, a few degrees lower than temperatures today, while sea level and CO2 levels were both higher than today by several degrees/ft. In the mid-Permian period, sea level, global temperatures, and CO2 levels were all lower than today by a few degrees/ft, which would drastically change by the end of the Permian period, where sea level rise would drop by dozens of feet, global temperatures would skyrocket by the tens of degrees Fahrenheit, along with CO2 levels increasing by several hundred ppm, putting both global temperatures and CO2 concentrations higher than modern day. To find out information about past climates, scientists could look at things like the isotopes of molecules present in samples, the fossils found from this time, and what materials are found in samples from different times throughout various periods. This information isn’t presented in an entirely clear way, as you have to click around to find the information, which you don’t really get prompted to do. It would be very easy to simply click on different eras in the timeline and completely miss it.