Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Event time and place: Washington D.C., 10:30 am- 3:00 pm
Cellphones: Unseen Connections
Three of the techniques that really stood out to me were the large phones, mineral samples, and the case displays. The most effective part of the large phones was the format of the information as it was directly related to the method of delivery. It made learning feel like a surreal experience and I was deeply engaged in the content. The mineral and metal displays were well done and placed emphasis on the way materials were collected and what they were used for. I found this to be incredibly effective and well done since it educates people on the exploitation of communities to harvest these materials. The cases were interesting as well but I found them to be less impactful; the most notable one displayed the evolution of phones as technology progressed.
The exhibit portrays the ethical implications of the materials that are harvested. The environmental impact takes a significant toll on developing countries and are victims of exploitation in order to get these resources. The exhibit tells the stories by including personal anecdotes from people who are responsible for the mining of materials.
The largest method for presenting the information was in a comic strip format. Through a painting that spanned four walls, it portrayed societal issues that included access to media and the mass spread of violence. A technological impact presented was the rapid spreading of misinformation.
The David H. Koch Hall: Human Origins
The first topic observed was how human evolution was portrayed. I feel that this was an excellent way to present this content because it displayed how much time has passed since humans were considered a different species. It was a timeline that displayed when the different Homo sapiens went extinct and how our understanding continued to change as we discovered more fossils.
The second topic of note was the creation of symbols. Designers of early symbols began with more rudimentary symbols and they have continued to change over time. Many symbols we use today are slightly different but maintain their original meaning, ranging from basics like counting to identifying social status.
The third topic I identified was the human population and land usage. It was displayed across several screens and showed the increasing population. As a related topic, there was a map of the earth that included light emission and human density which helps show where people congregate the most.
I think that this exhibit did present the impacts that humans have in the climate. While some of the information is out of date, the newest data being from 2005, the exhibit contains a pros and cons chart that displays anthropogenic changes. The information we have regarding climate change is constantly evolving and the exhibit only provides a basic understanding of anthropogenic climate change but overall, does a good job portraying it.
The Sant Ocean Hall
The two videos I watched were “Save Sharks” and “Deep Sea Ocean Creatures.” The shark video explored the anthropogenic change in the ocean due to overfishing and the negative impact it has on shark populations. There are very few countries that have systems in place to prevent sharks from being overfished. It was a basic understanding and displayed the information through infographics and could be understood by a general visitor because of the language. The second video would be more difficult to understand for a general audience because it covers esoteric creatures like the henretia and caulophaci.
The “Global Ocean Video” covered the ocean currents, Gulf Stream, and the flow of water from the tropics to the north pole. The format was incredibly useful as it was able to provide a diagram of the ocean currents to deepen the viewers understanding. It allows for visualization of currents and the other topics covered in the video.
The David H. Koch Hall: Deep Time
The first diorama that I looked at depicted a 66 MYA floodplain, specifically Hell Creek in Montana. It had abundant life, both in and out of the water. It was a subtropical climate and supported a variety of life. The second diorama I looked at was 209 MYA and supported a variety of flora and fauna. Included in this one was a depiction of predator and prey relationships. While they are very visually appealing, one of the pitfalls of these dioramas is the extreme amount of creatures they have in their environment. Realistically, it is an exaggeration but does a good job displaying the information overall.
In the past, the Earth was much hotter than it is at the present moment due to the higher levels of carbon dioxide. However, once plants began to pop up 360 MYA, there was a drop in temperatures for a while but an increase 260 MYA due to volcanic activity. The present section displays the rapid climate warming that is occurring. In the future, it provides information that predicts sea level rise. Data was collected from the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the different mass extinction events.
