Answering questions relating various exhibits

Event time and place: October 19, 2024, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Cellphones: Unseen Connections:

  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?

    One presentation technique that is used is the use of rare metals used in phones in the exhibits, with them in glass encasings, to portray how rare they are. I found it effective as to the untrained eye, seeing the actual raw ore makes the material seem more rare. In some infographics, there are pictures of the mining operations that are done to get the ores and metals used in phones. The infographic describes them as having human rights issues being related to them. I found it ineffective as the untrained eye would only see mining operations, and nothing else. One last technique was simple descriptions and infographics. These directly got the point across through words, and I found their simplicity very effective.

  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?

    According to the exhibit, lithium extraction (lithium being a major ingredient of phone batteries) can pollute groundwater, some of which we drink. This can result in dirty drinking water. Reusing old phones is one of the best things we can do for the environment as it uses less resources. 5G uses more electricity straining our electricity infrastructure, and creating a new more powerful electricity infrastructure will release more carbon into the environment. Almost all the information presented comes from infographics, infographics being a trend in how they present information.

  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.

    One technological impact of cellphones has been the development of 5G. 5G is massively faster than its predecessor, allowing smart cities, connected autonomous vehicles, and much more. This was conveyed through infographics. Socially, in one way, phones have had a negative impact. Mining operations for materials like cobalt and lithium in third world countries allow and help corrupt governments to take advantage of prisoners of human rights violations. Also conveyed through infographics. Cellphones and specifically social media has led to more anxiety among teens. This is conveyed through a comic painted on the wall.

Climate Change in the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins

  1. Find three (3) different topics discussed in this section. 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).

    One topic discussed is how humans butchered bison before mass civilization. The infographic details that this caused a mass extinction of bison, and that now they only live on a small scale. This caused massive ecosystem changes due to how prominent bison were before and after the butchering of herds. A large percent sign captures the museum goer's attention, along with bold lettering. The exhibit also describes how agriculture, population, roads, and more place stress on natural systems. It uses an infographic map to get the point across. The exhibit also details how humans can help species recover from near extinction. It lists conservation efforts and regulations as the means this is done through. It uses taxidermies and infographics to catch the reader's attention and get the point across respectively.

  2. 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.

    I agree. It places more emphasis on extinctions and other human effects, which is one small subsection of how humans impact the environment and climate. It could go into a larger breadth of topics.

Climate Change and Human Impacts in the Sant Ocean Hall

  1. 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 first video was called "Deep Ocean Creatures" and it showed lots of super rare sea creatures being discovered or studied by deep ocean submarines piloted remotely by marine biologists. I would say it is easy for the general visitor to understand as it takes a very direct approach of getting its point across, and that is showing the reactions of scientists to the creatures. The second video I watched was fools gold. It talks about how pyrite, more commonly known as fool's gold, supplies bacteria with nutrients. I found it easy to understand as it explained it to me directly, so there is little area to be confused.

  2. “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 video I watched discussed how our world started fiery, with billions of meteors impacting the surface. These meteors slowly brought water to our planet, cooling it to conditions inhabitable by life. The globe was helpful as it visualized how our planet looked before and after the meteors, but also acted as a screen to show other things.

Climate Change in the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils - Deep Time

  1. Paleoenvironmental Dioramas: Scattered throughout the hall 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.

    Tropics dry as ice sheets 303-299 million years ago. It is placed in the current midwestern US. C02 levels were near current levels, and temperatures were 6 degrees fahrenheit below to 4 degrees fahrenheit above current levels. The global water level was 0-130 ft higher than today. Life before big herbivores 279-272 million years ago. It is located in modern northern texas, with C02 levels ranging from less than to 3x higher than current levels. Temperatures were 5 degrees fahrenheit to 12 degrees fahrenheit higher. Water levels were 0-260 ft higher.

  2. 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.

    The exhibit talks about atmospheric carbon, and how ecosystems changed, plants became nutritious, and animals became smaller. Fossils were used to date the time period. Despite saying that fossils were used to date the time period, it does not go into depth about how this was done.