Our day began when we reached the museum and met with the other SGC-ers behind the Elephant statue on the first floor. After taking our group photo we were sent off on our own to explore the exhibits. We tackled the Sant Ocean Hall first. At this exhibit, we watched two videos- “Cause A Sea Change: Save Sharks” and “Deep Sea Ocean Creatures”. The former introduced topics such as the consequences of overfishing and how programs such as NOAA can help protect different species of sharks. The video was very basic and used many infographics, making it very understandable to the general public. “Deep Sea Ocean Creatures” discussed species such as henretia and caulophaci, and emphasized how diverse ocean ecosystems can be. This video made this very nuanced topic very approachable, and would likely spark interest in general visitors. Another video feature in this exhibit was the “Global Ocean Video” which was shown on a spherical screen. This unique format helped emphasize topics such as ocean currents, the gulf stream, and the movement of warm water currents by helping the viewer visualize the rotation of the globe, and thus how the movement of the currents would look on a three dimensional surface.
We moved from the ocean hall to the H. Koch Hall of Fossils. This exhibit has always been one of my favorites, due to the life sized fossil recreations and animal models that fill the displays. During today's visit, we were treated to paleoenvironmental dioramas, which were small scale displays of what an ancient environment may have looked like. These included both flora and fauna placed into interaction with one another, allowing the viewer to peer through time. We looked at two of these displays. The first was a floodplain from 66 Million years ago, which reflected a higher sea level and much warmer climate than todays. The second was a conifer forest from 209 Million years ago, which depicted some of the complex predator-prey relationships that existed at the time. I found these dioramas to be highly informative. I am a very visual person, and so seeing these displays helped me to imagine what the environment would have looked like in the past. I enjoyed comparing the dioramas to what environments today would look like. Other than the specific species, the environments looked similar to something I could see today. The hall of fossils also had a climate change exhibit. This wall length infographic depicted climate change in the past, present and future. The past section discussed how CO2 levels were much higher than they are today, likely due to volcanic activity 360 million years ago, though this exhibit lacked strong clarity that would make these events easily understood by the public.
From here we moved to the Hall of Human Origins, and discovered several topics to explore within the exhibit. The first topic we encountered was a timeline that depicted human evolution. This timeline showed when other species within the Homo genus went extinct, giving a visual on our relationships with our human ancestors. I found this timeline to be helpful in understanding the timescale of human evolution, and I feel that other visitors would feel the same. The next topic we saw was about humans and symbolism. Throughout history humans have changed the world around them through the use and creation of symbols for communication, counting, and to define social status and identity. As symbols morphed into characters with which languages could be built, not only did the symbols change, but the societies creating them grew as well. This topic was highly engaging to me because I find linguistics and symbolism to be very interesting, and though this information could be conveyed in a more interesting way through more interactive displays, I found this part of the exhibit to be enjoyable. In walking through this exhibit we also found information about human populations and how we continue to shape the world around us today. This information was displayed via wall panels and screens. One screen showed a population counter that displayed the rapidly increasing human population. This was an engaging way to show how humans continue to spread and grow into this world. Another screen showed a population density map through light density at night. This image showed how when the world is dark, the lights we have built are visible from space, thus reflecting the global impact humans have had. Areas that are brighter are shown to be more densely populated, as each light can correlate to areas with many homes and businesses that would be illuminated at night. While some claim that this exhibit de-emphasizes the human impact on the environment and climate, I found that this was not the case. This exhibit displays information on how anthropogenic activities have harmed the planet, such as deforestation and habitat destruction. However, while this information was present it was certainly out of date and could have been more thorough. So, while I do not think the topic was de-emphasized, I think the exhibit could benefit from some modernization and more thought put into the negative effects of human development.
On the last leg of our trip, we made our way upstairs to discover the “Cellphones: Unseen Connections” exhibit. This portion of the museum was noticeably different from the rest, as it used a unique set of media techniques to convey information on the social and environmental impacts of cell phones. One such technique were these large phone screen displays that would record the viewer and display the image in real time, allowing visitors to see themselves on the large screen and pose with their friends and family. I found this to be very silly and engaging, though likely it was more targeted towards younger audiences. Still, my friends and I had a blast looking at the screens and making silly faces at one another. Another display showed samples of each metal and mineral constituent used to make cameras, motherboards, and batteries. This display was interesting to look at, and highly informative, as often we forget the sheer amount of resources required to manufacture our devices. Another case display showed individual parts of a phone with an explanation of how each part is made. I found this to be very interesting, as I know very little about how the technology I interact with on a daily basis actually works at a smaller level. This exhibit touches on both environmental and social issues surrounding the use and production of cell phones and the internet. On the environmental side, as mentioned, this exhibit demonstrated the harm mining minerals and metals required for these devices can have on the environment. Not only is mining physically deteriorating environments, it also has a high toll on the people who need to mine these materials, as there is a high risk of pit collapse and landslides. This information was presented through personal impact statements from people who have worked in this industry. On the social side of this, the exhibit touched on issues such as the spread of misinformation as well as the toll the internet can have on mental health. This information is displayed through comic strips posted on the wall that tell a story of young people encountering misinformation and fear mongering online that relates to the environment. The main characters must combat this misinformation, and deal with the stress of being overwhelmed with negative information at a near constant rate. As someone who struggles with environmental anxiety, I was surprised and pleased to see this issue touched upon.
I found this trip to be extremely informative and enjoyable, and I would love to visit this museum again sometime in the future with my friends. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city and took time to eat together and reflect on our time at the museum. It is important to make environmental topics accessible to the public, though it is important that in making this information accessible, clarity and intent is not lost. These issues can be overwhelming, but it is important to look at them head on and keep a solution focused mindset. Educating the public is one of the first steps in solving climate issues, as there will be more people backing the necessary solutions who can put pressure on politicians to act and make a change. Adding this information to public museums is a great start, and as an environmentalist, it is great to see this knowledge reach more people.