One of the most interesting exhibits would be the unseen connections exhibit the museum currently has on display. While being a unique display, it also utilizes some unique styles of information presentation. The first being a ginormous set of cellphones at the entrance that call to museum guests to come get their selfie taken, and join their groupchat, that delves into some cellular information. I found this to be quite effective, as not only is it fun and engaging, but it calls to almost all generations whether young or old to enjoy taking a photograph while also being educated. One other style of presentation I thought was extremely effective, especially to an audience interested in the science or study of certain things like cellphones, was the display of all the internal components of a cellphone meant to showcase how detailed of a machine they are. This was extremely effective in showcasing how much effort goes into one singular phone. Then, there was a section dedicated to comic strips aiming to showcases certain social contexts/events that occur surrounding cellphones. I found this to be effective towards kids, as a multitude saw the brightly colored wall and went to go see the wonderfully drawn strips.
The exhibit had a lot to say about the environmental connections that come with cellphones, one main focus being the material used to create them. Regarding the materials utilized In phones themselves, the museum uses specific elements within phones such as gold, copper, and neodymium. The showcase tells the story of these materials by showcasing pieces of technology where these materials are utilized, and adding statistics and stories that showcase how finite these materials are within out world. For example, a half-pound of copper can generate up to 333kg of waste rock. This unit also provides a future focus section that states that up to 90% of copper could be reused and reduce an enormous amount of waste. The exhibit also talks about the manufacturing of cell phones, mainly using art and diagrams in order to reach their points, and describes how making, using, and disposing of phones can create a large carbon footprint. One example of using comparisons and art to convey their point would be the diagram that states if all Americans used their phones for one extra year it would equal the emissions of 630,000 gasoline cars. Regarding disposal, it provides many instances where an individual can usually recycle their phone with a provider rather than simply disregarding their old model.
In this section of Koch hall the Anthropocene event is covered across 2-3 walls, an HD display, and some interesting physical models used to portray information. One of these topics discusessed is the concept of farming, meaning humans started with no knowledge on how to settle and cultivate their on food, to fully industrializing and mass farming for a growing global population. This was portrayed in a few ways in this exhibit, namely a board titled 12,000 years ago that detailed how the discovery led to a growing population and a large inflection on the earth by humans. It also is detailed in a pro's and con's list that details how cultivation has had a wide array of effects. Farming of animals was also mentioned in this display and was showcased as a positive and a negative similar to cultivation in the sense it allows for fast human growth but results in extreme effects on the enviornment. This was showcased through 2 funnels of toy animals in the center of the exhibit comparing the heights of how much it has grown overtime. The third topic mentioned was the spread of dieseases, and how due to human outreach due to our immense growth in population, outbreaks of deadly viriuses occured as new groups of humans came into contact with one another. This is showcased simply on a small graphic labeled unitended consequences, and states four facts regarding malaria, TB, cholera, and the flu. While some critics may talk down upon the exhibits ability to express the human impact, I feel that is an extremely unfair call against the exhibit as it showcases both pros and cons, showcases data on the level of human outreach, and details several factors that are dependent due to the immense human encroachment on earth.
This exhibit offered a plethora of interactive videos that dealt with biological oceanography and a wide array of other topics. One of the videos I watched was Cause a Sea Change Save Sharks. In this video it described how sharks were rather harmless in terms of predatory animals, and are being extremely overfished in their natural habitats. Their existence also allows for the maitaining of biodiversity in the sea as they regulate sick animals and other predatory animals. This video calls of strict rules on the ability to fish sharks, as they are an extremely crucial component of oceans around the globe. This video was extremely understable to the average viewer as it showcases all the information in easy to grasp statistics that fight for sharks. The other video I watched was simply on the diversity of deep sea ocean creatures. It showcased an array of sponges and other small organisms that are completly unique. This video was also extremely easy to understand as it was simply a narrorated slide show on deep sea animals.
This exhibit also showcased a globe that had a 360 video showcasing several video sequences. My specific sequence I watched was on how currents move and all the driving factors behind them. It detailed how weather feels one of the largest impacts of currents, and that currents have served as driving forces for humans along trade routes for 100s of years. Then, the video described how currents are 90% of deep sea movements and that all currents work in a mosiac style system to transport nutrients all across the globe. The sphere was used to display all of the oceans in the world and showcase the mosiac style of currents across the globe in order to give the viewer a better idea of how the system operates. I thought it was extremely useful, as it allows for information to be displayed in an eye grabbing format, alongside a format that gives a strong physical model of what the narration is covering.
This exhibit provides a very interesting set of models to describe change as it relates to fossils and the past in general, and as described by Dr. Merck and Dr. Holtz, they utilize a pylon style to showcase different points in time on earth. The first pylon I saw depicted 76 to 66 millions of years ago, and appears to be set near modern day alaska. The CO2, Temperature, and Sea level were all depectied as higher than today. Within the model itself, a dinosaur is seen crouched in what is described as a floodplain landscape. In my second pylon modern day wyoming is depicted as lush rainforests and has a diverse array of animals such as alligators and the diatryma. CO2, Temperature, and Sea Levels were all higher than modern day, and it is even described that the gulf of mexico extended to southern Illinois. I think these exhibits are extremely effective, as they showcase what modern day places looked like in the past and how it has changed in regards to the present. These models also provide very detailed physical examples of landscapes in the past so attendees can better understand the geological situations of the past.
