tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871542942842750523.post5120887582088759733..comments2023-07-24T10:40:57.739-04:00Comments on dechronization: Why I love the American Museum....Glorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17707197225963721646noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871542942842750523.post-36895859907100340132009-04-16T08:25:00.000-04:002009-04-16T08:25:00.000-04:00The traditional vs modern approach to museum exhib...The traditional vs modern approach to museum exhibits probably affect attendance at one another. My daughters seem to prefer the modern, interactive approach because they get to grab hold of things. But yesterday we were walking past the traditional mosasaur fossils on display in Kansas, and I couldn't pull my 5-year old away from them. She hadn't seen the more modern exhibits for a while, and I guess this must have allowed her to find the old dead stuff fascinating.Jake Esselstynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871542942842750523.post-60190619699255912732009-04-16T07:49:00.000-04:002009-04-16T07:49:00.000-04:00Rich, no Simpson landmarks. But I did see some fos...Rich, no Simpson landmarks. But I did see some fossils collected by Roy Chapman Andrews & his team during the AMNH Central Asia expeditions (1920s), which was almost as good. I read almost all of his books when I was a kid... it is adventure paleontology at its best!Dan Raboskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10771030521328260748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871542942842750523.post-18412374267741004262009-04-16T07:47:00.000-04:002009-04-16T07:47:00.000-04:00Susan - I think the "two minds" of the AMNH is goo...Susan - I think the "two minds" of the AMNH is good. It feels pretty balanced, and I think there is something for everyone there. Interestingly, it seemed like maybe the halls of ornithischian and saurischian dinosaurs were more jammed with people than anywhere else in the museum...and those halls are nothing but bones (and an Edmontosaurus mummy, some oviraptor eggs, etc). It would be interesting to see some data on how well this more traditional exhibit is connecting with kids relative to the new stuff. Though I trust Luke's intuition here much more than my own!Dan Raboskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10771030521328260748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871542942842750523.post-59782679603314479662009-04-16T07:38:00.000-04:002009-04-16T07:38:00.000-04:00I guess that I am not sure whether the interactive...I guess that I am not sure whether the interactive exhibits are the best path. On the one hand, I see the appeal of painted dinosaurs with moving parts. I was at the NHM in London in Nov; they have largely moved away from AMNH-style fossil halls - it was a much different museum than I'd expected. Does this reach a broader audience? Dinosaurs have always been insanely popular, and many of us were inspired to become evolutionary biologists by non-animotronic dinosaurs! Seeing the real fossils had the effect on my 5-year old brain of making me want to dig fanatically in my back yard for stuff. Except that everything in my backyard was carboniferous limestone containing nothing but brachiopods and crinoids. <br /><br />But I distinctly remember, as a kid, going to my first dinotronic exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum and being underwhelmed. I was disappointed in the fact that there were so few fossils. I started my "career" at the Carnegie Museum, which does have old-school fossil halls (or it did, anyway).Dan Raboskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10771030521328260748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871542942842750523.post-31273374742202649892009-04-16T06:25:00.000-04:002009-04-16T06:25:00.000-04:00If you think there are trees on the 4th floor, you...If you think there are trees on the 4th floor, you should see the 5th floor! <br /><br />This is an interesting dilemma, I think - and AMNH is a bit of two minds, I would say. The 4th floor Vert Paleo hall is absolutely a classic, purist depiction of vertebrate evolution. But then when we have temporary exhibits, including an immensely popular one recently on recent developments in dino biology, there is always an emphasis on having several interactives and more video-type things. We have a new exhibit opening at the end of May on Extreme Mammals - can't wait to see what they come up with for this one.Susan Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05944116263349266952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871542942842750523.post-67902920827562414352009-04-16T03:38:00.000-04:002009-04-16T03:38:00.000-04:00I'm not sure. As a parent of small children, I'm i...I'm not sure. As a parent of small children, I'm inclined to stand up for "museums 2.0." I do see your point, Dan, and I enjoy the same things you highlight. But I wonder if interactive exhibits have the potential to reach a broader audience of kids. Of course, there are real and important differences among interactive museums in terms of real scientific content.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1871542942842750523.post-13257600801361233062009-04-16T01:53:00.000-04:002009-04-16T01:53:00.000-04:00It is a shame that legions of childhood dinosaur e...It is a shame that legions of childhood dinosaur enthusiasts don't produce more evolutionary biologists. Are animatronic dinosaurs and scientific over-simplification to blame?<br /><br />Did you visit any Simpson landmarks? I've heard Ward Wheeler occupies his old office.Glorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17707197225963721646noreply@blogger.com