Museum of Nature & Science

Museum of Nature & Science
"Museum of Nature & Science"
Location	Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Coordinates	32°46′37″N 96°45′40″W / 32.77694°N 96.76111°W / 32.77694; -96.76111Coordinates: 32°46′37″N 96°45′40″W / 32.77694°N 96.76111°W / 32.77694; -96.76111

The Museum of Nature & Science, located in Dallas, Texas, is the result of the 2006 mergers of the Dallas Museum of Natural History (established in 1936), The Science Place (1946) and the Dallas Children's Museum (1995). It is currently located in Fair Park, where its three buildings are currently located. The Museum features an IMAX®-style theater featuring science driven films, a fully functioning planetarium, an extensive exhibit hall, and its own on-site paleontology lab.^[1]

As of 2008^[update], the Museum is housed in three structures in Fair Park. Plans are underway to move to a new site to be constructed in Victory Park in downtown Dallas.^[2] The Victory Park facility will be renamed the "Perot Museum of Nature & Science", in honor of Ross Perot and his wife, Margot, after a $50 million donation from their children to the museum.^[3]

History

The Museum of Nature & Science is the product of the merger between three separate museums: The Dallas Museum of Natural History (1936), The Science Place (1946), and the Dallas Children's Museum (1995). The Dallas Museum of Natural History was founded in 1936 as part of the Texas Centennial and was one of the first natural history museums in the region. It is now included in the National Register of Historic Places and is the only public collections-based, research-driven Natural History Museum in the region. It has contributed to major discoveries including the validation of the Monte Verde findings and the excavation and transport of Sauropod dinosaur fossils from Big Bend. The Museum earned Smithsonian Institution Affiliate Museum status in 1999. The Science Place was founded in 1946 as the Dallas Health Museum and is one of the oldest science museums in the nation, accredited by both the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and the American Association of Museums (AAM). It was the first museum in Dallas to receive AAM accreditation and is one of twenty museums that founded ASTC. TSP celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006. The Dallas Children's Museum was founded in 1995 and served as a hands-on early childhood learning destination.

Facilities

Located in historic Fair Park in Dallas, TX, The Museum of Nature & Science is made up of three separate buildings.

The Nature Building

The Nature Building, formerly the home of The Dallas Museum of Natural History, is home to incredible collections consisting of artifacts, eco-facts, entomology, vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, malacology, ichthyology, herpetology, ornithology, and mammal specimens. The collections cover approximately 1.7 billion years of Earth’s history and are illustrated through exhibitions focused on geology, earth sciences, biodiversity, a fossil prep lab where kids and adults can view the examination of ancient artifacts.

The Science Building

Former home to The Science Place, the Science Building houses one of the largest exhibit halls in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which features more than 200 permanent hands-on exhibits on physics, health, nature, paleontology and special young children’s venues. This facility is also home to special exhibitions, galleries, an auditorium, the early childhood galleries and the TI Founders IMAX® Theatre. The IMAX® was opened in 1996 with a 323 seat auditorium that provides an immersion educational experience with a 79-foot (24 m) domed screen and 12,000 watts of surround and overhead sound.

The Planetarium Building

The third building is the planetarium, the only public one in the city, and through a generous grant from The Crystal Charity Ball, a new Digistar 3 System has been installed, offering a continual roster of programs about astronomy and space exploration.^[4]

Exhibits

The MNS has a large exhibit hall with multiple permanent and traveling exhibitions.

Putting DNA To Work

Putting DNA to Work is an engaging interactive exhibit at MNS where visitors to the museum can investigate how inherited and infectious diseases are identified and explore the various uses of DNA analysis in criminal forensics and crop improvement. Putting DNA to Work encourages visitors to examine DNA sequences and see how that knowledge can be used to unlock the secrets hidden in our genes. The hands-on exhibit, best enjoyed by teenagers and adults, is an accessible way for visitors to learn about one of today’s hottest scientific topics.^[5]

Your Incredible Body

Your Incredible Body uses multimedia and dynamic learning tools to help both kids and adults develop a deeper appreciation of how their bodies work. From exploring the immune and digestive systems to learning about the skin and DNA, this 2,000-square-foot (190 m²) exhibit is packed with various exhibits showing guests the wonders of the human body.^[6]

Little Urban Farm

The Little Urban Farm at the Museum of Nature & Science provides children an introduction to the world of agriculture and husbandry. The Urban Farm is located on the lower level of the Science building, between the Water Room and the Store.^[7]

Lagoon Nature Walk

Funded by a generous grant from the Meadows Foundation, the Leonhardt Lagoon is an ecologically-balanced aquatic community. Visitors are encouraged to explore the lagoon sculpture, discover the fascinating world of exotic plants such as lizard’s tail, cypress knees, and duckweed, and to observe this special habitat that is home to more than 70 species of birds, such as the least bittern and chimney swift. The Leonhardt Lagoon, named after philanthropist Dorothea Leonhardt, was built with Federal WPA (Works Progress Administration) funds in 1936, at the site of the Texas Centennial Exposition. By the 1970s, the lagoon had become choked with algae fed by fertilizer runoff from the nearby grounds area surrounding the museums as well as silt from the erosion of the lagoon's banks. Its food chain had become unbalanced because of an over abundance of vegetation. Since 1983, the lagoon has been drained, excess vegetation cleaned out, and native Texas plants introduced to restore the ecological balance in the lagoon. A sculpture, reflective of nature, was built to create an environment to be experienced and explored, while providing an interesting way for visitors to see the lagoon's plant and animal life. Artist Pat Johanson, was commissioned to develop environmental sculptures for the lagoon. The sculpture, competed in 1986, is built of gunite, a type of concrete sprayed over a steel foundation. Crushed firebrick was mixed with the concrete to create its vivid terra-cotta color. Composed of two segments at the north and south ends of the lagoon, its curling fronds are glimpsed through the drooping foliage of the bald cypress trees that line the water's edge. The sculpture at the north end resembles sagittaria platyphylla (commonly known as the “delta duck potato” because ducks like to eat its fleshy roots) and measures 235 by 175 feet (53 m). The south end traces the pteris multifida, a fern, and measures 225 by 112 feet (34 m). The sides of several of its “leaves” curl upwards and, at one point, form an arch creating a bridge for people to walk across.^[8]

Expansion

After the 2006 merger, the need for additional space became even more critical. As a result, the museum has begun the process to expand its reach within the community by offering a second facility to address the growing need for science, math and technology education. The current Fair Park facility will remain, and exciting plans for programs and space usage are being developed. Plans are also now underway to build a state-of-the-art museum in Victory Park to supplement the existing Fair Park location. The 4.7-acre (19,000 m²) site is located at the northwest corner of Woodall Rodgers Freeway and Field Street, adjacent to Victory Park. The museum will be situated at the crossroads of the future Trinity River Corridor Project, the Arts District, the West End, Uptown, and other popular attractions including the Sixth Floor Museum.

See also

Anthony Fiorillo

References

1. ^ [www.natureandscience.org] Official Website of The Museum of Nature and Science.
2. ^ Background, Museum of Nature & Science. Accessed November 12, 2008.
3. ^ Granberry, Michael. "Perot family members give $50 million to planned Dallas science museum", The Dallas Morning News, May 31, 2008. Accessed November 12, 2008.
4. ^ Background, Museum of Nature & Science.
5. ^ Putting DNA To Work, Museum of Nature & Science.
6. ^ Your Incredible Body, Museum of Nature & Science.
7. ^ Little Urban Farm, Museum of Nature & Science.
8. ^ Lagoon Nature Walk, Museum of Nature & Science.

External links

• Museum of Nature & Science - official site