BIOLOGY 111LENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Trip to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History (and Science)

Located at 1801 Mountain road NW (just east of REI) the NMMNH is the center for research and education involving natural history topics in New Mexico and the elsewhere. The educational aspects of the museum are known to many who have visited as individuals or with groups, or whose children have visited with school groups. The museum's displays provide informative as well as fascinating presentations on topics as varied as our water supply and development of our landscape to dendrochronology and rain forest ecology. New displays are constantly rotated through the museum and whatever IMAX film is currently offered is bound to be entertaining and educational. In addition the museum is the center for scientific research on topics relating to natural history in New Mexico.

We will begin our visit with a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum's paleo (fossil) preparation and collections areas led by one of the curators, probably Gary Morgan. The paleo-prep area is located in the new Annex across the street from the museum proper. If a student is working at the museum for a project we will probably also hear from him/her about that work. The tour will include the areas where dinosaur and other fossil specimens are processed, and the collection area where specimens are cataloged and stored. The museum used to also collect biological specimens but those have been transferred to the University of New Mexico's Biology Department.

At the end of the tour you will re-enter the museum to look at the current exhibits. You will be given a ticket which you must turn in at the main desk to obtain a day pass. Exhibits are constantly changing somewhat so you should check the directory for what is current, but certain ones come to mind: the tidepool and oceans area, the "Evelator" which takes you through eons of time from early earth to the present, the source of New Mexico's water, an explanation of dendrochronology, and of course the exhibit illustrating how the museum prepares dinosaur and other fossils.

Your assignment is to select two exhibits to observe in detail. Put these observations in part III of this week's write-up.Your observations should include the following:

1. What is the objective of the exhibit?

2. What methods does the exhibit use to accomplish its objectives?

3. How successful is the exhibit in meeting its objectives? Explain.

4. What are the main points of information you learned from this exhibit?