Elementary, middle and high school students in Florida who receive an ‘A’ or ‘E’ grade in science can present their latest report card at the front desk and receive a free value admission to the “Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway” and “Butterfly Rainforest” exhibits with a paid regular price adult value admission. Alachua County students receive report cards Feb. 1 and the museum will open the “Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway” exhibit Feb. 4.

The offer is valid until the next report cards are issued. Students receiving another ‘A’ or ‘E’ grade on their next report card would again qualify for the offer through the end of the following grading period.

” ‘A for Science’ is such a popular program that we decided it should not be limited to just a few counties,” said Jaret Daniels, Florida Museum assistant director of exhibits and public programs. “We want to showcase the importance of science statewide, encourage students to do well in school and reward them for receiving outstanding grades.”

The museum extended the program to include students throughout the state in November 2011.

The Butterfly Rainforest is a 6,400-square-foot, lush, tropical garden with hundreds of living butterflies from around the world, including 60 to 80 different species at any given time.

“Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway” features 30 fossils, including a complete skeleton cast of Triceratops horridus, the famous three-horned dinosaur, and an Albertosaurus, a ferocious carnivore that lived about 70 million years ago. The fossils complement 19 color prints and five large-scale murals of Troll’s creative artwork, which illustrates imagined scenes from prehistoric times and brings fossils from the museum’s research collection to life. The exhibit also features a paleontology laboratory where visitors may watch museum scientists, volunteers and students prepare and examine actual fossils from the field.

Children younger than 12 must be accompanied by an adult. This offer has no cash value and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.

For more information about this promotion or other museum events, visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu or call 352-846-2000.

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Source: Jaret Daniels, 352-273-2022, jdaniels@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Leeann Bright
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

The exhibit, designed to resemble a home, includes information about energy use; ways to reduce consumption, like purchasing more efficient appliances and using power strips; climate change and its effects and more.

“It’s all about energy use and how to save it at home with simple steps,” said Tina Choe, Florida Museum exhibit developer.

The exhibit also discusses the limits of fossil fuels and alternative sources, like solar, wind and geothermal power.

“Fossil fuels are in increasingly short supply,” said Darcie MacMahon, museum assistant director of exhibits. “We need to figure out how to power our world without them and live more sustainably.”

The exhibit allows visitors to view the energy use of area homes, watch videos about residents who have taken steps to reduce their consumption and see the real-time output of the Florida Museum’s 75 kilowatt rooftop solar array, which inspired the exhibit.

Visitors may also enjoy photos and graphics with tips for saving energy and money.

“It all adds up,” MacMahon said. “Americans use an enormous amount of energy, and individuals can make a big difference in our future by making small changes.”

While developing the exhibit, museum employees learned a lot about conserving power and made small changes at home that have reduced their utility bills, MacMahon added.

“It’s great to save money while doing what’s right for the planet,” she said.

The exhibit is sponsored by Progress Energy and was created by the Florida Museum of Natural History in partnership with the University of Florida Office of Sustainability.

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Source: Darcie MacMahon, 352-273-2053, dmacmahon@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Leeann Bright
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

The campaign will fund the planning and construction of a 2,000-square-foot innovative family-friendly experience that fosters critical thinking, collaboration and creativity.

The museum’s goal is to raise $100,000 by February 2012 for planning and design of the activity area. The total campaign goal is $1 million, with the remaining funds used to construct the exhibit.

“The Discovery Room provides a safe, fun and engaging place for families to explore and learn together about the natural world and more intimately connect to the museum’s collections” said Jaret Daniels, Florida Museum assistant director for exhibits and public programs. “It helps fulfill the museum’s mission—to inspire people to value the biological richness and cultural heritage of our diverse world and make a positive difference in its future.”

Activities and technologies included in the new Discovery Room will be determined during planning and design.

“The goal of a permanent Discovery Room will ensure that future scientists will have an opportunity to explore the natural wonders of our state’s rich ecological history; where young, as well as old will enjoy a lifetime learning experience with the latest in educational and scientific innovation,” said Carrie Lee, president of the Florida Museum Associates Board, which is leading the fundraising events.

“Morning at the Museum” will kick off the campaign from 8 to 10 a.m. Oct. 15 with a breakfast buffet, mimosas, coffee and other drinks supplied by The Flying Biscuit Cafe. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for ages 6-12 and children 5 and under are free. Visitors may explore the current Discovery Room and listen to performances by the “Strings for Things” quartet in the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit.

“An Afternoon at the Museum,” from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16, features performances by the University of Florida Jazz Combo and No Southern Accent, a female a cappella group. Drinks and hors d’ourves will be provided by The Flying Biscuit Cafe. Tickets are 25 per person.

“A Night at the Museum,” from 7 to 11 p.m. Feb. 24, features a formal dinner and entertainment. Tickets are $100 per person.

For more information visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/passport or to purchase tickets, contact Brittany Snipes, bsnipes@flmnh.ufl.edu, 352-273-2086. To become a sponsor, contact Leslie Ladendorf, llad@flmnh.ufl.edu or 352-273-2047.

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Source: Jaret Daniels, 352-273-2022, jdaniels@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Leeann Bright
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The “Discovery Room,” a family-friendly activity area at the Florida Museum of Natural History, will remain open through Jan. 1, 2012, due to popular demand.

The museum also is considering converting the Discovery Room into a permanent exhibit open year-round.

“We hope to keep the Discovery Room open because of its popularity with our family visitors and to allow us to examine the effectiveness of different components for the larger, permanent exhibit we are in the initial stages of planning,” said Betty Dunckel, director of informal science education at the Florida Museum.

Admission is free and the room is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

The family-friendly room allows visitors to discover natural history through hands-on activities that foster critical thinking.

“Our visitors enjoy spending time in the Discovery Room,” said Florida Museum education assistant Amanda Erickson. “It offers a great opportunity for families to learn about Florida’s diverse ecosystems, environments and wildlife together.”

For more information, visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/education/discovery.htm or call 352-846-2000.

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Source: Betty Dunckel, 352-273-2088, bdunckel@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Leeann Bright
Media contact:  Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History is now offering free docent-guided tours of the permanent exhibit, “Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land. The 20 minute tours begin at 2:45 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month, beginning Feb. 19.

“We really hope the tours will enrich the visitor experience at the museum,” said Florida Museum education assistant Jeanette Carlisle. “Our goal is to make this an ongoing and permanent program.”

The tours are guided by museum docents with exhibit training. Groups are limited to 12 people, and visitors who wish to participate should meet the docent tour guide in the central gallery in front of the mammoth five minutes prior to the tour.

“This is a great program and something we’ve been working on for a long time,” Carlisle said. “The docents love to give tours, and it’s one more way for our guests to enjoy the museum.”

Drawing upon the Florida Museum’s internationally acclaimed fossil collections, this award-winning exhibit describes the last 65 million years of Florida’s history. Walk through time beginning with the Eocene, when Florida was underwater, to the Pleistocene, when the first humans arrived 14,000 years ago.

More than 90 percent of the 500 fossils displayed in the exhibit are real and many were found within 100 miles of Gainesville. The exhibit also features 30 skeletons of Florida’s earliest mammals, including a 15-foot-tall ground sloth, bear dog, jaguar and peccary, a pig-like animal.

For more information visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fossilhall/ or call 352-846-2000.

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Source: Jeanette Carlisle, 352-273-2026, carlislej@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Logan Gerber
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A permanent exhibit, “Collections are the Library of Life,” highlights the museum’s research and scientific collections, which, at more than 30 million specimens, ranks as one of the top five in the nation. A new temporary exhibit, “Dugout Canoes: Paddling through the Americas,” takes visitors through North, Central and South America to explore how dugout canoes were used and how scientists study and preserve these ancient watercraft.

“We have one of the largest natural history collections in the country, which most people don’t realize because they see only what we have on display,” said Darcie MacMahon, Florida Museum assistant director for exhibits.

The permanent exhibit will display actual artifacts and specimens from each of the museum’s 21 active collections and research projects, including the skull of Albert, one of the live alligators the University of Florida used as a mascot until the 1970s when costumed mascots were introduced.

The exhibit will also showcase the history of the Florida Museum, formerly the Florida State Museum, which began in the 1890s, as well as current research efforts. Press releases on recent museum discoveries, studies or grants also will be displayed.

Located in the Lastinger Family Gallery, the free exhibit was made possible with support from the Lastinger Family Foundation.

The canoe exhibit was inspired by the discovery of 101 dugouts at Newnans Lake in 2000, and features ancient artifacts, tools, videos and displays as well as model and life-size canoes. All exhibit text and videos are presented in English and Spanish.

“Dugout canoes were important for travel, trade, communication, politics and everyday life,” MacMahon said. “I think people have an inherent fascination with all boats and their history, precisely because they have been so important to our lives for so many thousands of years. We hope visitors will enjoy this look at dugouts – both their ancient history and their importance in peoples’ lives today.”

“Dugout Canoes” was produced by the Florida Museum of Natural History with support from the Alachua County Tourist Development Council and the AEC Trust. The Florida Museum will display the exhibit for three years before it begins traveling to museums across the country.

A severe drought in 2000 caused water levels in Newnans Lake to fall, exposing the prehistoric canoes hidden for centuries. The discovery is the world’s largest known find of ancient watercraft.

“We wanted to give the story of the Newnans Lake discovery broader context,” MacMahon said. “So we expanded it to tell the story of dugouts in Central and South America as well as North America, both ancient and modern.”

Local residents and high school students were the first to notice the long pieces of wood in the exposed lake bed. They called archaeologists from the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research that led excavation efforts at Newnans Lake, along with researchers from the Florida Museum. No canoes were removed from the site because centuries of changing water levels, from wet to dry, made the canoes too fragile to move.

Samples were taken from about 50 canoes before the drought ended and the lake’s water levels rose, covering the canoes in mud and water again. Analysis of these samples revealed the canoes were between 500 and 5,000 years old, with a majority made from pine or cypress trees.

Newnans Lake was added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 2001 because of the significance of the archaeological find. The site was added as Lake Pithlachoco, the lake’s original name.

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Source: Darcie MacMahon, 352-273-2053, dmacmahon@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Leeann Bright
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Beginning April 21, the Florida Museum of Natural History will display seven study paintings and a self-portrait by renowned paleo-artist Charles R. Knight (1874-1953) in the Hall of Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land exhibition.

Knight completed the paintings, on loan from his granddaughter Rhoda Knight Kalt of New York, nearly a century ago as studies for some of his famous large murals. They include many animals that once lived in Florida, and have extra significance because Knight painted the landscape backgrounds when he visited the state in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Knight’s murals depicting ancient life grace the halls of America’s greatest natural history museums, including the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Field Museum in Chicago.

“It’s exciting to have these Knight originals on display at the Florida Museum,” said Florida Museum assistant director for exhibits Darcie MacMahon. “In the world of paleo-art, Knight is truly king — both the best and the beginning of this unique artistic tradition. These seven evocative studies provide a fascinating historical context for the modern paleo-art and reconstructed fossil animals in our world-class Hall of Florida Fossils.”

At 1 p.m. April 21, as part of Earth Day at the Florida Museum, California paleo-artist Bill Stout will give a talk on Knight’s legacy and paleo-art’s contribution to visualizing the earth’s history. Known for his large murals and film production design, Stout’s work is permanently exhibited at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Words & Pictures Museum in Massachusetts.

Kalt, who plans to attend the opening, said the paintings evoke memories of childhood visits to the American Museum of Natural History with her grandfather.

“I hope Florida Museum visitors get a feeling of my grandfather’s love for these creatures,” Kalt said. “It was his whole life. He loved people, although he put the animals first.”

The Florida Museum will display the paintings through mid-fall 2007. For more information, visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/exhibits/upcoming.htm or call (352) 846-2000.

Writer: Christine Eschenfelder
Media contact: Paul Ramey, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

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