Week 5

What is the name of your museum, what does it contain, and why did you choose it?
The Academy of Natural Sciences
19th St. & Ben Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA

The Academy of Natural Sciences is a museum that studies different marvels of science. It contains exhibits of photography, books, live animals, fossils, and dioramas. The exhibits are both unique and spectacular. The collections are not limited to, but include areas of study in botany, ichthyology, biogeochemistry, fisheries, and vertebrate paleontology.

When trying to pick a museum I began looking in Pennsylvania because of the extensive history and culture in that state. When I found The Academy of Natural Sciences I immediately was intrigued because I hold a degree in Natural Sciences so I thought this was right up my alley.

What video clips or background websites did you use (be specific)?
http://www.ansp.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Natural_Sciences
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVupbsiHMlM
http://www.levins.com/academy.shtml

What did you learn from the background info?
1. Founded in 1812 for the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences and the enhancement of useful learning.

2. The Academy of Natural Sciences is the oldest natural sciences institution in the Western Hemisphere.

3. In 1948 the Academy established an Environmental Research Division to explore aquatic ecosystems as well as discovering and cataloging organisms.

What is one specific work in this location that attracted you? Give us the name, and related background info

Dinosaur Hall contains 30 species and about half of them are full skeletal mounts. The Tyrannosaurus full skeletal mount is 42 feet in length and weights an estimated 7.5 tons. In 1868 the Academy became the first museum in the world to put a mounted skeleton on display. The first dinosaur skeleton was Hadrosaurus foulkii, a fossil dug from a marl pit in New Jersey in 1958.

Classmates
1. Amanda did a virtual field trip of Hearst Castle on the central California coast where she liked the Neptune pool.

2. Benjamin visited the Exploratorium in San Francisco in person where he found out that the museum has over 300 exhibits at one time.

3. Charisse visited the MOMA in San Francisco where she learned a lot about the history of the building and what types of art pieces the museum holds.

4. Elizabeth chose the University of California Riverside California Museum of Photography where it contains predominantly photographs and new imaging media.

5. Eric visited the USS Hornet Museum which is an aircraft converted into a floating museum. VERY cool!

6. Jacob visited the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana which exhibits collection dedicated to Native American art, art of Africa, Precolumbian art, South American art, and art from Asia.

7. Lena visited the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium in San Jose that contain artifacts from ancient Egypt.

8. Mary visited the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco where its collections span 6,000 years!

9. Robert visited the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco which is considered to be part of the “cultural fabric” of the city.

10. Michele visited the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles which is the largest museum of natural history and science in the western United States.