Session 144 Exhibiting scientific methods, a new challenge 6th July, 16'15 The Museum at the Crossro

1
Ecsite Annual Conference 2009 Session
144Exhibiting scientific method(s), a new
challenge?6th July, 16.15
The Museum at the Crossroads Between Publics and
the Scientific Method One Way to Promote Public
Understanding of Science
Liliana Póvoas Museu Nacional de História
Natural Universidade de Lisboa Portugal
2
There is a team
A. M. Galopim de Carvalho, Fernando Barriga,
César Lopes, Bruno Ribeiro, Pedro Dantas,
Margarida Jardim, Alvaro Pinto, Fernando
Aparício, Elisabete Malafaia, José Vicente, Nuno
Farinha, Wilamy Rita , Suzete Gonçalves, Mª
Antónia Vieira, Carla Cruz, Mª do Carmo Simões,
Filipe Paiva, Carlos Possolo
3
Publics and Dinosaurs an easier communication
on several subjects

• history of Earth and Life
• time in Geology
• mass extinctions
• global change
• evolution
• palaeobiodiversity
• fossilization processes
• Earth as a fragile system

4
Publics-Dinosaurs-Museum

• A relationship based in
• workshops for scholar groups (and other
  groups),
• training,
• conferences,
• field trips,
• of course, exhibitions.

• A relationship evaluated by means of
• inquiries to the public of the successive
  exhibitions,
• the daily contact with children and adults.

5
Publics- Museum- Scientific method

• a relationship to improve public understanding of
  science more effectively,
• allows better understanding science and its
  conclusions as these are, sometimes, against
  the common sense,
• learning to apply the scientific method is a
  useful tool to solve numerous everyday problems
  and to interpret the world at large

6
Publics - Museum - Scientific methoda
relationship developed by several means

• exhibition contents,
• workshops ( pedagogical labs )
• use of actual equipments (currently in use or
  from the past),
• facts or anecdotes from the history of science
  because they also contribute to make science
  closer

Prior to this work there are some basic questions
we need to address to attain our objectives

• the information we are communicating must be up
  to date,
• must be presented by whom is inside the
  questions,
• by someone close to the scientific research

7
The exhibition Allosaurus one dinosaur, two
continents?
Bringing to the visitors all about the unexpected
discovery of Allosaurus fragilis in Portugal and
its excavation and study by a team from the
Museum. By means of diorama, fossils, images,
replicas and interactivities we invite the
visitor to walk along the research process told
in three moments of the exhibition.
8
The first moment relates the excavation and its
methods, the geological and palaeoecological
interpretation based in the fossils and sediments
present in the quarry.

9
The second is about the characteristics of the
specimen found, the preparation, storage and
reconstitution works, its identification, its
place among the theropod dinosaurs, its phylogeny
and, also, the evolution of maniraptors to the
birds. Some interactivities try to emphasize the
role of observation and comparison in natural
sciences and, particularly, in palaeontology

10
(No Transcript)
11
The third module reveals that, after the
discovery of Allosaurus, the same team found
other dinosaurs like Stegosaurus, and a form
similar to Camarasaurus, usually considered a
North-American genus. This confirms the
questions raised by the discovery of Allosaurus
in Portugal it was possible (for some species)
to migrate between both sides of the North
Atlantic at the beginning of its opening, 150 My
ago.

12
The conclusions from the research project raise
new questions, as usual in most research

• When, more precisely, was it possible to cross
  between the landmasses that today are situated in
  the Iberian Peninsula and North America? This was
  continuously possible over a certain time period
  or only episodically?
• Through where did the actual travel take place?
  Which have been the migratory routes? Would the
  passage have occurred in a direct way or through
  landmasses that emerged at different moments?
  Would it worked just in one or in both senses?
• How would the animals travel? Passing through
  portions of emerged lands? Swimming along shallow
  sea channels? Could all the species have
  migrated? Or did the conditions filter the
  passage of some of them?
• What geological processes have created the
  conditions for the migrations?

To answer to these questions is, nowadays, the
aim of other works that a multidisciplinary group
of researchers is developing the research
process never ends.
13
The specific goal of this exhibition is, once
again, to promote the proximity between public
and scientific method. In this case we intend to
promote, also, the proximity with the research
made in the Museum as the whole process, from
excavation to exhibition, was led by the Museum.
And, once again, it is time to evaluate.
Now we want to know not only who our publics are
and how the exhibition is evaluated, but also if
the main messages have reached the audience.
Have the visitors changed their idea about how
research is made? And about evolution of Life and
Earth?