Small Museums, Big Impact

As museums and science centers continue to gain popularity (Friedman, 2010), much research has been published citing the transformative effects of these places on their visitors (Ramey-Gassert et al., 1994; Rennie and McClafferty, 1995; Rennie and Johnston, 2004; Soren, 2009; and others). Museums and science centers give visitors the opportunity to gain an appreciation of unknown topics, challenge their previously held beliefs, and explore the interconnectedness between the various science fields and their everyday lives. When partnered with scientists and researchers in academia, museums and science centers can effectively convey the latest scientific advances to the public through various educational and outreach initiatives. Many large museums, like the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, are associated with or support large research departments, providing them with an internal source for collaborations. Conversely, many of the small museums and science centers operate with small teams and do not have the resources to employ investigators or fund independent scientific research. However, this lack of dedicated research staff should not be an obstacle to the dissemination of scientific information and promotion of new discoveries.

Here we present an outreach initiative used at the Rutgers University Geology Museum that combined the excitement of the newly discovered 13 million year old juvenile ape skull, Nyanzapithecus alesi (Nengo et al., 2017), with a variety of events and lessons to maximize visitor engagement. By utilizing existing programing and connections, museum staff and external researchers were able to create an effective platform to engage well over 4,000 visitors within the 6 months of its inception. This project connected scientists in different countries and engaged thousands of people over 7,000 miles away from the fossil's original discovery site in Africa. The positive results of this project should encourage more scientists and researchers to actively collaborate with small museums and science centers. These experiences provide valuable lessons and expand the network of both the scientists and educators that can work together to help shape future generations.