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f you think that the Academy of Natural Sciences on Benjamin Franklin
Parkway is just about dinosaurs and butterflies, you're not alone.
I was right in that boat beside you. But a recent trip to check out
the academy's new Living Downstream exhibit changed all that.
y day started with a guided tour by J. Willard Whitson, the Academy's
Director of Exhibits and one of the funniest guys you'll ever want
to meet.
hitson began by explaining that the Living Downstream exhibit
is part of a larger initiative at the museum called the Urban Rivers
Awareness Project (www.urbanrivers.org).
Living Downstream is divided into two parts, one located in the
lobby by the 19th street entrance and the other on the first floor
of the Academy. An inside waterfall links the two portions of the
exhibit while offering visitors a multi-sensory reminder of the importance
of clean water.
hitson says — "The aim of this exhibit is three-fold. First,
to show how humans depend on the abundance of fresh, clear water.
Secondly, to demonstrate how our interaction with nature can negatively
effect the abundance and quality of the water and, lastly, to suggest
ways that people can amend their behaviors to resolve this problem."
e started in the lobby where an imposing, kinetic sculpture made up
of a streaming LED sign and lenticular graphics introduced us to the
main themes of the exhibit. Lenticular what? That's what I wanted
to know. According to Whitson, a lenticular image is one that yields
two different images depending on the angle from which you view it.
It's sort of like those creepy paintings at the haunted house at Disneyland
where the eyes open and close depending on where you stand. But unlike
Disneyland, there's nothing scary about these images unless, of course,
you start thinking about all the things people do on a daily basis
to threaten the health of our watersheds.
 ot
sure what those things are? Then take a minute and move your head
from side to side. You might be surprised to find that simply washing
your car on the pavement, letting the water run while you brush your
teeth, and fertilizing your patio tomatoes can have a direct and detrimental
effect on the water you drink and depend on.
oving upstairs to the main part of the exhibit, Whitson and I were
joined by Carrie Szalay, the Watershed Program Manager. Carrie has
the very cool job of creating educational programs that bring the
research and the science of the Academy to the general public, particularly
kids and young adults. It was Carrie who told me that nearly 75%
of Philadelphia's drinking water comes from the Delaware River!
t's this sort of information, the kind we frequently ignore or overlook
in our busy lives that the Living Downstream exhibit provides.
And when I say "us" I mean visitors of all ages and levels
of scientific sophistication. Don't know your diatoms from your dinosaurs?
No problem. The main section of the exhibit (located on the first
floor) Living Downstream provides visitors with deepening layers
of interactivity through five, easy-to use interactive stations.
 hree
of these stations are situated in front of a giant map of a generic
watershed. Stepping up to one of the screens, I was given the choice
of three categories to explore-nutrients, toxins and water quality.
When I pressed "toxins" the map sprung to life, giving me
an audio/visual demonstration of the pathways commercial and household
cleaning products take from our homes, to our rivers and back again.
nteractive
kiosks situated one either side of the watershed map offer visitors
two more areas to explore- "Tough Choices" and "Cool Science".
Up for a challenge, I selected "Touch Choices" and braced myself for
a series of watershed questions that I was sure I'd fail. Instead,
I found myself completely absorbed in a fictitious, yet thought provoking,
debate about whether or not a skateboard park should be developed
in the middle of "Funmount" Park Nature area. Selecting "Touch
Choices" invites visitors to learn about the "great skate
or swim debate" through a series of hilarious, yet informative,
video interviews with different townspeople of differing opinions.
Ultimately, you cast the deciding vote and, either way, learn from
the consequences.
he "Cool Science" option offers visitors a first hand look
into the water research being done at the Academy through an investigative
field trip. "What a lot of people don't know," says
Meredith Lane, Senior Vice President of Science "is that we
have more people working behind the scenes than on the floor of the
Academy."
n fact, the Academy of Natural Sciences, which was founded
in 1812, is the oldest science research institution in
the Western Hemisphere. It is also renowned for its aquatic,
ecological research and water quality analysis. Two of
the Academy's research facilities including the Patrick
Center for Environmental Research based in Philadelphia
and The Academy's Estuarine Research Center in St. Leonard,
Maryland are dedicated to solving water resource problems
and investigating the ongoing interrelationship between
humans and aquatic ecosystems.
ll told, the Academy's Living Downstream exhibit
taught me more than four years of college level science.
Not only does it succeed in promoting public awareness
about healthy watersheds but it also reinforces the image
of the Academy as a vibrant, ongoing research facility
working to protect all of us living downstream.
More information: The Academy of Natural Sciences
is located t 19th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
on Logan Circle in Philadelphia, PA. The Museum is open
from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and
from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Admission is $9.00 for ages 13 and older, $8.25
for senior citizens and military personnel, $8.00
for children 3-12, and free to Academy members and children
under 3. For 24-hour information call 215/299-1000.
Internet: http://www.acnatsci.org
Text and photography by: Andrea Elovson |
See past topics of Between Cattails here!
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