Museum of Nature & Science
Encyclopedia
The Museum of Nature & Science, located in Dallas, Texas
, is the result of the 2006 mergers of the Dallas Museum of Natural History (established in 1936), The Science Place (1946) and the Dallas Children's Museum (1995). It is currently located in Fair Park
, where its three buildings are currently located. The Museum features an IMAX
®-style theater featuring science driven films, a fully functioning planetarium, an extensive exhibit hall, and its own on-site paleontology lab.
, the Museum is housed in three structures in Fair Park. Plans are underway to move to a new site to be constructed in Victory Park in downtown Dallas. The Victory Park facility will be renamed the "Perot Museum of Nature & Science", in honor of Ross Perot
and his wife, Margot, after a $50 million donation from their children to the museum.
and is the only public collections-based, research-driven Natural History Museum in the region. It has contributed to major discoveries including the validation of the Monte Verde findings and the excavation and transport of Sauropod dinosaur fossils from Big Bend. The Museum earned Smithsonian Institution Affiliate Museum status in 1999. The Science Place was founded in 1946 as the Dallas Health Museum and is one of the oldest science museums in the nation, accredited by both the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and the American Association of Museums
(AAM). It was the first museum in Dallas to receive AAM accreditation and is one of twenty museums that founded ASTC. TSP celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006. The Dallas Children's Museum was founded in 1995 and served as a hands-on early childhood learning destination.
, vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology
, malacology
, ichthyology
, herpetology
, ornithology
, and mammal specimens. The collections cover approximately 1.7 billion years of Earth’s history and are illustrated through exhibitions focused on geology, earth sciences, biodiversity, a fossil prep lab where kids and adults can view the examination of ancient artifacts.
analysis in criminal forensics and crop improvement. Putting DNA to Work encourages visitors to examine DNA sequences and see how that knowledge can be used to unlock the secrets hidden in our genes. The hands-on exhibit, best enjoyed by teenagers and adults, is an accessible way for visitors to learn about one of today’s hottest scientific topics.
) funds in 1936, at the site of the Texas Centennial Exposition
. By the 1970s, the lagoon had become choked with algae fed by fertilizer runoff from the nearby grounds area surrounding the museums as well as silt from the erosion of the lagoon's banks. Its food chain had become unbalanced because of an over abundance of vegetation. Since 1983, the lagoon has been drained, excess vegetation cleaned out, and native Texas plants introduced to restore the ecological balance in the lagoon. A sculpture, reflective of nature, was built to create an environment to be experienced and explored, while providing an interesting way for visitors to see the lagoon's plant and animal life. Artist Pat Johanson, was commissioned to develop environmental sculptures for the lagoon. The sculpture, competed in 1986, is built of gunite, a type of concrete sprayed over a steel foundation. Crushed firebrick was mixed with the concrete to create its vivid terra-cotta color. Composed of two segments at the north and south ends of the lagoon, its curling fronds are glimpsed through the drooping foliage of the bald cypress trees that line the water's edge. The sculpture at the north end resembles sagittaria platyphylla (commonly known as the “delta duck potato” because ducks like to eat its fleshy roots) and measures 235 by 175 feet (53.3 m). The south end traces the pteris multifida, a fern, and measures 225 by 112 feet (34.1 m). The sides of several of its “leaves” curl upwards and, at one point, form an arch creating a bridge for people to walk across.
.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, is the result of the 2006 mergers of the Dallas Museum of Natural History (established in 1936), The Science Place (1946) and the Dallas Children's Museum (1995). It is currently located in Fair Park
Fair Park
Dallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...
, where its three buildings are currently located. The Museum features an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
®-style theater featuring science driven films, a fully functioning planetarium, an extensive exhibit hall, and its own on-site paleontology lab.
, the Museum is housed in three structures in Fair Park. Plans are underway to move to a new site to be constructed in Victory Park in downtown Dallas. The Victory Park facility will be renamed the "Perot Museum of Nature & Science", in honor of Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
and his wife, Margot, after a $50 million donation from their children to the museum.
History
The Museum of Nature & Science is the product of the merger between three separate museums: The Dallas Museum of Natural History (1936), The Science Place (1946), and the Dallas Children's Museum (1995). The Dallas Museum of Natural History was founded in 1936 as part of the Texas Centennial and was one of the first natural history museums in the region. It is now included in the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and is the only public collections-based, research-driven Natural History Museum in the region. It has contributed to major discoveries including the validation of the Monte Verde findings and the excavation and transport of Sauropod dinosaur fossils from Big Bend. The Museum earned Smithsonian Institution Affiliate Museum status in 1999. The Science Place was founded in 1946 as the Dallas Health Museum and is one of the oldest science museums in the nation, accredited by both the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
(AAM). It was the first museum in Dallas to receive AAM accreditation and is one of twenty museums that founded ASTC. TSP celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006. The Dallas Children's Museum was founded in 1995 and served as a hands-on early childhood learning destination.
Facilities
Located in historic Fair Park in Dallas, TX, The Museum of Nature & Science is made up of three separate buildings.The Nature Building
The Nature Building, formerly the home of The Dallas Museum of Natural History, is home to incredible collections consisting of artifacts, eco-facts, entomologyEntomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, malacology
Malacology
Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology which deals with the study of the Mollusca , the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, octopus and squid, and numerous other kinds, many of which have shells...
, ichthyology
Ichthyology
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish. This includes skeletal fish , cartilaginous fish , and jawless fish...
, herpetology
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...
, ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
, and mammal specimens. The collections cover approximately 1.7 billion years of Earth’s history and are illustrated through exhibitions focused on geology, earth sciences, biodiversity, a fossil prep lab where kids and adults can view the examination of ancient artifacts.
The Science Building
Former home to The Science Place, the Science Building houses one of the largest exhibit halls in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which features more than 200 permanent hands-on exhibits on physics, health, nature, paleontology and special young children’s venues. This facility is also home to special exhibitions, galleries, an auditorium, the early childhood galleries and the TI Founders IMAX® Theatre. The IMAX® was opened in 1996 with a 323 seat auditorium that provides an immersion educational experience with a 79 feet (24.1 m) domed screen and 12,000 watts of surround and overhead sound.The Planetarium Building
The third building is the planetarium, the only public one in the city, and through a generous grant from The Crystal Charity Ball, a new Digistar 3 System has been installed, offering a continual roster of programs about astronomy and space exploration.Putting DNA To Work
Putting DNA to Work is an engaging interactive exhibit at MNS where visitors to the museum can investigate how inherited and infectious diseases are identified and explore the various uses of DNADNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
analysis in criminal forensics and crop improvement. Putting DNA to Work encourages visitors to examine DNA sequences and see how that knowledge can be used to unlock the secrets hidden in our genes. The hands-on exhibit, best enjoyed by teenagers and adults, is an accessible way for visitors to learn about one of today’s hottest scientific topics.
Your Incredible Body
Your Incredible Body uses multimedia and dynamic learning tools to help both kids and adults develop a deeper appreciation of how their bodies work. From exploring the immune and digestive systems to learning about the skin and DNA, this 2000 square feet (185.8 m²) exhibit is packed with various exhibits showing guests the wonders of the human body.Little Urban Farm
The Little Urban Farm at the Museum of Nature & Science provides children an introduction to the world of agriculture and husbandry. The Urban Farm is located on the lower level of the Science building, between the Water Room and the Store.Lagoon Nature Walk
Funded by a generous grant from the Meadows Foundation, the Leonhardt Lagoon is an ecologically-balanced aquatic community. Visitors are encouraged to explore the lagoon sculpture, discover the fascinating world of exotic plants such as lizard’s tail, cypress knees, and duckweed, and to observe this special habitat that is home to more than 70 species of birds, such as the least bittern and chimney swift. The Leonhardt Lagoon, named after philanthropist Dorothea Leonhardt, was built with Federal WPA (Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
) funds in 1936, at the site of the Texas Centennial Exposition
Texas Centennial Exposition
The Texas Centennial Exposition was a World's Fair held at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836. More than 50 buildings, for which "George Dahl was director general of a group of architects who designed the buildings ", were...
. By the 1970s, the lagoon had become choked with algae fed by fertilizer runoff from the nearby grounds area surrounding the museums as well as silt from the erosion of the lagoon's banks. Its food chain had become unbalanced because of an over abundance of vegetation. Since 1983, the lagoon has been drained, excess vegetation cleaned out, and native Texas plants introduced to restore the ecological balance in the lagoon. A sculpture, reflective of nature, was built to create an environment to be experienced and explored, while providing an interesting way for visitors to see the lagoon's plant and animal life. Artist Pat Johanson, was commissioned to develop environmental sculptures for the lagoon. The sculpture, competed in 1986, is built of gunite, a type of concrete sprayed over a steel foundation. Crushed firebrick was mixed with the concrete to create its vivid terra-cotta color. Composed of two segments at the north and south ends of the lagoon, its curling fronds are glimpsed through the drooping foliage of the bald cypress trees that line the water's edge. The sculpture at the north end resembles sagittaria platyphylla (commonly known as the “delta duck potato” because ducks like to eat its fleshy roots) and measures 235 by 175 feet (53.3 m). The south end traces the pteris multifida, a fern, and measures 225 by 112 feet (34.1 m). The sides of several of its “leaves” curl upwards and, at one point, form an arch creating a bridge for people to walk across.
Expansion
After the 2006 merger, the need for additional space became even more critical. As a result, the museum has begun the process to expand its reach within the community by offering a second facility to address the growing need for science, math and technology education. The current Fair Park facility will remain, and exciting plans for programs and space usage are being developed. Plans are also now underway to build a state-of-the-art museum in Victory Park to supplement the existing Fair Park location. The 4.7 acres (19,020.2 m²) site is located at the northwest corner of Woodall Rodgers Freeway and Field Street, adjacent to Victory Park. The museum will be situated at the crossroads of the future Trinity River Corridor Project, the Arts District, the West End, Uptown, and other popular attractions including the Sixth Floor MuseumSixth Floor Museum
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is a museum located on the sixth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building . The museum examines the life, times, death, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy...
.
External links
- Museum of Nature & Science - official site