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From: Fisher, Martin
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 9:03 AM
To: 'Informal Science Education Network'
Subject: RE: IMAX and Evolution
Charlie - This is wonderful!
Personal ideas, individual thoughts on books to read, private recommendations on what to do and say are interesting... but... a museum's well-crafted letter to the media, and MORE importantly, a Policy Statement in support of evolution is INVALUABLE! This is a magnificant model, well thought-out by your staff/board, and useful to many in the field!
If there are any other science centers/museums/aquaria/zoos/planetaria/ etc that also have an institutional statement regarding evolution, I would highly recommend sharing it on this listserv!
Martin S. Fisher
Director of Education
Nauticus, the National Maritime Center
One Waterside Drive
Norfolk, VA 23510
36°50’51”N 76°17’53”W 13 ft.
phone: (757) 664-1003, (800) 664-1080 ext. 41003
fax: (757) 623-1287 cell (757) 617-7080
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> www.nauticus.org <http://www.nauticus.org>
-----Original Message-----
From: Kit Goolsby [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 10:27 AM
Subject: Re: IMAX and Evolution
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Dear Friends: Below is the response we sent to media and to members of the
community concerning the IMAX / Evolution stories that have been in the
media this week. The hardest thing about this week has been that the
integrity of the Museum has been in question. I have also included below
the Museum’s Policy Statement on Evolution that we developed in 1998 as part
of our planning work on our new dinosaur exhibit that opens in May.
Thank you all for your kind words of support. Charlie
Charlie Walter
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
March 23, 2005
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History sincerely appreciates the
public’s interest in our programs and the films we show at the Omni Theater.
We want to ensure that the public knows the Museum supports the position
that evolution is a major unifying concept of science. We use scientific
evidence in our wide-ranging presentations and interpretations of how life
has changed over time. Nevertheless, the Museum respects the beliefs of its
guests and acknowledges that they are able to make their own decisions about
science-related programs.
The Museum’s core purpose is education: to offer exceptional
learning experiences in science and history to the diverse population of
North Texas, particularly children, their families and educators. Our
guests can be confident that they can experience educational and
entertaining programs and films about science, technology, and natural
history.
In light of the current interest in the film, Volcanoes of the
Deep Sea, the Museum will be showing the film as soon as it can be
scheduled. The decision not to show the film for a variety of reasons
received coverage in The New York Times and in the Star-Telegram on
Saturday, March 19, 2005.
The articles focused on IMAX theaters not showing movies that mention
evolution for fear of offending people who would object. Readers of the
articles understandably gained the impression that the Museum lacks the
willingness to present scientific viewpoints in an uncensored environment,
which is incorrect.
The Omni strives to show educational and entertaining films to the community
at large, to provide offerings that appeal to a broad demographic base, and
to generate revenue so that the Museum may further pursue its mission. In
the process of selecting a film to be shown at the Omni, the Museum conducts
a public prescreening survey to determine its probable interest.
The results of the survey taken after prescreening Volcanoes revealed that
several individuals were concerned about its references to evolution;
however, the Museum would like to set the record straight: Those concerns
were not the determining factor as to why we did not show the film. The
survey indicated that the film simply did not have the potential for broad
audience interest compared to other films under consideration at the time.
In this instance, the Museum opted to show other films supported by the
National Science Foundation that scored more favorably, including Forces of
Nature and Solarmax.
The Omni Theater has also shown Cosmic Voyage and is currently showing
Aliens of the Deep, which presents much of the same science as Volcanoes of
the Deep Sea.
In addition to the films shown in the Omni Theater, the Museum’s
exhibits and programs are based on sound scientific principles and provide
opportunities for children and adults to experience science, technology, and
natural history. Current examples include the ExploraZone gallery, which
features physics-based exhibits from the Museum’s partnership with San
Francisco’s Exploratorium, and the Center for Science Learning, which
provides educational resources for families and classrooms.
The educational impact of all that our Museum offers is enormous: Last
year, 149,451 students from all corners of the state attended the Omni,
Noble Planetarium, and exhibits on school field trips. The impact? Roughly
284,434 hours of science and social studies education for Texas students
last year alone.
In May, the Museum will open a brand-new 8,000-square-foot
interactive Lone Star Dinosaurs exhibit that will immerse visitors in the
scientific process as they use the real tools of paleontology in realistic
settings to learn about Texas dinosaurs and their environments. The
permanent exhibit is funded in part by the National Science Foundation
(NSF). In fact, since 1992 the Museum has been awarded $4.46 million from
the NSF to support its outstanding exhibits and programs. The NSF only
funds significant programs that have solid science content, are innovative
and have broad impact.
Additionally, the Museum actively participates in numerous key
partnerships which gives its exhibits and learning programs national
exposure and brings the best exhibits and learning experiences from other
museums to Fort Worth. These include partnerships with six of the nation’s
leading science museums, eight children’s museums, the Exploratorium in San
Francisco, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab.
Since our founding in 1941, we have taken our role in this
community seriously and will continue to do our utmost to uphold the trust
placed in us. The Museum’s Board of Trustees, staff, and volunteers proudly
encourage everyone to experience firsthand our exhibits and programs.
Robert M. Lansford Van
A. Romans
Chair, Board of Trustees
President
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
POLICY STATEMENT ON EVOLUTION___________________________________
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History supports the position that
evolution is a major unifying concept of science. Science is a method of
explaining the natural world. Scientists develop theories that explain the
natural world, and:
· are internally consistent and compatible with evidence,
· are firmly grounded in and based upon evidence,
· have been tested against a diverse range of phenomena,
· possess broad and demonstrable effectiveness in problem solving,
and
· explain a wide variety of phenomena.
Evolutionary theory uses the scientific method of observation, hypothesis
and testing to explain the origins, changes and extinction of organisms.
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History utilizes scientific evidence in
its presentation and interpretation of how life has changed over time.
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