ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Dustin;

Though I sent you some materials off line and I know you have the 
ASTC dimensions issue I thought I'd say some more and perhaps 
stimulate some discussion.

I suspect there would more push back from visitors if STC's presented 
more exhibitions explicitly on evolution or on human evolution. 
Public surveys, and exhibition evaluation, seem to suggest that a lot 
of people are more accepting of evolution of smaller organisms like 
bacteria and diatoms and viruses (eg work of Judy diamond and her 
colleagues; Speigel et al in Museums and Public Understanding of 
Evolution in Museums and Social Issues, 1:1, 2006)), and draw the 
line at human evolution. And that is where the strongest objections I 
think would occur. Now many natural history museums have exhibitions 
on human evolution (eg the American Musuem of Natural History just 
opened a new Hall of Human Origins for a review see 
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/315/5818/1499.pdf pages 2 on) 
but I suspect that AMNH is not getting a lot, if any complaints, 
about the exhibition. They seemed to have had very few about the 
Darwin exhibition. Previous studies by Ellen Giusti suggest that 
there are not a lot of visitors that are staunch or outspoken 
creationists to AMNH (certainly no one is running creationists tours 
to their exhibitions, at least not yet). Other institutions (eg 
Denver Museum of Nature and Science has had creationists tours as a 
protest against their evolution exhibition for quite a while and The 
Museum of the Earth, in Ithaca, home of Cornell University, had 
difficulties after they opened; creationists verbally "attacking" 
docents and education staff) have had confrontations. Natural history 
museums perhaps have not had a lot of protests because of the nature 
of their audience. But I recall hearing of difficulties in Kansas a 
few years back and i know that there are museums that will not touch 
evolution with a ten foot pole because of concerns about visitor 
reaction.

I wonder if the Cincinnati museum of natural history will have more 
complaints once the creationist museum, being developed by Awareness 
in Genesis, opens later this year across the Ohio River later this 
year. I am suggesting that perhaps creationists will be embolden by 
the displays suggesting that the Earth is only 6,000 years old in 
this Creationist Museum.

We have had an exhibition on the shared chemistry of living things 
with no protests (except perhaps about its content density) but I 
suspect it is to subtle for overt protests by creationists. Also, 
like the Exploratorium's (Charley's) exhibition, Traits of Life, it 
is not in your face evolution (human or other) .

Our survey of children's, natural history and science centers suggest 
that there are underlying concerns about the controversy; that there 
would be protests or fundors would be scared away. In addition, there 
were concerns  about staff expertise and mission.  Our project Life 
Changes is being developed to over come some of these.

If you cannot access the review in Science (you may need to be 
registered) let me know and I'll send a pdf. As I will of the survey 
I referenced.

Martin


>
>
>Dustin,
>
>I thought I'd add my two cents on the topic.  We haven't received 
>more than several objections to evolution over the course of 30 
>years. Not that we may a big deal over the topic, it's simply 
>treated as part of the fabric of knowledge.  The traveling version 
>of our Traits of Life collection received a once over from some ad 
>hoc group when it was in Harrisburg PA, but other than that very 
>little attention.  While it's not explicitly about evolution, it 
>certainly focuses on the common origin of all living things.
>
>Charlie
>On Mar 26, 2007, at 1:16 PM, Wendy Pollock wrote:
>
>>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related 
>>institutions.
>>*****************************************************************************
>>
>>Dustin,
>>
>>I don't think you'll find any science museums that regard evolution as
>>"controversial." The ASTC board adopted a statement two years ago clarifying
>>this. You can find this statement and other resources here:
>>http://www.astc.org/resource/education/evolution.htm
>>
>>You can also find on our site an article by Martin Weiss, frequent
>>contributor to this list, "Beyond the Evolution Battle: Addressing Public
>>Misunderstanding."
>>http://www.astc.org/pubs/dimensions/2006/mar-apr/index.htm
>>
>>I imagine others are writing to you directly with responses to your specific
>>questions -- some visitors do object or come with alternative accounts, for
>>example. Some of the links on our site will lead to resources that have been
>>developed to help museum staff respond.
>>
>>Wendy
>>
>>___________________________
>>Wendy Pollock
>>Director, Research, Publications, and Exhibitions
>>Association of Science-Technology Centers
>>1025 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 500
>>Washington, DC 20005-6310  USA
>>202/783-7200 x114    Fax 202/783-7207
>>[log in to unmask]
>>
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>
>
>
>Charles Carlson
>Director of Life Sciences
>The Exploratorium
>3601 Lyon St.
>San Francisco, CA 94123
>
>tel: (415) 561-0319
>fax:(415)561-0370
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>
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-- 
Martin Weiss, Ph.D
Vice President, Science
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111 th Street
Corona, New York 11368
718 699 0005 x 356

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