Abstract:
Lousiana State University (LSU) Museum of Natural Science brings Antarctica to
Baton Rouge. A new hands-on permanent exhibit "Experience Antarctica".
BATON ROUGE - It's the world's coldest and most mysterious continent, its many
layers of ice holding secrets that only the bravest and most resourceful
scientists seek to uncover. While Antarctica may be the world's final and most
inaccessible
... frontier, visitors to Louisiana State University (LSU) can
experience some of its wonder firsthand at the LSU Museum of Natural Science in
Foster Hall. "Experience Antarctica" is the first new exhibit in more than 40
years at the Museum of Natural Science. Featuring displays of rare treasures
from the ice continent, "Experience Antarctica" is a glimpse into rugged life
of Antarctic researchers studying the origin and history of our planet.
"Experience Antarctica" is a highly-detailed exhibit which can satisfy the
curiosity of both young and old. Antarctica has a reputation for being almost
uninhabitable, but at one time it boasted an environment teeming with life.
Visitors are immediately drawn to the main evidence of this biological
abundance through a replica of a Cryolophosaurus skull dominating the center of
the exhibit. Cryolophosaurus was one of the dinosaurs which once lived in
Antarctica in warmer times. There are also numerous displays of plant life,
various types of rocks, and rare meteorite samples from both the moon and Mars.
Interactive video displays show LSU geology researchers conducting sea and land
research in Antarctica, illustrating the difficulties involved in gathering
information in the world's most hostile natural environment.
"It is our hope that this new exhibit creates a spirit of enthusiasm and
excitement for our museum and for Earth Science research" says Dr. Sophie
Warny. Dr. Warny is the education director of the MNS and she is responsible
for raising the funds, designing and implementing the new exhibit. "We are
very proud of the high level of quality scientific research we conduct here at
LSU and our goal is to share the excitement we have for our research with the
public. What better way to do so than by translating LSU research into
exhibits. Hopefully, this will only be the beginning of a new generation of
K-12 outreach programs to generate more interest in the world of science,
particularly among our young people" says Warny. The exhibit was built
originally as the outreach component of Warny's NSF research grant with the
support of the MNS's director, Fred Sheldon. The panels are created to mirror
some of the fundamental principles taught in the undergraduate curriculum in
geology (Physical and Historical), but these fundamental parameters are
exemplified by the research of colleagues such as Judith Schiebout and William
Hammer (macropaleontology), Huiming Bao (stable isotope geochemistry) and David
Marchant (glacial geology), Gary Byerly (meteorites), Barbara Dutrow and Darell
Henry (petrology and volcanology), Barun Sen Gupta (forams) and John Wrenn
(palynology) contributed to the exhibit.
The exhibit is free and open to the public from 8am to 4pm Monday through
Friday. "Experience Antarctica" is made possible through support and funding
by the National Science Foundation, the Louisiana Board of Regents, and the
Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation. 
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