The CRCS Build-a-Museum Team Newsletter

Newsletter Number 01 - February 27, 2004 :

Dr. Bruce J. MacFadden Visits Baton Rouge

Notable events over the past several months included the February 19-20 visit and lecture of Dr. Bruce J. MacFadden, Associate Director of Exhibits and Public Programs of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida at Gainesville. Prior to his lecture on Thursday evening, February 19, we hosted a dinner honoring Dr. MacFadden. Assembled team members took this special advantage to query him about the Florida museum and on his perception of the importance of natural history museums.

At 7:00 PM at the LPB Studios, Dr. MacFadden presented a well-received lecture titled "University Natural History Museums in the 21st Century." His lecture began with an historical time-line of the development of the Florida museum and then focused on what he regards as the Four Pillars of natural history museums: Collections, Research, Exhibits, and Education. According to him, it is essential that all four "pillars" receive adequate resources and staffing. 

Dr. MacFadden has kindly annotated his slides of this presentation and it has been included here on our website. Please avail yourself of viewing these informative slides. Also included with this newsletter are photos taken at the dinner, at the lecture, and of Dr. MacFadden's visit with LSU faculty and students.

On Friday, February 20, he presented a lecture in the Geology & Geophysics Department's Wilbert Lecture Series on his research. The title of this talk was: Fossil Horses, Stable Isotopes, and Global Change. That evening a number of faculty, students and Build-A-Museum Team members met for dinner at Ralph & Kacoo's to show our appreciation of Dr. MacFadden's two lectures. It is appropriate that I recognize Beth Courtney who graciously made the auditorium at LPB available to the CRCS Build-a-Museum team for Dr. MacFadden's lecture.

Bill Lee to Promote Awareness

A second development is that team member Bill Lee has accepted the mission to present "public outreach" talks promoting awareness of the potential for a natural history museum, at professional organizations' meetings and to civic and other groups. We are presently fashioning a set of slides for Bill's use in these brief, 15-20 minute, talks. If you want to have him make a presentation to your group, please send us an e-mail message.

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