Freshwater Wetlands: Habitats of Beauty and Function

October 1st, 1992 - July 31st, 1996 | PROJECT

The North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences requests $544,390 for the design and implementation of Freshwater Westlands: Habitats of Beauty and Function. This project consists of two main components: a 2,800 sq. ft. exhibit and related education program. The exhibit will communicate ecological principles and provide visitors of all ages with an appreciation of the diversity and beauty of freshwater wetlands habitats. The exhibit is comprised of three main areas: an introductory theater, an immersion diorama, and an interactive hall. Exhibits are designed to present many aspects of freshwater wetland habitats, including hydrology, dendrochronology, organism structure, and function, life- cycle, ecological research, and environmental policy. Through interactive exhibits on scientific concepts, visitors will gain an appreciation of both a particular habitat and the process of science and its application to their lives. The major objectives of the education program are to help teachers of grades 4-8 to bring the study of freshwater wetlands into their classrooms and to employ experientially oriented pedagogy. The project will offer a teacher resource guide, prepared in collaboration with state science curriculum staff, a satellite workshop for teachers, a freshwater wetlands edition of Wildlife in North Carolina, a statewide publication prepared in collaboration with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and a classroom program in the museum.

Project Website(s)

(no project website provided)

Team Members

Barbara Beaman, Principal Investigator, North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science
Alvin Braswell, Co-Principal Investigator, North Carolina State Museum of Natural Science

Funders

Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 9253468
Funding Amount: 544390

Tags

Audience: Educators | Teachers | Elementary School Children (6-10) | General Public | Middle School Children (11-13) | Museum | ISE Professionals
Discipline: Ecology | forestry | agriculture | History | policy | law | Life science
Resource Type: Project Descriptions
Environment Type: Exhibitions | Informal | Formal Connections | K-12 Programs | Museum and Science Center Exhibits | Museum and Science Center Programs | Public Programs