Who thought mice could be so intriguing?

On Thursday, the Pentacrest Museums (Old Capitol Museum and Museum of Natural History) held the inaugural Director's Lecture Series with special guest Dr. Hopi Hoekstra. This was the first in a monthly series presented by the museum this year. These lectures are presented to the public for free. This session was held in the historic Old Capital Museum in the Senate Chamber. The setting was only outshone by the outstandingly presented lecture by Dr. Hoekstra. Dr. Hoekstra is the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology in the Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology as well as the Curator of Mammals at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Don't let that string of complex titles fool you into thinking you couldn't enjoy this lecture. Dr. Hoekstra successfully made her research with beach and mainland mice in Florida seem understandable to everyone. In a nutshell, she discussed her research with color variation and the genetics behind it in these mice. By collecting and tagging mice in both the mainlands and beautiful white sandy beach coasts of Florida, her and her team were able to begin isolating the genes responsible for the color variation and the importance of the variation in their environments. She's also done work with mice in the Nebraska sand dunes and various other beach locations where variations of the mice can be found. She also connected this to the capabilities to discover color variations from fossils and the possibility that Neanderthals had their own color variation genes that humans do not. You can read multiple articles about her research with mice that vary from morphology to behavior at her lab website here: Hoekstra Lab.  

There was a nice crowd of University faculty, employees, students and local citizens ranging in all ages who all were hanging on Dr. Hoekstra's every word. I brought along a couple friends from very different backgrounds to see what they would also think: a friend, Miranda Utzinger, a graduate student working on her Ph.D in Biological Anthropology and my fiance, Randy Armstrong, a computer science major. With my primary focus on museum studies and cultural anthropology, I was a little concerned if the genetics would go over my head, but I walked away feeling very intrigued and interested. Although her subject matter is very scientific and complex, she was able to make even someone with very minimal genetic background (like me!) understand her research and the importance within the results. By including small historical anecdotes, we all walked away with some knowledge that may come in handy on a future Trivial Pursuit game! Miranda was extremely intrigued by the mention of Neanderthals in the lecture, as this is her primary study focus and thought the lecture was very well presented. Randy, on the other hand, just thought the research sounded interesting and I think we were both a little jealous of Dr. Hoekstra's gorgeous beach study sites! Everyone seemed to laugh right along with her as she brought humor into her slideshow to break up the science. This seems to be one major reason why Dr.Hoekstra was chosen: not only is she well known in her field, but she is very capable of speaking to a general public audience. Following the lecture, there was a dessert reception including coffee and yummy treats where everyone could mingle and have a meet and greet with Dr. Hoekstra and several museum staff members including the somewhat newly appointed Director of the Pentacrest Museums, Dr. John Logsdon. 

Did you attend this lecture? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you thought!


Don't miss out on the following Director's Series lectures this fall!
 **Dr. Steven Holen of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on October 23rd 
** Dr. David Mindell of the California Academy of Sciences on November 10th

Guided through Iowa History

     Recently, I had my fiance, Randy, meet me at the museum for us to tag along for a tour. Drew and Andrew were to give a tour to a group of local 5th grade students. We began in the entrance diorama of the Marquette-Joliet arrival in Iowa. The kids sat in front of the large display and asked questions about its contents. One little girl asked about the noises she was hearing. Of course, if you've been inside the museum and stood in front of the diorama, you know that you're surrounded by a few trees and leaves above your head and there's a distinct whistle of birds in front of the diorama. The children were looking around trying to discover the source. Drew just told her that the museum is set up to feel like you're actually out walking around in Iowa. Our University museum has a great interactive feature within those sections that include sound and outside elements that can make you feel more involved. As we pulled out of the entrance, we began our tour in the archaeology section of Iowa Hall discovering the past artifacts and the changing faces that were present in Iowa. The students visiting were pressed all the way up against the glass trying to identify different artifacts within the displays and asking Drew questions about the ones that intrigued them. Clearly the tour guides are well trained in touring with children and ask them questions and keep them involved and interested during the whole event.
     As we started to move towards the geology section of Iowa Hall, the group turned the corner and you could hear "Oooh" and "Awww" through the halls instantly. As you turn the corner, you're immediately faced with the Devonian era exhibit which houses the very dynamic Dunkleosteus, warmly referred to as "Dunky". As we moved through the geology exhibits, Drew was very able to pick and choose the pieces to talk about that the kids would enjoy the most. He was able to inform all of us about the grand history of our state and made the tour enjoyable for both the students and the adults chaperoning them. I learned lots of great new facts that I previously had not heard which included that the Meskwaki Indians sometimes settled disputes with a game of lacross. Finally, we made it to our last stop with Rusty the Giant Sloth. Rusty, clearly a treasured gem of our University, has been decked out in a Hawkeyes tie since the semester started. One of the students asked why it was there. With a little laugh, all Drew could respond with was that "he was dressed up for the semester". I think all of us University students forget how an outsider would view our common desire to dress up our beloved sloth!

"Dunky"

     After the tour ended, Randy and I were still in the mood to look around. So, we headed on up to Mammal Hall where Randy had not previously been. The minute you step into the hall, you can see a bit of the grand whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. He wandered in and we viewed the skeletons and animals of the world on display. We took the trip through the auditorium and made our way to the Hall of Birds. Randy seemed to enjoy the Laysan Isand exhibit which quickly has become one of my favorites also. It's not only a unique set up, but also very well organized and a true gem of the University of Iowa as a personal quest done by a previous museum director. If you've never made it up to the cyclorama, it is quite the beautiful display. Finally, we ended up at the Biosphere off of Bird Hall where we watched some of the videos on the crisp updated displays in the biosphere, which is clearly the newest section of the museum. The displays are new and modern throughout that space. There are videos about archaeology in Iowa and methods used in archaeological digs.

Randy viewing the cyclorama

     Overall, the tour was a great success. See the information below taken from the MNH's website to learn more about scheduling a formal tour. Even if you've visited the museum several times, like me, you will absolutely see a new side of the museum by taking a tour with the well trained and informed tour guides! Any age and any group would great enjoy the experience. Until next time, keep exploring and let me know if there's any questions you've always wanted to ask and I will do my best to find you the answer!

Whew, I hope you can all excuse my delay! I am getting very excited to start bringing you the inside scoop on our beloved Museum of Natural History! I've been busy setting up meetings and arranging all the fantastic events I will presenting to you over the next couple months. Because the museum world is so vast, there are so many ways to begin this journey. Later this week, I will be bringing you first hand feedback from a formal tour of the museum given to a fifth grade class. However, while you wait, perhaps you should check out some of the links along the right side of our blog here. For museum insight, check out the museum's website. For a laugh, you've got to visit Rusty the Sloth's Twitter page.

There are some great events occurring this week at the museum worth checking out. Please see some information below. Hope to see you there!

• Thursday, September 15 at 7pm in the 3rd floor of the museum in the Biosphere Discovery Hub/“The History and Geology of the Legendary New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811 and 1812”
• Click here for more detailed information: Ray Anderson Lecture Information
• Friday, September 16 from 6pm-9pm at the Museum
• Night at the Museum: Animal Safari
• The super popular children's series. You must pre-register your children by contacting the Education Dept. Please visit the museum website for more information. Here is the museum's description:
• Lions! Tigers! Bears! Oh my!  Join us for a safari through the Museum of Natural History after dark to learn about mammals from around the world.  The group will have a fun evening of pizza, behind the scenes tours, games, and more!

This Is Only The Beginning

Hello everyone and welcome to the brand new blog for the Museum of Natural History! My name is Veronica and I'll be your guide as we journey into the depths of the museum. I am a Junior at the University of Iowa majoring in Anthropology and Museum Studies. I will be conducting an Undercover Museum project that will bring us into the sections of the museum that are normally hidden from visitors. I hope to show you how anyone, at any age, can enjoy their time in the museum and discover new ways to get involved. I have always had a profound admiration of museums and enjoyed the many depths and corners hidden within its walls. The Museum of Natural History at the University of Iowa is majestic beginning at its entrance. The Greco-Roman architecture of the university's pentacrest is dramatic and commanding and the museum is absolutely a beauty. Once inside, Iowa history overtakes your senses. Journey through Iowa Hall and you'll be taken back in time to see what our landscape previously looked like and those who previously lived here. As you continue through the museum, you'll take in more and more animal and human history. There's always something new that will catch your eye.

So, what should you expect to see over the next few months? We will be exploring events provided for children and adults and how they come together from planning to conducting them. I'll bring you information about the collections yet to be presented in the museum's main halls. We'll even see a first hand account of a child's first visit to the museum. If you have anything you've always wanted to know, please add a comment below and let me know. I can't wait to bring you along on this journey! Whether you've never visited the museum or been there several times, I hope to peak your interest to return again and again with a new vision.

Please take a minute and explore the Museum's website, especially the history of it's beginnings at: History

Me with my friend, Rusty the Sloth, at the Museum of Natural History