Fy2015 Perot Museum Impact Report
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Together, we will embolden young minds to become the explorers, innovators and problem-solvers for the next generation. 4 REAL SCIENCE 10 INCREASING ACCESS AND DEEPENING COMMUNITY IMPACT 12 FINANCIAL AID 14 FY15 STATS: BUILDING ON OUR ONGOING MOMENTUM 16 FINANCIALS 18 LOOKING AHEAD 19 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 20 THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS 2 | 2015 YEAR IN REVIEW The Perot Museum of Nature and Science has enjoyed The year 2015 was pivotal for your Museum: one of great momentum in its first three years to become discovery and decision making, introspection and the most visited cultural attraction in the Dallas-Fort inspiration, growth and gratitude. These themes — Worth region, with a guest satisfaction rating that is woven through the pages of this annual report — came second highest in the nation. The Museum earned to life through innovative programs, key partnerships the highest field trip and outreach penetration and visionary plans initiated during the fiscal year, and fostered the largest professional development and through you. Your extraordinary support and program for teachers of any North Texas science guidance has empowered us to continue inspiring the provider. News coverage of Museum programs in visionaries of tomorrow. Together, we will embolden 2015 exceeded 2,500 online mentions with nearly young minds to become the explorers, innovators and 200 unique stories in print publications and on TV problem-solvers for the next generation. and radio. Approximately 1.1 million guests from around the world walked through our glistening With your enthusiastic support, the future of the front doors last year to explore and to be inspired. Perot Museum is bright indeed. Thank you for helping us change the way tomorrow’s leaders find theirs. However, with tremendous success comes the responsibility to protect and grow opportunities for the future. Guided by rigorous evaluation and thoughtful assessment, the Board of Directors implemented an ambitious strategic plan in 2015 to serve as a roadmap for furthering the Museum’s JOHN JAGGERS mission to inspire minds through nature and science. Chair, Board of Directors The plan defines core “centers of excellence” around which the Museum will build its future exhibits, programming, outreach and community engagement to position the Perot Museum as a national leader in science education. Key to the plan is engaging the community — particularly underserved COLLEEN WALKER populations — in creative ways, through purposeful The Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer partnerships, best-in-class technology and focused marketing. Put simply, we want to provide access to real science for as much of the community as possible in meaningful ways. PEROT MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE | 3 REAL SCIENCE “Thanks to the support of the Explorers Club and the Mamont Foundation, I think we have hit the tip of an exciting paleontological ‘iceberg.’” —DR. TONY FIORILLO IN THE FIELD WITH DR. ANTHONY FIORILLO In order to understand our world, we first need His second excursion came about when Fiorillo to understand how we got here. Perot Museum became the fi rst winner of the $100,000 Foundation research programs focus on bringing that journey Mamont — Explorers Club World Exploration Challenge to light. For nearly 20 years in his career as a Grant. This was by far the most remote research site vertebrate paleontologist, Dr. Anthony (Tony) Fiorillo to which Fiorillo has traveled. The grant took the has escaped the Texas summer heat on an Arctic team to an area never before explored for dinosaurs — excursion. In the summer of 2015, Fiorillo had the an area that served as a gateway between North good fortune to go on two separate journeys to America and Asia during the Cretaceous Period, that explore two very different regions of Alaska. last window of time when giant dinosaurs roamed the Earth. More research in this area could provide a His first excursion took him up the famous James deeper understanding of the dinosaur fauna of these Dalton Highway to the North Slope — a place of two continents. And, in time, the discoveries made by uncharted territory for Fiorillo and his team, and a Fiorillo and his team could prove to be the keys that place with a strong scientific reason to be explored. unlock even more insights. 4 | REAL SCIENCE FOSSIL CLAMS — CONFIRMATION THAT H2O IN RIVERS WHERE DINOSAURS LIVED RAN CLEAR RATHER THAN SILTY FOSSIL WOOD — PROVING LANDSCAPE WAS ONCE COVERED BY CONIFERS, NOT BIG, LEAFY TREES A HIKE IN THE BROOKS RANGE SEARCHING FOR FOSSILS PEROT MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE | 5 THE FOSSIL UNCOVERED IN AN ELLIS COUNTY SAND AND GRAVEL PIT WHERE IT HAS LAIN FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS ELLIE MAY INSTALLED IN HER PERMANENT HOME ON LEVEL 2 OF THE MUSEUM THE EXCAVATION TEAM PREPARING TO FLIP THE FOSSIL FOSSIL PREPARATOR RORY LEAHY IN THE PALEO LAB NEW DISCOVERY — “ELLIE MAY” COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH In the summer of 2014, an incredibly pristine and at the Perot Museum has truly been an undertaking. nearly complete Mammuthus columbi (Columbian Her discovery, preservation, mounting in Colorado, mammoth) skeleton was excavated from a gravel and fi nally, return home to Texas is not only a story pit in Ellis County, Texas and generously donated of success through the investment of our community, to the Museum by the McEwen family. Ranging from but also a labor of love by a hard-working Museum 20,000-60,000 years old and 8-9 feet tall at the team. The remarkable fossil made its debut to the shoulder, this new discovery was affectionately public in November 2015, and has been preserved named “Ellie May” having been unearthed in Ellis for scientifi c research and study. It will continue to County in the month of May. Ellie May’s record- play a vital role in inspiring minds through nature breaking 18-month journey from discovery to display and science for generations to come. 6 | REAL SCIENCE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE! SPEAKER SERIES — PHOTOGRAPHER PAUL NICKLEN: POLAR OBSESSION PRESENTED BY CHARLES SCHWAB & CO, INC. Behind every great National Geographic story is global awareness about wildlife issues through his a great storyteller. In partnership with National work. Nicklen has spent a lifetime honing the skills Geographic Live!, the Perot Museum was able to needed to photograph wildlife in the world’s most bring the National Geographic experience to global remote places, shooting stunning and intimate audiences, while celebrating how the power of science, images of Arctic creatures most will never encounter exploration and storytelling can change the world. in their lifetime. Through his passion, talent and humor, Nicklen shared a personal perspective on the The Museum launched the speaker series with Paul fragile and frozen environments in some of the iciest Nicklen, a photographer who hopes to generate corners of the world. “It just takes one image to get someone’s attention.” —PAUL NICKLEN PEROT MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE | 7 PAUL NICKLEN FROM THE PEROT MUSEUM STAGE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE! — PALEOANTHROPOLOGIST LEE BERGER ALMOST HUMAN: A NEW ANCESTOR SHAKES UP OUR FAMILY TREE PRESENTED BY CHARLES SCHWAB & CO, INC. On the heels of the groundbreaking announcement Berger is an award-winning researcher, explorer, of a new species of human relative, world-renowned author, paleoanthropologist and speaker. He is the paleoanthropologist Lee Berger made his first U.S. recipient of the National Geographic Society’s first public speaking engagement at the Perot Museum. Prize for Research and Exploration and the Academy A long-time Museum partner and founding donor, of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award. Lyda Hill was instrumental in bringing him to Dallas. His work has brought him recognition as a Fellow of In addition to the many ways Hill supports the the Royal Society of South Africa and the South African Museum, she also supports Berger’s research and Academy of Sciences and prominent advisory positions helped underwrite the conservation of the site where including the Chairmanship of the Fulbright Commission the new species was discovered. of South Africa, the Senior Advisory Board of the From the stage, he captivated the audience as he Global Young Academy and the Centre of Excellence in recounted the historic finding of this new species, PalaeoSciences of South Africa, among many others. Homo naledi. According to the research published in the journal eLife, H. naledi sheds light on the origins and diversity of the human genus as this species DR. LEE BERGER AND UNDERGROUND ASTRONAUTS BECCA PEIXOTTO, appears to have intentionally deposited bodies of its HANNAH MORRIS AND MARINA ELLIOTT FROM THE PEROT MUSEUM STAGE dead in a remote cave chamber, a behavior previously thought limited to humans. Berger, research professor in the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, led the expedition that recovered the fossils. The Rising Star expedition involved an international team of scientists, including the six “underground astronauts,” three of whom joined Berger on the Museum stage. These female scientists descended into the Dinaledi chamber to excavate and retrieve the fossils. The team of “underground astronauts” removed more than 1,500 bones belonging to at least 15 individuals — exceeding any other known human ancestor site in Africa. THE FIRST CAST OF H. NALEDI, GENEROUSLY GIFTED TO THE PEROT MUSEUM 8 | 2015 YEAR IN REVIEW DR. LEE BERGER AND LYDA HILL MARINA ELLIOTT, BECCA PEIXOTTO, DR. LEE BERGER, COLLEEN WALKER AND HANNAH MORRIS SIMULCAST AUDIENCE LISTENING TO THE LECTURE FROM THE AUDITORIUM REAL SCIENCE | 9 INCREASING ACCESS AND DEEPENING COMMUNITY IMPACT TECH TRUCK, POWERED BY DELL Rolling into neighborhoods soon! Through a generous The super-cool, custom-outfi tted van got its name $1.13 million grant from Dell, the Perot Museum has from an acronym that spotlights the program’s mission created a mobile innovation truck that will bring to inspire youth to “Tinker, Engineer, Create and science, technology, engineering, art and math Hack.” Specially trained Museum educators will work (STEAM) learning to a broader and more diverse to inspire children to solve design challenges through audience in the Dallas-Fort Worth region and beyond.