inspire volunteer visit join research teach discover collect Florida Museum learn of Natural History Annual Report preserve 2 010 -2 011 collaborate donate participate explore The Florida Museum of Natural History inspires people to value the biological richness and cultural heritage of our diverse world and make a positive difference in its future. 2010-2011 impact 3,307 Facebook 509,001 by the numbers: fans. website database queries. 380 8,165 1,310 collection loans 17,5 87 Public Programs Twitter to other institutions. Discovery Room attendees. followers. 33 countries visited visitors. by Museum researchers. 34,110 hours donated by 1,768 659 volunteers. 486 news articles students participated published. in summer camps. 115 graduate committees served, 133 including 84 chaired peer-reviewed by Museum faculty. scientific publications. 15.23 million $10 million web page views 47 NSF award received UF courses taught to digitize the nation’s by Museum faculty. biological collections. 39 new grants and contracts worth more than $4.58 million received by Museum 34 million 22,365 scientists. total specimens. specimens loaned to other institutions. Florida Museum Editor Photographers Designers Printing of Natural History Paul Ramey, APR Jennifer Duerden Elecia Crumpton StorterChilds Printing Co. Marketing and Public Relations [email protected] Jeff Gage Andreina Hornez-Peralta PO Box 112710 Contributing Editors Kristen Grace Leah Welch Gainesville, FL 32611-2710 Elise LeCompte Gustav Paulay Beverly Sensbach David Reed David Steadman Mark Whitten Eric Zamora About the design concept Challenged to visually communicate the Museum’s focus on impact this past year, I was inspired to explore visual metaphor. I thought of highly evolved systems in nature that ensure the survival of plant species by dispersing multitudes of tiny seeds, which are opportunities for potential life and growth. Some seeds are designed to travel far and wide, to establish as many new plants as possible. The dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, on the front cover, seemed the perfect visual metaphor to communicate what I feel represents the Florida Museum of Natural History’s far-reaching and never-ending impact. My hope is that as you read this report, you’ll see what I mean, and be inspired to care about life on Earth. Elecia Crumpton Graphic Design Coordinator A message from the director This past year the Museum invested a great deal of energy into analyzing our intended impact on the various audiences we serve. While our mission – understanding, preserving and interpreting biological diversity and cultural heritage to ensure their survival for future generations – describes what the Museum does, our intended impact describes the result of the Museum’s work, or what we hope to achieve as we carry out our mission. Understanding the ultimate effect of our efforts is especially important in the current landscape of limited resources and heightened accountability. It helps to guide decision- making, prioritization of actions and the alignment of precious resources. Assisting us in the impact-planning process was Randi Korn and Associates, Inc. of Virginia, who helped us articulate the Museum’s impact statement: People are inspired to value the biological richness and cultural heritage of our diverse world and make a positive difference in its future. It follows that the organizing theme of this Annual Report is impact. The ensuing pages highlight some of the many ways the Museum inspires people to care about life on Earth and value our cultural heritage. Perhaps nowhere was this more clearly seen than in the temporary The Florida Museum’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity roof was selected as exhibition, The Blue Path: Protecting Florida’s Springs, which described the uncertain future of our a campus demonstration site for an innovative solar array. Installation of the 75kW system was completed state’s precious water resources. We also opened our long-awaited Lastinger Family Foundation in May 2010, and it now contributes power to the Gallery featuring Collections are the Library of Life, an interactive exhibit emphasizing the positive Museum’s electrical and cooling systems. impact scientific biocollections have on some of the major challenges facing society today. At the same time we also opened an award-winning exhibition, Dugout Canoes – Paddling through the Americas, inspired by the discovery of 101 dugout canoes at nearby Newnans Lake. The Museum posted its most successful year ever in terms of competitive grants and contracts. Particularly noteworthy are two large NSF grants: 1) Bruce MacFadden and a team of paleontologists received $3.8 million in the highly competitive Partnerships for International Research and Education program to work on ancient biodiversity in the Panama Canal region. This will impact the lives of many students and young professionals as a new generation of globally competent scientists is trained. 2) The other grant is the largest in the Museum’s history – $10 million – awarded to Larry Page and colleagues from the Museum, the UF Inspiring people College of Engineering and Florida State University to establish a national center for digitization of biocollections. to care about life on Earth… In August we reluctantly celebrated the retirement of Distinguished Research Curator and James E. Lockwood, Jr. Professor of Archaeology, Dr. Kathleen Deagan. Few would question the enormous and lasting impact Kathy has had on the Museum, her students and the field of historical archaeology. Fortunately she continues to work in St. Augustine and remains involved as curator emerita, extending the impact of her brilliant career. I hope you enjoy this report, and after reading it will agree with me that the Florida Museum of Natural History’s impact is both significant and lasting. Douglas S. Jones, Ph.D. Director, Florida Museum of Natural History ANNUAL REPORT 2010-2011 3 Rosie Kereston, left, participates in Museum ‘perfect fit’ for ButterflyFest as a pollinator. outstanding junior volunteer Since sixth grade, 17-year-old Rosie Kereston has committed her Rosie has served in a variety of positions as a volunteer, from summers to serving the Museum as a Junior Volunteer. “I had always working with children in the Discovery Room to engaging visitors loved visiting the Museum as a child,” she says, “so I felt dedicating at the discovery cart. Throughout all of these experiences she has my time to working there would be very worthwhile and fun.” taken on every task with intelligence and enthusiasm. Rosie also knew she would later need volunteer experience for Rosie’s favorite job at the Museum is working as a Butterfly Rainforest college scholarships, but wanted to volunteer someplace she interpreter. She loves not only talking with visitors, but also learning loved. She said the Museum was the perfect fit. about the different butterfly species in the exhibit. Last summer, Rosie was excited for the opportunity to volunteer in the McGuire “Interacting with people of all ages and sharing what I’ve learned Center scientific collections because it provided her with hands-on are two of my favorite things,” she said. “Going back to the Museum experience working with Lepidoptera specimens. is something I look forward to at the start of every summer.” Recently, Rosie’s passion and hard work have enabled her to earn Education assistant Jennifer Hunzinger, who coordinated the junior a volunteer position in the McGuire Center laboratory where she volunteer program last summer, said Rosie embodies many of the will assist a team of scientists analyzing Lepidoptera genetics. qualities the Museum looks for in junior volunteers. Now in her junior year, Rosie plants to attend college and hasn’t yet decided on a major. But she said her volunteer work at the “Rosie is enthusiastic about learning new skills and excited to share Museum has sparked her interest in biology and chemistry. her knowledge with visitors,” Hunzinger said. “She also approaches “Without question, volunteering at the Museum has already her assignments with a mature sense of service, is highly regarded impacted my earliest career decisions,” she said. by her supervisors and other junior volunteers, and has a wonderful reputation for dependability.” Just as Rosie has benefited from her Museum service, the Museum, in turn, is more successful because of the work of talented and dedicated volunteers like Rosie. 4 Florida Museum of Natural History www.flmnh.ufl.edu Ichthyology graduate assistant Felipe Carvalho, who is researching Blue Sharks, displays maps collections and research indicating the species’ population distribution. The Florida Museum of Natural History houses more than 34 million scientific specimens. The collections include field notes, photographs, databases, and libraries that complement the irreplaceable scientific value of the specimens themselves. Most of the Museum’s ever-growing collections of plants, animals, fossils and artifacts rank among the top 10 nationally and internationally. The Museum’s Collections and Research Division had an outstanding year during 2010-2011. While its main focus is Florida, the southeastern United States and the Caribbean, the Florida Museum’s many research projects span the globe--including work in 33 countries last year. Museum researchers brought in more than $4.58 million in new grants and contracts to support field and laboratory research, collections and education ranging from pre-K to the postdoctoral level. Marine Malacology curator Gustav Paulay photographed this Puget Sound king crab, Lopholithodes mandtii, during a recent research expedition. Among many others, exciting new projects include research on the evolution and ecology of plants and animals on tropical islands, the evolution and early diversification of mammals after The Museum also received the largest grant in its more-than-100- the extinction of dinosaurs, and the production, trade and social year history: $10 million over five years from the National Science implications of prehistoric American Indian pottery. These projects Foundation to improve access to the nation’s biological collections.