ANNUAL REPORT 2016 JULY 1, 2015 – JUNE 30, 2016 This year, Museum scientists continued to that so needs them, and also paid tribute to SCIENCE travel the globe to study species and habitats, pioneering Chinese paleontologist Mee-mann 4 including extensive, cross-disciplinary Chang with an honorary doctorate. expeditions in biodiversity-rich Cuba in Some 4,000 K-12 teachers participated in EDUCATION collaboration with colleagues at Havana’s professional development programs, and the National Natural History Museum, while also 10 pioneering Urban Advantage consortium of pursuing ground-breaking molecular, genomic, New York’s science-based cultural institutions, and phenomic research at home in our EXHIBITION which the Museum leads, continued to expand laboratories and world-renowned collections. 12 its work to improve the teaching and learning The Museum’s collection of specimens of science in New York City’s middle schools. and artifacts, one of the most scientifically REPORT OF THE This year, Urban Advantage reached more CHIEF FINANCIAL significant in the world, passed the 34 million than 77,000 students and 790 teachers in 281 OFFICER mark, including growing collections of frozen schools across the five boroughs. 14 tissue, DNA, and astrophysics and genomic data. Finally, to more fully leverage the confluence The Museum welcomed approximately five FINANCIAL of the Museum’s strengths and society’s need million visitors this year, many marveling STATEMENTS for pioneering science and effective science at the new Titanosaur exhibit. At 122 feet 16 education, this year the Museum announced long, this spectacular new icon highlights plans to create a major new facility, the Gilder the thrilling and significant discoveries in BOARD OF Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, TRUSTEES paleontology today. Special exhibitions and named Jeanne Gang as its architect and presented the frontiers of science such as the 18 Ralph Appelbaum as exhibit designer. The human microbiome and the links between new Richard Gilder Center will showcase the dinosaurs and modern birds. Public programs COMMITTEES OF Museum as an active, integrated place of THE BOARD OF ensured that the Museum remained a popular science and education, rooted in the collections, TRUSTEES destination for the curious of all ages—from imbued with the power of technology, and 20 the youngest scientists discovering nature to informed by the ways people learn, discover, families learning together, from young adults and interact today. COMMITTEES OF gathering at SciCafe to discuss science and THE MUSEUM, FROM THE PRESIDENT We live in a time when science underpins many of our society, to film buffs enjoying the Margaret Founded in 1869 as an institution of scientific PROJECT AND CHAIRMAN COMMITTEES, greatest challenges, from the environment to human Mead Film Festival. Of course, the Museum research and education, the Museum's work AND ADVISORY reaches many millions more online through health. An informed understanding of the world around has never been more timely or important COUNCILS its website, videos, apps, digital learning than it is now. We thank you for your interest us is essential to full participation in our society and 21 opportunities, and social media, and countless and participation. democracy, yet our children continue to fall behind their others through our touring exhibitions and GIFTS AND GRANTS Space Shows. peers worldwide in science achievement, and science is 22 increasingly questioned in public discourse. In this context, The annual commencement ceremony of our Lewis W. Bernard Richard Gilder Graduate School conferred Ph.D. PLANNED GIVING the American Museum of Natural History’s work of Chairman and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees, in the 34 advancing scientific research, preparing the next generation only such museum-based degree-granting of scientists and science teachers, and improving the public programs in the Western hemisphere. It was CREDITS a deeply proud moment as we sent our new understanding of science is more important than ever. Ellen V. Futter 35 scientists and science teachers into a world President 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 3 SCIENCE EXPEDITIONS: Adding to Scientific Knowledge and Collections 7 researchers working with Cuban colleagues on the Alberta, Canada George Barrowclough Poland Neil H. Landman Explore21 Expedition to Cuba Alaska James M. Carpenter Arizona Jerome G. Rozen Romania Mark A. Norell Arizona George E. Harlow Mongolia Mark A. Norell, Mike J. Novacek California John S. Sparks Cuba+ George Amato, Natalia Rossi California Rebecca Oppenheimer Cuba+ Ana Luz Porzecanski Nevada Melanie J. Hopkins Cuba+ Christopher J. Raxworthy, Brian T. Smith, Paul Sweet, Angelo Soto-Centeno New Mexico Jerome G. Rozen South Dakota Neil H. Landman Bermuda Eunsoo Kim, Mark E. Siddall 93 St. Catherines Island (Georgia) David Hurst Thomas Wyoming John J. Flynn expeditions Egypt James D. Webster India David A. Grimaldi Cayman Islands John S. Sparks Vietnam Mary E. Blair Mexico Charles Spencer Puerto Rico Eunsoo Kim Belize Nancy B. Simmons Netherlands Antilles Susan L. Perkins Sudan Alex de Voogt Cambodia* Mark E. Siddall 7 Panama Estefanía Rodríguez Solomon Islands Christopher Filardi, Georgina Cullman continents Vanuatu* Brian T. Smith Fiji Eleanor Sterling Peru Charles Spencer Tahiti Jennifer E. Newell SELECT EXPEDITIONS FROM FY2016 Madagascar Christopher J. Raxworthy Botswana Alex de Voogt Australia Christopher Filardi ANTHROPOLOGY EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES South Africa Lorenzo Prendini Uruguay Ross D.E. MacPhee INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY PALEONTOLOGY Argentina Ross D.E. MacPhee VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY SACKLER INSTITUTE FOR COMPARATIVE GENOMICS CENTER FOR BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION + Explore21 Expedition to Cuba * Constantine S. Niarchos Expeditions Antarctica Ross D.E. MacPhee Antarctica Jin Meng Antarctica Estefanía Rodríguez Invertebrate Zoology Collections per COLLECTIONS Vertebrate Zoology 23,312,067 Division 4,409,178 34,036,183 Earth & Planetary Sciences 155,607 specimens and artifacts 55,718 22,728 1,476 Ambrose Monell Cryo Collection (Frozen Tissue) Anthropology collection items added collection items loaned visiting scholars hosted 108,113 540,065 Paleontology 5,511,153 4 AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 5 JULY 2015 AUGUST 2015 more than RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: 4 1 How the Smilodon Vision for Future Space Flies in Amber Were Dogs Evolved with Got Its Teeth Telescopes Ancient Pollinators Climate Change Select Publications doctoral dissertation “Young Jupiter” 430 grants from the Exoplanet Across Five Divisions National Science Discovered Tseng Oppenheimer, Shara, Grimaldi Tseng scientific publications Foundation Mac Low NOVEMBER 2015 OCTOBER 2015 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUGUST 2015 Analysis of Oldest-known Wasp Fossils Suggest Ice Ancient “Supershark” Human Relative’s Foot a Step New Species of Human Polar Bears May Survive Astronomers Deceptive Woodpecker Plant-visiting Bat Suggests Age California Similar to Fossils Discovered in Texas Towards Modern Walking Relative Discovered the Ice Melt Discover “Young Uses Mimicry to Avoid It Was Omnivorous Modern Environment Jupiter” Exoplanet Competition Maisey Harcourt-Smith Harcourt-Smith Rockwell, Gormezano Simmons Holden Oppenheimer, Rice Benz NOVEMBER 2015 DECEMBER 2015 JANUARY 2016 FEBRUARY 2016 Reptile Fossil Solves Surprising Path of Dinosaurs May Have Museum Researchers New Leech Species Researchers Sequence Researchers Find Malaria Fossils in Amber Mystery of How Snakes Bird Evolution Breathed Like Birds Discover Glowing Named for Author First Bedbug Genome Parasite in East Coast’s Show Social Lost Their Legs Sea Turtles Amy Tan White-tailed Deer Behavior in Cracraft, Claramunt Watanabe, Gold, Tessler, DeSalle, Sorkin, Ancient Insects Yi, Norell Davidson, Norell Sparks Tessler, Siddall Siddall, Amato Perkins Grimaldi, Barden APRIL 2016 MARCH 2016 FEBRUARY 2016 Research Shows Vital Bigger Brains Drove Four New Lizard Researchers Discover Extinct Marine Mammal Why Some Supernovae Dodos Might Have Ancient Glyptodonts Links Between Lemurs Evolution to Bigger Species from Second Native Hunted Clams with a Continue to Burn Bright Been Quite Intelligent Related to Modern and Fruit Trees Human Bodies Eastern Paraguay Hawaiian Bat Big Bite Armadillos Graur Gold, Norell Herrera Grabowski Carvalho Simmons Tseng, Grohé, Flynn MacPhee APRIL 2016 MAY 2016 JUNE 2016 Paleontologists Gain New Flapping Before Flight Glowing Shark DNA Study Suggests Bioluminescence Evolved Scorpions Share Similar Insight to “Telescoping” Patterns Get Brighter Scorpions Diversified as Frequently in Fishes Tastes in Burrow Heers Crocodile Eyes in Deep Water Andes Formed Architecture Sparks Flynn Sparks Prendini Prendini 6 AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 7 Richard Gilder Graduate School CURATORS AND DIRECTORS Commencement October 5, 2015 Michael J. Novacek, Senior Vice President and Provost of Science Scott A. Schaefer, Dean of Science for Collections, Exhibition, and Public Understanding of Science Dr. Mee-mann Chang, one of China's John J. Flynn, Dean of Richard Gilder Graduate School preeminent paleontologists, received an honorary degree at the ceremony. In her remarks, Dr. Chang told DIVISION OF DIVISION OF PHYSICAL CENTER FOR BIODIVERSITY graduates that globalization and ANTHROPOLOGY SCIENCES AND CONSERVATION improved international collaboration have raised expectations for today's Laurel Kendall, Division Chair DEPARTMENT OF ASTROPHYSICS Ana Luz Porzecanski,