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Meet Your Tour Guide: Allie

My name is Allie. I want to help bridge the gap between science and people. Scientists are often on the front lines of communicating current research to public audiences. With their knowledge and credibility they are able to dispel false information and misconceptions - which often finds its way into  public discussion. Effective science communication provides the public with a better understanding about topics ranging from health to environment.  As a result, society benefits as a whole. Unfortunately, scientists often lack the training to effectively communicate science to non-scientists. Researchers used to rely on conferences and papers to communicate their science, but now the conversation has moved outside of these two forms of communication. Now it is important for scientists to know how to create meaningful online conversations and connections with scientists and the wider public in a way that wasn’t possible before. My goal is to inform, educate  and rai...
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There is More to Museums Than Meets the Eye


What is a museum? At first glance - a museum is a place that is filled with old things. However, there is a bit more to them than that.  Museums only show a small fragment of their collection to the public.  There are millions upon millions of specimens and fossils that are never seen by the public. These specimens and fossils are concealed behind the front of the house of the museum or on an off-site location.

This means that beyond being entertainment for the public - a museum is a facility that stores many treasures.  These treasures are like archives to scientists, they shine a light on the world and history.   Because each museum collection is unique - scientists travel around the world to see them and learn from them.

This means that any loss of a collection would be a huge loss in knowledge. For instance, the terrible fire at the National Museum of Brazil, represents a huge loss of knowledge. The knowledge that was once available, is available no longer; the things that were once able to be taught from their collection, can no longer be taught.

This horrible fire took away 20 million artifacts at Brazil's National Museum. Among the artifacts lost were audio recordings of dead languages spoken by natives or aboriginal people. It can’t be replicated or replaced. The collections in Brazil were unique to that region. Now, we have lost links to Brazil’s culturally rich past.

This is why museums are important. This is why their staff is important. We want people to see all the awesome things that a museum holds. We want to share the knowledge with you, the public. We want to make sure the knowledge is there for researchers around the globe. If they are able to access the knowledge and use it for their research - it has the possibility to change the world.

So again, what is a museum?  A museum is the story of us. The story of our world.

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