Mid- America Science Museum joins in Citizen Science project
Mid- America Science Museum has partnered with the Natural Products Discovery Group to promote a Citizen Science Soil Collection project that may eventually lead to the creation of new medicines.
“This is another fun activity we’ve taken on to promote the museum as an educational resource in the community,” said Diane LaFollette, executive director. “Similarly with our 100 Girls of Code initiative and last year when we hosted the Mastodon Muck, we have a lot of plans moving forward to continue these fun projects.”
Visitors to the museum may pick up a free soil collection kit and send samples back to the chemistry and biochemistry department at the University of Oklahoma. Postage is free and the project could help scientists discover microorganisms that may hold the secret to creating new medicines.
Soil samples must be under the ownership of the individual submitting it, and children should have their parents’ permission before collecting a sample. The site of the sample collection should also be free of any known chemical or biological hazards.
The university also gives citizen scientists the opportunity to be featured on their website by submitting a photo of themselves or the collection site via the email address provided with the sample form. Kits are now available in
the museum store, but will soon be available in the Arkansas Underfoot Gallery.
“Our focus at Mid- America Science Museum has always greatly dealt with the natural sciences and this project gets local citizens and outside visitors hands on with the process of examining soil and earth science,” Director of Education Shena Ball said in a news release.
According to LaFollette, it isn’t just locals they are hoping will get involved.
“What makes this so cool is we will have not only people from Hot Springs, but our visitors from all over the country involved,” she said. “Say a family from Texas comes up and grabs a kit on their way out. When they return home, they can send a sample from their backyard. This way the scientists at the university are getting a broad range of samples.”
In a news release, Richard Vaught, soil scientist with the USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Service, said the museum’s participation in a program that “encourages the public to literally get their hands dirty to help study the world around them is quite valuable.”
“This program could encourage a greater understanding of our soil, which is an extremely important, yet often neglected and misunderstood natural resource,” he said.
LaFollette said the project doesn’t seem to have a time frame, and that she and the staff of the museum are all taking soil samples and participating.
“From what I understand, it’s not necessarily something they can put a time limit on,” she said. “Rather, they will be taking samples for as long as it takes to get a good set of samples.
“And we’re all participating. We’ve all taken samples here and will at home.”
Mid- America continues its summer hours through Labor Day, and LaFollette said visitation is starting to wind down with the start of school in mid- August. But even with a decline, attendance is still recordbreaking.
“Even with our attendance declining, we’re still seeing great visitation,” she said. “As school starts, we will start seeing more field trips and attendance will continue to be strong.”