John Stonecipher Named Volunteer of the Year

Longtime Sam Noble Museum volunteer John Stonecipher will be honored as the Tom Siegenthaler Volunteer of the Year award for 2016 at the museum’s Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on April 28.

Stonecipher has had a life-long love of science. That passion brought him to the Sam Noble Museum in October of 2006, and has kept him in the vertebrate paleontology laboratory ever since. He began volunteering in the lab after being approached by other museum volunteers during a member event. Since then, he has logged 2006 hours with the museum.

“They made me realize that I was going to be able to learn about something that fascinated me and I loved, while also treating the specimens with the respect they deserved,” Stonecipher said.

Stonecipher helps open fossil jackets, prepares bones for storage in the collection or display, and creates casts and conducts mold-making. One of the largest projects he worked on in the past was aiding in the creation of casts and pouring the resin for the baby Apatosaurus skeleton now on display in the Clash of the Titans exhibit in the Hall of Ancient Life.  He also was part of the team that removed a set of a Sauroposeidon’s neck ribs which were over 7 feet long from their encasing stone matrix.

“I love getting to see things that haven’t been seen before by humans,” Stonecipher said. “I love working on them until they’re presentation-quality specimens.”

It’s Women’s History Month!

Every March, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia celebrate the contributions of women in history and present day.

International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, has been celebrated since 1911.

Nearly 80 years after the first International Women’s Day, President Jimmy Carter signed a presidential proclamation making the week of March 8, 1980 National Women’s History Week, celebrating leaders in women’s rights, like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth. Then, in 1988 Women’s History Month (an extension of Carter’s original week-long proclamation) was initiated and has been observed ever since..

The museum is especially excited about Women’s History Month — and even more notably, women in science. Women hold a multitude of leadership positions here — from our head curator, Janet Braun, to the many curators, collection managers, registrar and educators.

While you may have difficulty identifying a women in science, you wouldn’t if you considered this:

How would you signal an S.O.S if not for Martha Coston, inventor of the signal flare?

Thanks to Mary Anderson, rain doesn’t have to wash the fun away! She invented windshield wipers!

The ocean is filled with wonders that couldn’t be examined if not for the underwater telescope, developed by Sarah Mather, and thanks to life rafts — er — Maria Beasly, exploring bodies of water is also safer.

These women and thousands of others are why we encourage everyone, including women, to study in STEM fields! While we admire these women today, we should also encourage our youngsters to forge their own paths to discovery!

Explore the ways we research and make breakthroughs in science every day through this blog, or visit our website for more on science and education!

Oklahoma Meets the Philippines

There are some places in this world many of us can only dream of visiting — the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert, the winding, meandering Amazon River or the snowy peaks of the Himalayas. But on a research trip being led by herpetology curator Cameron Siler, Ph.D., scientists will be exploring locations just like that in the rainforests of the Philippines. Specifically, he, along with other herpetologists and recent invertebrates curator Katrina Menard, Ph.D., are conducting research on the islands of Luzon, one of the largest islands of the Philippines, and Pollilo, a smaller island a short distance from Luzon.

Due to the country’s vast biological diversity and lack of research efforts, the existence of many species have gone unreported, which, for many scientists like Siler, makes the Philippine islands an ideal location for research. 

Siler was studying amphibians and reptiles from the Philippines as an undergraduate when he was inspired by trips his advisor led to the country’s various islands.

“There’s always so much to discover,” Siler said.

One of their interests during this excursion will be on a type of burrowing lizard called the Philippine slender skink.

“The major body forms of species in this group of lizards vary greatly,” Siler said. “The numbers of fingers and toes differ from species to species, and in at least four instances, species have lost their limbs completely and look more like snakes than what we think of typically as a lizard. We want to learn why this peculiar group of lizards has evolved this way, as well as how these body differences develop and function.”

They’ll be studying the skink in its natural environment and conduct in-field experiments with live lizards to learn more about how species with various body forms move through their environments, as well as how these body forms develop.

Research of Miniscule Proportions

Ants. They’re everywhere — literally.

Karl Roeder, a graduate student from the OU biology department working in the museum’s recent invertebrates collection, is conducting  research to determine how many and what kind of ant species live in the state of Oklahoma.

Roeder’s goal is to survey five to ten of Oklahoma’s 77 counties by the end of the year.

Why is he surveying the types of ant species across Oklahoma, you may ask?

Worldwide, there are over 12,000 ant species. On the North American continent alone, there are over 1,000 species.  Presently, most counties in Oklahoma have five or fewer species of ant recorded.  Many counties have no recorded species at all. Those numbers are staggeringly low as surrounding states, such as Missouri, have over 144 species of ants recorded. Considering Oklahoma’s vast biodiversity, this leaves a pretty big hole in research.

“There’s been a lot of talk about the effects of climate change,” Roeder said. “Oklahoma is an interesting place where you can already see these effects.  To understand future impact on ant species in our state, we need to know what’s there now so we can monitor any change .”

So far, Roeder has already discovered a new genus of ant for the state of Oklahoma (it was previously unrecorded in this state, though there are records of it in surrounding states) and has collected at least 40 species of ants. In Comanche County alone, Roeder and his team have recorded 47 species of ants, which is the highest number of recorded species for any county in the state.

Actually “Be the Dinosaur”

A lifelike delight for the entire family, the “Be the Dinosaur” exhibit features video game stations that require each player to actually be a dinosaur in the Late Cretaceous period, which took place over 65 million years ago.  Do you want to be an herbivore or a carnivore? Make the choice and embark upon a virtual adventure for survival – deciding to eat the wrong plant or turning the wrong corner could spell the end of the game.

Cutting-edge and educational, “Be the Dinosaur” brings to life one of the world’s most extensive restorations of an extinct ecosystem ever created.  Visitors are able to explore what a day in the life of a Tyrannosaurus rex or Triceratops prorsus may have actually been like based on fossil evidence of flora and fauna that are believed to have co-existed in the Late Cretaceous.  Live and learn in their world.  Experience what it was like to BE a dinosaur – together.

Back by popular demand are presentations in our Dinosaurs, Past and Present Lecture Series.   2016 will feature Matt Wedel, Ph.D. in March and Paul Sereno,, Ph.D. in April.  Stop by the museum and discover which animal is the largest of all time during “Dinosaur Vs. Whales: What Is the Largest Animal of All Time?” from Matt Wedel, Ph.D. at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. The presentation is free and open to the public.  It will begin with a light reception at 5:30 p.m. Wedel is a research associate with the museum’s vertebrate paleontology collection, and says that size is always on the minds of paleontologists and the public alike. Stay tuned for updates on Sereno’s lecture, “Cold Case File: Dinosaur Bombed Then Stolen,” on April 16.

“Size comes up in any conversation about dinosaurs,” said Wedel. “The question of how dinosaurs got so big still drives my research today. I've been fortunate to get to work on some of the largest dinosaurs of all time, including two from Oklahoma - Apatosaurus, and Sauroposeidon, which I helped name back in 2000.”

Here at the museum we’re all a-flitter and a-twitter and a-flutter for Valentine’s Day!

We’ve compiled a quick list of some peculiar love rituals from the animal world. Many of our collections, including mammalogy, recent invertebrates, ornithology and ichthyology could easily house any one of these as collection specimens. Happy learning, and happy Valentine’s Day!

1. Andean Flamingo: As you can see in the clip below, flamingoes rely on a funny group dance to entice a mate. They can dance together in groups of more than 5,000 birds, marching, honking, squeaking — anything to attract a mate. 

2. Manakin: This tiny bird, native to South America, performs a cute little mating dance that strongly resembles Jackson’s iconic Moonwalk. 

3. Emperor Penguins: Bugle calls! Just like a trumpet in a band, male emperor penguins lower their heads and let out loud bugle calls for all the females to hear. 

4. Praying Mantis: Male praying mantises, like so many of on our list, also engage in an elaborate courtship dance to convince a female to choose him. The downside? The female usually ends up eating the male’s head off in the end. 

5. Hippopotamus: When a male hippo wants to impress a female hippo… he poops everywhere. If the female is sufficiently impressed, she accepts his romantic suit.

Busy Bees at the Museum

There are only six known copies of the Apiarium, published in 1625.

One of them will be on display at the Sam Noble Museum starting Feb. 6 through Aug. 31, 2016 as part of our exhibit Through the Eyes of the Lynx: Galileo and the Microscope, which is part of the University of Oklahoma’s Galileo’s World exhibition, which spans seven locations across three campuses.

The Apiarium is a poster-sized work created by Francesco Stelluti and Federigo Cesi that examines the anatomy of the bee.

So where does Galileo come in?

All of the insightful, detailed observations made by Stelluti and Cesi were made using Galileo’s “new instrument,” which was a “telescope accommodated for viewing things very close.” We know that instrument today as the microscope. Stelluti and Cesi used Galileo’s microscope to view the bees detailed in the Apiarium on a level no one else had before — and the Apiarium along with Galileo’s earlier work Sidereus nuncius (1610) became the first two works with published observations made by people using the microscope and the telescope, respectively.

Here in the museum, microscopes are part of our everyday lives. Most of our collections use them to examine specimens and objects—the collections have more than twenty microscopes between them, ranging in size and function.

In addition to the Apiarium, the new exhibit will feature a replica of a microscope quite like the one originally created by Galileo and one of his contemporaries, Giuseppe Campani.

Reaching Oklahoma

“Dude, all birds have eyes.”  

“That looks so creepy!”

“Look how small it is!”

Seventh grade students file into Mr. Hagny’s first hour science class, exclaiming over the specimens (birds, frogs, a mouse and more brought from the museum’s collections) lined up at the front table. Today was special—the Sam Noble Museum had come to visit.

Usually when you hear “Sam Noble Museum” most people think of the museum itself—the building and exhibits, the objects and specimens on display or some of the special events. The second thing many people think about is our educational classes held at the museum. The third thing isn’t usually our educational outreach programs—but they should be. They’re one of the most important undertakings the museum provides for students especially in light of the current budget crisis facing many of the schools in the state of Oklahoma.  Some schools can’t come to the museum, so we “take the museum to the schools.”

“We want to create interest in science,” said Jes Cole, head of education. “People can sometimes be intimidated by science, and many students only have access to a few science classes. We want to ignite passion, understanding, interest and awareness and create a population of students who want to study the world.”

Get ready to “Be the Dinosaur”

Here at the Sam Noble Museum we love dinosaurs. They’re part of our everyday lives. From March 5 through June 12, the museum will be bringing them to life. “Be the Dinosaur,” an exhibit from Eureka Exhibits, will let you (and us) actually be a dinosaur.

Through state-of-the-art video game technology, the exhibit designers have meticulously recreated the Cretaceous period (which was 65 million years ago) to allow you to quite literally be a dinosaur. Fun and educational, the adventure begins by choosing whether you want to live as a carnivore (a Tyrannosaurus rex) or an herbivore (a Triceratops).

“Be the Dinosaur” places you in the lost world of dinosaurs.  You’ll be surrounded by the natural environment, including plants and even insects that, based on fossils, paleontologists believe dinosaurs walked in. The only goal? Survival, which is easier said than done.  One misstep with the joystick, or selecting one wrong plant (or fellow dinosaur) to eat could spell the end of the line.

In addition to video game stations, guests can experience a paleontology field station, play in a Safari Jeep, explore the mysteries of paleontology and more!

Impacting Our Community

As we reflect on the past year, we’re continually drawn back to our connection to the community surrounding the museum. More than 128,000 visitors have come through our doors this year. We’ve had 359 schools with 20,612 visitors (students, teachers and chaperones) schedule field trips. Of those, 2,966 visitors from 48 schools received an assistance from the museum’s Fossil Fuel Fund to help pay for the visit.

“Community programs that involve citizens in science are important because science is such a vital part of daily life,” said Catherine Carter, school programs coordinator. “Science is present in cooking, travel and the technology we use all the time. Science teaches us to be better problem solvers and to thing about things differently. It is essential that museums provide programs like ours because it helps get the community involved and interested in science by experiencing it in a fun and engaging way.”

Every year, we provide programs like Spike’s Club, Summer Explorers and Spring Break Escape to bring science to Oklahomans in a fun, informative environment.

“Curators, staff and students at the museum make new discoveries every day,” said Jes Cole, head of education. “The goal of our education department is to bring the science and excitement of these discoveries to the community, so that Oklahomans can become inspired to learn more about the science in the world we share.”

We’re excited that the First Folio came to the museum early.

Like, really excited.

The most excited, because if you haven’t heard, we really love Shakespeare.

And why? Because it’s an incredibly important document that saved several of Shakespeare’s plays from being lost to time forever.

Plus, who doesn’t love a good story?

Shakespeare’s got it all.

Love.

Revenge.

Comedy.

Killer insults.

Drama.

Everything!

We’re the only stop in Oklahoma for the “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare” exhibit tour, and it’s only here until Jan. 30, so hasten to the museum as fast as your feet, cars and other forms of transportation can carry you, because you’ll never forgive yourself if you miss it.

PS: We love Shakespeare so much, we made sure every single gif in this post was Shakespeare-related.

A Chilly Upgrade

Established in 2006, the museum’s Oklahoma Collection of Genomic Resources houses nearly 37,000 vials of genetic data, which represent 40 different orders, 144 families, 401 genera, 698 species and 13,706 individuals. The vials are currently housed in mechanical freezers (meaning they run on electricity) that hold a temperature of minus 80 degrees Celsius.

The problem? In order to prevent the genetic samples from degrading, they need to be held at minus 130 degrees.

The solution? A grant the collection just received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for $129,000 that will fund a new form of storage that utilizes liquid nitrogen.

That’s correct — liquid nitrogen!

We can all agree that liquid nitrogen is pretty amazing for impractical purposes (like destroying a Nokia phone), but in the case of the genetic resources collection, it’s also a collection-saver. The liquid nitrogen storage system will keep the tissue samples at minus 150 degrees Celsius — meaning no degradation.

“One of the most challenging collections that any museum preserves is one of frozen tissues,” Braun said. “This is probably the most significant grant for collection preservation that I have received during my 30 years with the museum. With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the museum will provide for the long-term safety and security of the collection for decades.”

The new system will also mean the collection won’t require electricity to keep the vials ice-cold — a boon in a region such as Oklahoma, where tornadoes, ice storms and severe thunderstorms can cut power for hours or days. With the current freezers, Braun or curatorial associate Brandi Coyner, Ph.D., must arrive at the museum within an hour to connect the freezers to portable generators and keep the cold running. The liquid nitrogen storage system can hold temperatures above critical levels for about 26 days, meaning that even in the case of long-term electrical failure, the collection will remain safe.

Construction for the installation of the new storage system has already begun — keep following us for more updates!