As we enter our 124th year, Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s focus is on the next generation of knowledge creation and dissemination. This is a re-enlivened approach solidified during our recent strategic planning process and conveyed in the museum’s new mission: To seek inspiration from our collections and advocate for a sustainable future.
This mission is perfectly embodied in a new museum initiative that recently garnered the largest National Science Foundation grant in Carnegie Museums’ history. This infusion of $1.25 million for the Climate and Rural Systems Partnership (CRSP) project will bring the science of climate change to rural communities in western Pennsylvania. The time has never been better for the CRSP initiative, when growing pockets of regenerative practice are deepening rural communities’ links to technology, the economy, and employment.
“It’s an unprecedented occasion to collaborate with communities we have not reached historically.”
Following the success of our exhibition We Are Nature: Living in the Anthropocene, CRSP represents an important opportunity to showcase the work of our intrinsically linked education, science, and exhibition teams to the community in a meaningful way. It’s also an unprecedented occasion to collaborate with communities we have not reached historically. Our director of education, Laurie Giarratani, and curator of the Anthropocene, Nicole Heller, are leading this invaluable work.
In 1926, one of my predecessors, Andrey Avinoff, began collecting local plants, contributing to what is now a nationally significant collection of 22 million objects. CRSP, a uniquely western Pennsylvanian project, represents an unbroken line of stewardship of the region and its heritage. I’m excited to strengthen our position at the forefront of this field, grateful to build on our long history of connection with partner organizations, and proud to empower local communities, continuing to support nature and culture in areas where it is needed most.
Eric Dorfman, Ph.D.
Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Director, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
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