11/7/15

• 3:02- I’m in the Nature Research Portion of the museum. Many families observing the exhibits.

• So many exhibits here- Research Lab Earth Observation that is associated with NCSU, Naturalist Center filled with bones and taxidermies of animals-birds, puma, etc., WRAL Storm Central interactive exhibit, and SECU Daily Planet exhibit

• 3:04- Father reading the descriptions of the Diversity of Life exhibit to his daughters

• So many floors and levels to the museum

• 3:06- Man sitting near me that looks disinterested in the museum and is looking at his phone.

• 3:06- Exhibit guide leaders ask people to wait outside of the Naturalist Center because there are already a lot of people in the room- one couple patiently waits while another leaves

• Many different ages- young children, teenagers, young adults, parents, grandparents, middle aged, older people.

• Large mix in diversity of the people here

• Mostly families with small children though

• Exhibits consists of taxidermies, fake plants and trees, and descriptions of the animals and plant life. Some exhibits have live animals- mostly insects, fish, or reptiles

• 3:12- Moved up to the 3rd floor which is labeled “From Dinosaurs to DNA”

• Contains a NASA Research Lab Space Observations that partners with App State University.

• Has more research labs that people can go into

• 3:13- Small boy is very interested in the exhibits and the fish in a glass, proceeds to hit the glass with his hand and make unrecognizable words, the fish swim away from the side he hit

• 3:14- A different small child (brown curly hair) younger than the previous is interested in my keyboard and what I’m doing- dad says to him “just someone pounding away at a keyboard”

• Meteor orbs falling from the ceiling at the NASA Research Lab

• Large sculpture of DNA connected to the ceiling- can see the different bases in DNA

• Paleontology Research Lab that you can go into and see what the scientists are doing-associated with NCSU

• Again a huge variety of people are here at the exhibit

• 3:22- Moved to the first floor of the Natural Research Center; this floor is focused on a greener future and saving the planet

• 3:23- Little boy looking at a picture and keeps saying “it used to be like this” repeatedly to his dad-approximately 5 times

• 3:23- A different small child being carried out of the center by his father and he is crying a screaming because he doesn’t want to leave

• 3:24- Little boy that was repeating the phrase has a sister and a brother- they want to go to a different part of the museum but their dad is trying to check the score for a game so they must wait

• 3:25- The score isn’t coming up so the dad says they can go ahead and go upstairs

• Large fossil of a right whale is hanging from the ceiling

• 3:27- Family walks into the center and the small girl says “wow”

• 3:28- Exploring the Deep Sea exhibit- people are waiting for the next showing; 5 of them sit at some benches waiting

• 3:29- SECU Daily Planet video is showing the Brown Pelican- discussing the ban of DDT and then in 1985 the Brown Pelican was taken off the Endangered Species List

• 8 people watching the video with me- a woman (who just left 3:31), a boy and his grandfather, a middle aged man with a beard and a couple with their two small boys

• 3:32- Our changing ocean exhibit has real fish with a “Do not Tap” sign on the glass

• 3:37- Went back to the second floor- called Earth Observed

• Have a window on Animal Health- contains a heart monitor, posters of the Anatomy of a snake and rabbit, sink, containers with chemicals and/or drug, and latex gloves

• 3:42- Moved to the Museum of Natural Sciences portion of the Museum

  • Same amount of ethnic diversity- Caucasian, African American, Indian, Hispanic/Latino, Asian

• Small Children so excited to be here- Little girl runs around and happily hugs her dad

• 3:43- Indian family is taking pictures with their heads through the animal’s heads (holes located where the face would be)- A koala bear and a kangaroo and her baby.

• 3:44- many other children enjoy putting their heads in the holes

• Lots of fossils hanging from the ceiling- whales, manatees, etc.

• 3:45- Currently in the Piedmont portion of the exhibit

• 3:46- Young adult couple walks around, holding hands, and looking at the exhibits. Live and dead animals in the exhibit

• Giving descriptions of the characteristics of North Carolina- Oldest River in North America, Most fungi in the continental US, Tallest Waterfall in the Southern Appalachians, and most salamander species in the world.

• 3:49- couple is looking at map to find the elevator

• 3:52- moved to the portion called Savanna and Bottomland

• There is an exhibit on Extreme Mammals- this exhibit costs money so I will not be going- a couple walks up the the exhibit but they do not have tickets so they take a brochure instead. (3:54)

• 3:55- A daughter and her dad try and go into the exhibit but then realize it costs money so they leave and explore the piedmont area

• In the Savanna part they have a taxidermy alligator and bald eagle

• 3:56- A grandmother asks her granddaughter what the picture is and she says “is it a wolf?” and the girl responds with “yeah it is a wolf”

• 4:01- Moved to the third floor of the museum- full of dinosaurs and the different stages of the Earth- Precambrian, Mesozoic, etc.

• Fossil of a Giant Ground Sloth, Fossils of many dinosaurs and the “Terror of the South”- Acrocanthosaurus which was the top known land predator of the South millions of years ago.

• 4:07- A little boy is spinning information boards and he is spinning them too fast, so his mother tells him “Can you actually read them and not spin them around so fast?”

• Again there are so many different kinds of people here- Families, couples, single people, friends; so many ethnicities also.

• 4:10- A mother is reading aloud the descriptions to her son about helping the environment

• Spinning globe that highlights the different biomes across the earth.

• 4:17 moved to the first floor where they have specific things found in North Carolina- brown pelican, American Caesar’s Mushroom, longleaf pine, northern cardinals and flowering dogwoods, gold and emerald.

• 4:21: many people shopping in the museum store- lots of glass and jewelry- much more expensive looking than the gift shop on the second floor that had t-shirts and stuffed animals.

11/8/15

• 2:30- Smaller amount of people at the museum today (Sunday) than on Saturday.

• 2:34- Dad is asking his daughters which continents are which while the giant globe spins around.

• 2:35- Special presentation going on in a room- Called “Meet the animals”- the animal today is a rabbit. The woman giving the presentation is walking around with the rabbit and having people pet it

• The room is a semi circle with windows so that people outside of the room can look in. There is an entrance door and an exit door. The seating is done like a small amphitheater.

• 2:38- The people are stroking it with their index and middle finger together- this must be how she told them to pet the rabbit

• Lots of families with small children watching the presentation

• 2:40- The woman leading the presentation is walking around with a container that has white mice in it. It is clear with the top removed

• 2:41- A couple and their son walk by; the woman is carrying a half of a cake and the man is carrying a clear trash bag with presents inside- must be someone’s birthday

• 2:34- group of young teenage boys walking around- look like high school age

• Many families walking around; lots of ethnicity

• 2:44- The presenting woman puts on tan gloves and then proceeds to pick up a porcupine and hold it- she is explaining something to the crowd, probably info about the porcupine

• 2:46- She proceeds to take off her gloves and pet the porcupine from the front where his head is towards his back.

• 2:47- Brings the porcupine around so that people can get a better look.

• 2:48- puts the porcupine back in its container

• 2:49- She pulls out a ferret and holds it, she’s talking to the audience while showing them the ferret.

• 2:49- one little girl is scared to pet the ferret

• 2:50- Other children and adults pet the ferret with their two fingers as she brings it around.

• The lady is wearing a green t-shirt that looks like on from the museum and a blue apron that has the Museum of Natural Sciences logo on it.

• 2:53- Found a location called Curiosity Classrooms on the third floor and there is a sign inside that says “Welcome Birthday Party Guests!”- Must be for the child whose parents were carrying around the cake and presents.

• An incredibly smaller amount of people than there was yesterday.

• 3:03- Moved to Nature Research Center and there is a smaller amount of people here too.

• The Museum has two places to eat- The Acro Café on the 4th floor of Natural Science Museum and The Daily Planet Café on the 1st floor of the Nature Research Center.

• 3:06- The people here go around and read the descriptions on the exhibits.

• 3:08- There are many different interactive places where people at the museum can go inside and play around- These are called “Investigate Lab”; There is an Investigate Lab Micro World, an Investigate Lab Visual World and an Investigate Lab Natural World.

• 3:09- There are sounds of elephants and a child saying “Dad look at this.”

• 3:13 More people are here now

• 3:14- People are waiting in line for the Naturalist Center.

• 3:15- The Research Labs they have here allowing people to look in and see what the scientists are doing. They can ask questions but are not allowed to go into the Research Labs.

• 3:17- The people that were waiting for the Naturalist Center were allowed inside.

• 3:20- Sounds of tree frogs are heard in the Natural portion of the Research Center

• 3:21- Many people wearing Panthers gear for the game today