BRINGING BUGS, CLAMS AND ROCKS OUT OF THE WUNDERCABINET

Most Hoosiers don’t realize the multiples roles that a small community in the far southwestern corner of Indiana played in 19^th century science. When social activists Robert Owen and William Maclure purchased the town of New Harmony in 1825 they envisioned a utopian community based on social equality, educational reform and freedom from organized religion. William Maclure, informally dubbed the Father of American Geology, knew all the right people, and recruited an extraordinary group of minds – top scientists and educators – to participate in the grand, but ultimately flawed, experiment. The people involved are now scientific rock stars: among others, they include Thomas Say – Father of American Entomology, Malacology, and Descriptive Zoology; Gerard Troost – mineralogist and Tennessee State Geologist; and later, David Dale Owen, who conducted the first Indiana State Geological Survey and the first United States Geological Survey of the Northwest Territory.

The Indiana State Museum exhibit Science on the Edge, running from March to October, 2012, uses natural objects, scientific illustrations, and interactive exhibit components to explore the 19^th century urge to conduct research expeditions and build natural history collections. One challenge in developing the exhibit was to make what could have been a dry history lesson about dead guys who collected bugs, clams and rocks into a pertinent story about exploring unknown lands and building natural history collections that represented cutting edge knowledge and progress. The exhibit team addressed that challenge by providing a variety of experiences throughout the gallery space and encouraging the viewer to make personal connections by using the concepts of exploration and discovery to add an emotional aspect to the story.