Course on science museums travels to the United Kingdom

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Every child can recall their first trip to a museum and the sense of wonder and excitement that comes from laying eyes on the real-life remnants of a dinosaur or the preserved artifacts of our ancestors. For a group of students taking a course on the impacts of colonization on science museums, that spark was ignited by all the work that went into the completion of those museum exhibits.

Students recently returned from a spring break trip to the United Kingdom where they learned about how museums historically have curated and created showpieces for the public. They also got a behind-the-scenes look at some of the world’s most prestigious museums including Cambridge University Museum of Zoology and the Grant Museum of Zoology at University College, London.

The course is part of the Center for Advanced Undergraduate Studies and Experience (CAUSE), which is a unique center that supports the educational mission of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. CAUSE-sponsored courses provide “real world experiences” for students and a chance to leave the classroom behind and spend time tackling a topic of contemporary importance in the field. The course is taught by EMS Museum and Art Gallery director Chris Widga and curator Patti Wood Finkle.

According to Wood Finkle, current decolonization efforts in Europe are breaking new ground by looking at how original collecting practices impacted the cultures and landscapes. Students explored science and data collection practices in field science, current decolonization efforts and how university museums are moving forward to create more inclusive and accurate exhibits. Students analyzed these past and present processes to formulate their own views while exploring solutions for future practices.

“The focus of this class was to address some of the inherent biases that are reflected in museums as well as modern day data collection practices. We looked at both our own collections as well as at collections worldwide to discover the hidden impacts of colonialism and to find ways to expand the narratives,” Wood Finkle said. “There has been a push in U.K. natural science museums to discover and share hidden stories and to face the cascading impacts of colonial expansion in their own histories. By visiting some of these institutions and meeting the staff, curators and students working on these projects, Penn State students had the opportunity to see what the process looked like and provide the EMS museum with a roadmap to begin untangling our own collection histories.”

Amrita Anand said she took the course to learn more about how the concept of decolonization relates to museums. Getting to travel to the U.K., she said, was an added perk.

Anand said she is interested in how curation practices shifted throughout time. For example, 18th century ecologists were interested in gathering specimens such as the now protected Galapagos tortoise for study and preservation even though that practice helped force their decline.

The senior majoring in materials science and engineering said she’s also curious about how materials can improve preservation practices.

“During a tour of the Frost Entomological Museum at Penn State, we learned there’s engineering research that goes into the type of stainless steel used to make the pin that holds butterfly specimens in place and ensures that their wings don’t get damaged or react to the material over time,” Anand said. “As a materials science and engineering student, this was incredibly interesting to me.”

Sterling Feeney, a sophomore majoring in geography, said she chose the course because she was interested in the inherent historical contradictions within the museum system. She said museums strive to create a shared, meaningful environment that speaks to everyone, yet their history is often rooted in colonial practices.

Museums are changing to recognize and include the histories of marginalized communities, Feeney said, and the course offered lessons on that.

“I grew both academically and personally from this course,” Feeney said. “As a geography major, understanding the interaction between the physical environment and human societies is key. Learning about the histories distorted or entirely erased due to colonization — and how they are represented in public education — expanded my understanding to a new extent.”

She has family in the U.K. and travels there frequently, so the trip was a chance to peek behind the curtain of some of her favorite childhood spots. She said she enjoyed some of the background tours that featured specimens exclusive to research such as the last remaining evidence of extinct species and Charles Darwin’s finch collection.

“Most of the highlights occurred during interactive, hands-on activities, specifically our tours of the behind-the-scenes galleries. While in the UK, we interviewed and connected with museum professionals, gaining insights into their practices,” Feeney said. “I was able to communicate with the curators of some of my favorite childhood museums and understand how these environments are so influential. Having spent many summers at my grandparents’ house in Oxford, revisiting the museum as a researcher and interacting with their staff felt like a full-circle moment.”

Gennaro DelPreore, a sophomore majoring in geobiology at Penn State Abington, said the highlight of the trip was the Natural History Museum in London, where he saw several dinosaurs, including a Baryonyx skeleton.

Speaking with museum experts, he said he learned that museums often have untold or uncomfortable histories about how the content was curated. And he learned about efforts to begin telling those stories while often incorporating them into the public-facing exhibits.

DelPreore praised the study-abroad component of the course.

“I would just like to encourage students to take the chance to study abroad and learn about something new because it will certainly be a once in a lifetime experience that they will never forget,” DelPreore said.