Smithsonian Soils Exhibit Project Overview

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Smithsonian Soils Exhibit Project Overview

• National Museum of Natural History
• Washington, DC
• Opening Planned 2006

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Project Goals

• Include Soil Science in Smithsonian Institutions
  earth system science project, Global Links
• Become a springboard for broad soil science
  educational activities
• Raise awareness, visibility of soil science

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Elements

• Museum exhibit (would be seen by 6-9 million
  visitors annually)
• State soil monoliths (quasi-permanent)
• Interactive educational section (4-5 years
  expected)
• Topics might include Soil as Life, Ecology, Food
  from the Soil, Medicine from the Soil, Careers

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Elements, Cont.

• Exhibit to be Loaned
• After closing at the Smithsonian, exhibits are
  loaned to other museums. May have 4-7 years
  additional usage around the country

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Elements, Cont.

• Educational Outreach Materials could be developed
  for K-16 educators, librarians
• World Wide Web activities will carry educational
  activities indefinitely

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Collaborators

• Ten soil scientists formed a coordinating
  committee supported by the Soil Science Society
  of America (SSSA)
• H.H. Cheng, University of Minnesota, Committee
  Chair
• Patrick Drohan, Shephard College Richard Arnold,
  USDA-NRCS
• Stan Buol, North Carolina State
  University Richard Cline, USDA Forest Service
  Research
• Del Fanning, University of Maryland Elissa
  Levine, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Cntr
• Gary Petersen, the Pennsylvania State Univ Dan
  Walters, University of Nebraska
• Jim Ware, USDA NRCS Karl Glasener, ASA-CSSA-SSSA

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Collaborators, Cont.

• Soil scientists and natural resource
  communicators are collaborating with Smithsonian
  Institution staff on exhibit development
• State liaisons are working in 20 states currently
  to help identify cooperators, potential funders

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What You Can Do

• Share Send consumer educational materials to
  SSSA, where a master list is being compiled
• Volunteer State liaisons are needed in several
  states to be a communications link

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What You Can Do, Cont

• Stay informed Subscribe to list serve by
  e-mailing SUBSRIBE in message body to
  smithsonian-request_at_soils.org
• Watch www.soils.org and CSA News (SSSA member
  newsletter) for updates

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What You Can Do, Cont

• Make a gift/suggest others
• 10,000 state monolith sponsors offered to state
  soil associations. Suggest coalitions with state
  corporations, individuals, organizations joint
  recognition on monolith
• Campaign underway via Agronomic Science
  Foundation, 501 (c)(3), to fund 1-3 million
  needed for exhibit development please suggest
  potential donors
• Gifts can be spread over three years
• 10,000 plus gifts recognized with museum signage

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Time Line

• To open before July 2006, International Union of
  Soil Science World Congress

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Soil Science Visibility

• Help make soil science part of the earth system
  science story.
• Unique opportunity to have a partner, the
  Smithsonian Institution, tell this story to 6-9
  million annual visitors, plus those reached
  through educational materials.

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FOR MORE INFO...
HH Cheng, Committee Chair, University of
Minnesota Valerie Breunig, ASF/SSSA (608-273-8090
x315)