University Museum Research Articles

Odd New Spring: Towards Evolving Landscapes and a Reorientation in Design Practice (2024)

"Odd New Spring: Towards Evolving Landscapes and a Reorientation in Design Practice" is an artistic research PhD project that explores methods for designers to engage with local environments, interdisciplinary communities, and professional fields in new ways. The project repositions unwanted plants, specifically Invasive Alien Plant Species, as a foundation for knowledge creation and new local activities. This approach challenges the perception of these plants as strictly agonistic and reframes them in the context of sustainability, production, and resource management. Through the artistic practice, the plants are connected to stories from the past and visions for the future, encouraging reflection on current classifications and relations. The work culminated in the exhibition "Odd New Spring" at the University Museum in Bergen's Natural History Collections. Here, experimental artefacts, storytelling objects, interdisciplinary dialogues, and reflections point towards a new design position. The project envisions the designer as a bridge-builder across disciplines, fostering sustainable practices and coexistence within local landscapes. Supervised by Mette L'orange (architect MNAL and visual artist) and Tim Parry-Williams (Professor of Art: Textiles, KMD). Photo: Odd New Spring 2024, Siren Elise Wilhelmsen

Exploring the Role of Smellscape in Enhancing Landscape Perception: A Case Study in the University History Museum

As the cultural importance of universities continues to grow, university museums have become key platforms for promoting university heritage and values. However, enhancing the visitor experience in these museums remains challenging. This study examines the effectiveness of smellscape in enhancing the visitor experience in university history museums, with a focus on how various scents impact visitors’ emotions. Using the Fuzhou University History Museum as a case study, the museum was divided into three distinct zones: the Historical Evolution Zone (HEZ), the Contemporary Development Zone (CDZ), and the Thematic Exhibition Zone (TEZ). Specific scents were selected for each area to evaluate their emotional impact, and data were gathered using electroencephalography (EEG) indicators, emotional questionnaires, and scent pleasure scales. The results indicated that calming scents like sandalwood and agarwood, used in the HEZ, convey a sense of historical depth but may also evoke negative emotions, whereas sage enhances positive feelings. In the CDZ, rosemary and mint significantly improve emotional states, while lemongrass exhibits weaker pleasantness and appears less suited for this area. In the TEZ, scents such as patchouli and orange blossom align well with future-oriented themes, demonstrating high levels of pleasantness and emotional value. Smellwalk interviews further validated the experimental results, revealing notable differences in the emotional impact of smellscape across different exhibit zones. A thoughtful selection of scents can enhance the cultural expression of spaces and effectively regulate visitors’ emotional experiences, strengthening the cultural resonance of museum environments. Future designers may consider incorporating olfactory elements into landscape design.

Event communication of university museums and scientific organizations (based on the experience of the “Night of Museums – 2024” in St. Petersburg)

The article is devoted to the consideration of event communication using the example of participation in the all-Russian event “Night of Museums” by museums of universities and scientific organizations of St. Petersburg in 2024. A sociological survey of St. Petersburg residents showed sufficient awareness of the “Night of Museums” event: every second person knows both about the event and about its holding in 2024 in the Northern capital. However, those wishing to take part in it in 2024 did not exceed 20%, especially to visit museums of universities and scientific institutions (2%). Analyzing the category ‘event communication’ at the intersection of methodological approaches of political science and discourse science, the author considers it promising to study the mutual influence of three discursive constructs: museum discourse – discourse of state memory policy – discourse of national identity, considered in relation to modern political realities of Russia in the context of the implementation of the national security strategy.

Study on the restoration of glass slides dating back to the 1940s

The Museum of Sun Yat-sen University houses a collection of antique glass slides dating back to the 1940s. These historical artifacts not only serve as a record of the past but also bring history to life. During extended storage, the emulsion layer on glass slides may harden and become brittle, leading to cracking and buckling. This study suggests a method to enhance the physical property of the emulsion layer by using a combination of nonionic surfactant isomeric alcohol ethoxylates eight (TO-8) and waterborne epoxy resin (WER). We investigated the microscopic action mechanism of the two on the emulsion layer of glass slides using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), water contact angles, and other techniques. Our study revealed that TO-8 can significantly eliminate the spherulitic crystal structure of the emulsion layer, as well as improve its softness and hydrophilicity. The addition of the WER ensures that the cracking and warping of the emulsion layer film is fully corrected, resulting in a flat surface. Additionally, the size of the emulsion layer film remains stable even after wetting. The WER has minimal impact on the image information of glass slides. The emulsion layer of the glass slides, restored using the softening protection solutions developed in this study, showed almost full recovery of image information. This research holds significant theoretical and practical value for repairing cracked and warped emulsion layers on glass slides.

The genera Chrysillaand Phintelloidesrevisited with the description of a new species (Araneae, Salticidae) using digital specimen DOIs and nanopublications.

Two Southeast Asian spider collections: that of Frances and John Murphy, now in the Manchester University Museum and the Deeleman collection, now at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden constituted the basis of this analysis of Chrysilla Thorell, 1887 and related genera. The latter collection also includes many thousands of spiders obtained by canopy fogging for an ecological project in Borneo by A. Floren. Some incongruences within the genera of the tribe Chrysillini are disentangled. The transfer of C.jesudasi Caleb & Mathai, 2014 from Chrysilla as type species of Phintelloides Kanesharatnam & Benjamin, 2019, based on analysis of molecular data is validated by morphology. An interesting new species known only from the forest canopy in Borneo, Phintelloidesscandens sp. nov, is described based on both male and female specimens. Distinguishing chrysilline genera is mostly based on traditional somatic characters, e.g., habitus, carapace and abdomen patterns, mouthparts, and genital organs. The utility of two character systems for distinguishing chrysilline genera is highlighted: 1) the presence of a flexible, articulating embolic tegular branch (etb) in combination with the conformation of the characteristic construction of the epigyne in Chrysilla and Phintelloides; 2) presence of red colour on carapace and abdomen of live males and females, in combination with abundant blue/violet/white iridescent scales such as inChrysilla and Siler. The red colour usually gets lost in alcohol, hampering species identification of alcohol material. The genera Chrysilla andPhintelloidesare redefined. Specimens of the heretofore unknown female of Chrysilla deelemani Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2010 are described. The male and female ofChrysillalauta and male of C.volupe are redescribed. The genus Chrysilla is diagnosed and discriminated from PhintellaBösenberg & Strand, 1906, SilerSimon, 1889, Phintelloides Kanesharatnam & Benjamin, 2019 andProszynskiaKanesharatnam & Benjamin, 2019. The structure of the female genital organ of Phintelloidesflavumi Kanesharatnam & Benjamin, 2019 is scrutinized and the generic placement of Phintelloides is discussed. Males and females of one of the most variable species, Phintelloidesversicolor (C. L. Koch, 1846) are redescribed.Phintelloidesmunita(Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) is removed from synonymy with P.versicolor. Phintellaleucaspis Simon 1903 (male, Sumatra) is synonymized withP.versicolor.Biodiversity data are increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure. By linking physical specimens to digital representations of their associated data, we can lower barriers to information flow. Here we demonstrate a workflow whereby persistent identifiers (PIDs) in the form of DOIs issued by DataCite are assigned to specimens. Recognized taxa are identified by their catalog of life identifier, or by registration in ZooBank where no catalog of life identifier is available. We demonstrate the use of nanopublications, creating a series of machine readable, scientifically meaningful assertions regarding the provenance and identification of cited specimens. All human agents associated with the specimen data are linked to a persistent identifier issued by either ORCiD or Wikidata.

문화마케팅 관점에서 본 대학박물관의 활성화 방안

This study focuses on the issue of the declining status of university museums and conducts an in-depth analysis of its causes, offering alternatives from a cultural marketing perspective. Specifically, it aims to understand the perceptions and attitudes of university students and identify distinguishing features that could enhance competitiveness when compared to other museums. The ultimate goal is to elevate the status of university museums in the future. To achieve this, the study selected the Museum of Konkuk University as a case study and conducted in-depth interviews with 14 university students who had visited the museum within the past year. The results of the study are as follows: First, the perceptions and attitudes toward the university museum before the visit were generally negative or indifferent, which appeared to be due to a lack of high-quality promotion of the university museum. Second, most respondents rated the quality and engagement level of the exhibits and experiential content as average or below. Third, respondents felt that the university museum was not contributing to the university's cultural and artistic activities or regional revitalization, and they did not foresee positive changes in the future under the current conditions. Therefore, based on the responses related to the university founders, it is necessary to utilize independence movement content and introduce new technologies in the internal presentation. Additionally, online and offline promotions and product placement (PPL) through channels frequently accessed by university students should be proposed.

Профессор Г. И.Фишер фон Вальдгейм и музейная деятельность Московского университета

Professor G.I. Fischer von Waldheim played an important role not only in the history of Moscow University, but also of Russian science in general. Having adopted a number of concepts in the first period of his life that gave new impetus to the development of natural sciences in Europe, he then became the founder of large university scientific schools and areas of research in Russia. But his contribution to the development of museums was especially significant, the study of which served as the subject of this article. While still in Paris, having familiarized himself with and researched the methods of displaying various natural science collections, he then began to create the Moscow University Museum - the first public museum not only in the history of Russian universities, but for Moscow as a whole. The article explores the main concepts that guided the professor for placing the exposition. It is also emphasized that in the development of scientific museums, Fischer saw great potential for further educational activities, as well as for the use of collections in the educational process. These concepts logically led him to put forward in 1832 a plan for a National Museum based on the collections of Moscow University, which would be designed to demonstrate all the natural wealth and resources that Russia possesses. This concept, although not realized, influenced subsequent museum activities in Moscow. The historical memory of Fischer von Waldheim is currently maintained within the museums of Moscow University.

The forgotten diversity of the genus Myxicola (Polychaeta: Sabellidae) in North America: redescription of historical taxa and description of two new species

ABSTRACT Myxicola Koch in Renier in Meneghini, 1847, is a genus of the family Sabellidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) well known for its funnel-shaped crown and showy colouration. Several taxa from the coasts of North America were described in the first half of the twentieth century. However, due to several subsequent synonymisations, the biodiversity of this genus in American waters was reduced to the presence of only two species, both with their type locality in Europe. Preliminary molecular data suggested that this view is largely incorrect, and that American Myxicola include several species. The re-examination of type material from two American museums (Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard University and Yale Paebody Museum of Natural History), as well as other historically collected specimens, allowed the re-establishment of several American Myxicola species. Myxicola conjuncta Bush, 1905, Myxicola affinis Bush, 1905 and Myxicola glacialis Bush, 1905 are redescribed and considered valid species, while Myxicola monacis Chamberlin, 1919 is regarded as synonymous with M. affinis. Lastly, specimens from the Gulf of Maine originally identified as Myxicola infundibulum Montagu, 1808 were found to belong to two new species. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:38CF6282-FC6A-493A-AB8D-65AED10ABC16 http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DA2796F7-5A5E-434A-9A79-87BB60C81BA2 http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1EC9E4BC-010F-467A-98A0-460A0EEF1738

Innovative Exercise for Nursing PhD Students: Addressing Biases During Integrative Literature Reviews.

Nursing PhD students face the difficulty of conducting integrative literature reviews that may lead to bias and lack of rigor particularly in the literature search, data evaluation, and data analysis stages. This article describes the development and use of an arts-based learning exercise to identify potential biases and improve on the critical and writing skills of students during the integrative literature review process. The exercise consisted of visits to the university's museum, moderated discussions with nursing faculty and the museum educator, visual analyses of artwork, building art portfolios, and writing assignments. The exercise was modified over 3 years based on student feedback. Students reported the exercise helped in critical and writing skills, in identifying areas of potential bias, and in enhancing the methodological rigor of the review process. Conducting literature reviews is integral in doctoral nursing education and this innovative exercise can facilitate this process. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(X):XXX-XXX.].

Assessing the Antibacterial Activity of Tridox Procumbens in Ethanol Extract

Introduction: An impressive number of modern drugs have been already isolated from these natural resources particularly of plant origin. The name Tridax refers to the three lobes of the ray flowers while procumbens refers to the prostrate, trailing habit of the stems. It is one of the essential ingredients in the most of the compound preparations of Ayurvedic literature. Tridax procumbens belongs to the Asteraceae family have been used from ancient times to treat wounds, skin diseases and to stop blood clotting in folk medicine. Objective: The current theme of this work is to estimate of the bacterial property of Tridaxprocumbent using agar well diffusion method. Method: Leaf extract of Tridax procumbens obtained by cold maceration process. Plants were collected from Madhavaram, Chennai, Tamilnadu in the month of august 2023. It is authenticated by Botanist and herbarium was prepared and deposited in the college museum. The ethanolic extract was examined against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas vulgaris by agar well diffusion method. The ethanol is used as control. The ofloxacin is used as standard. Conclusion: Tridax procumbens leaf extract terminates most propitious source. A systematic correlation between ethno pharmacological relevance and scientific evidence to provide proof of the importance of the plant to indigenous people as well as pharmaceutical industries.

The genome sequence of the endemic Mexican common mustached Bat, Pteronotus mexicanus. Miller, 1902 [Mormoopidae; Pteronotus]

We describe here the first characterization of the genome of the bat Pteronotus mexicanus, an endemic species of Mexico, as part of the Mexican Bat Genome Project which focuses on the characterization and assembly of the genomes of endemic bats in Mexico. The genome was assembled from a liver tissue sample of an adult male from Jalisco, Mexico provided by the Texas Tech University Museum tissue collection. The assembled genome size was 1.9 Gb. The assembly of the genome was fitted in a framework of 110,533 scaffolds and 1,659,535 contigs. The ecological importance of bats such as P. mexicanus, and their diverse ecological roles, underscores the value of having complete genomes in addressing information gaps and facing challenges regarding their function in ecosystems and their conservation.

The genocidal disruption of Johannes Jacob Manissadjian’s (1862–1942) lifework: a biographical approach to mass violence and indigenous knowledge production

ABSTRACT Relying on a biographical approach that reconstructs the life and work of Johannes [Hovhanness/Յովհաննէս] Jakob [Hagop/Յակոբ] Manissadjian [Manisacıyan/Մանիսաճեան] (1862–1942), a highly successful scientist at the Anatolia College (Merzifon/Marsovan/Մարզվան), who established a meteorological station and a natural history museum with an extensive collection of specimens, the paper traces the routes of disappearance, dispersal and ruination of indigenous lives, people, and knowledge within the context of the Armenian genocide. Drawing on documents from Ottoman, German, and American archives, I stress the potential of biographical methods to study the processes and structures of mass violence targeting the Ottoman Armenians, as well as to foreground the agency and subjectivity of genocide survivors. The article also focuses on post-genocide scientific (dis)engagements of Manissadjian in light of Theodor W. Adorno’s ‘after Auschwitz’ discussions and from the perspective of indigenous knowledge production. In particular, his two ‘archival acts’ in the post-genocide context, the ‘Catalogue’ of the collection of the Anatolia College Museum that he prepared as ‘the former Curator’ and his small pamphlet entitled Proverbs of Turkey, which provided an ethnographic portrait of Anatolia, were his humble acts of saving a treasure trove of knowledge that was in danger of becoming debris.

Historians of Islamic Art Association 2023 Biennial Symposium, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Rice University, March 2–4, 2023

Historians of Islamic Art Association 2023 Biennial Symposium, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Rice University, March 2–4, 2023

The role of university museums in strengthening Scientific Culture, at the University of Guadalajara.

Los museos universitarios desempeñan un papel fundamental en la educación y la difusión cultural dentro de las instituciones de educación superior. Estos espacios ofrecen a la comunidad universitaria y al público en general, la oportunidad de explorar, aprender y apreciar diversas disciplinas y temáticas a través de exposiciones, colecciones y actividades educativas. Con base en evidencias académicas, este artículo analiza la importancia de los museos universitarios y su contribución a la formación integral de los estudiantes en su cultura científica y el bienestar, partiendo de una metodología cualitativa utilizando la técnica de la entrevista semiestructurada dirigida al personal de los museos universitarios MUSA, Ciencias Ambientales y de Medicina de la Universidad de Guadalajara, teniendo como categorías de análisis: los museos universitarios como espacios de aprendizaje multidisciplinarios, el papel de los museos universitarios en la investigación académica, la función social de los museos universitarios lo cual contribuye en el bienestar de las personas; entre los principales hallazgos de esta investigación, destaca los museos universitarios enfrentan retos y desafíos en su labor de divulgación de la ciencia y la cultura científica, principalmente por el tipo de audiencias a las que pueden llegar. Sin embargo, a través de una gestión adecuada, colaboraciones estratégicas y la implementación de programas innovadores, estos museos pueden contribuir significativamente a la difusión del conocimiento científico y a fomentar el interés por la ciencia, la cultura y el arte en la sociedad.

Object-Based Teaching in Post-Pandemic Higher Education in the US

ABSTRACT Object-based teaching (OBT) has grown in popularity in American higher education over the past 20 years and is now practiced at a broad range of post-secondary institutions, from community colleges to Research 1 universities. However, the prospects for OBT are changing. After the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movements of 2020–2021, three trends are observable: a continuing decline in humanities enrollments, persistent student preferences for online learning, and the uneven recovery of college and university museums and galleries. In the interest of understanding the current state of OBT in the US, I deployed a survey to the membership of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries. The following are the results of this survey as well as a reflection on how OBT has emerged as a unique tool during this unprecedented moment in higher education.

Trends in Technology Integration in University Museums in Indonesia: Opportunities and Challenges

This research aims to explore technology integration within university museums in Indonesia, focusing on preserving original artifacts while leveraging technological advancements. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study conducted in-depth interviews and open-ended questionnaires at six university museums across Indonesia. The findings reveal that university museums in Indonesia generally possess valuable collections of original artifacts that require preservation. Technology is crucial in supporting the museums' business processes, enhancing preservation and visitor engagement. Museum managers are driven to develop their institutions by seizing various opportunities presented by technological advancements despite facing several challenges. This study underscores the importance of technology in the evolution of university museums in Indonesia, highlighting the proactive measures taken by museum managers to overcome obstacles and achieve their development targets.

Conceptualizing sustainable communities through an exhibition in a university museum

Sustainability communication arises in the face of complex socio-environmental crises that manifest on different scales and in different ecosystems. Museums and science centres, as cultural institutions, are key to building social representations and generating discourses and experiences in their visitors to facilitate engagement in the search for future alternatives. This empirical research, conducted at the Universum Science Museum of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, seeks to contribute to the advancement of the academic field of sustainability communication by analysing the main elements and exhibition practices related to sustainability in the exhibition Producing by Conserving: Biodiversity and Sustainable Communities. We investigated how sustainability is expressed in the museum, utilizing the proposed perspective of analysis based on four typologies of science exhibitions. We employed qualitative analysis to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the exhibition. We identified central aspects and limitations in communication concerning sustainability that could nurture communication practices in demonstrations and other exhibitions with related themes. The implications of this study extend beyond the specific context of the university museum. They can be useful for communication practices in universities and other cultural institutions seeking to develop a culture of sustainability and envision transformation of future societies.

Beyond access: (re)designing archival guides for changing landscapes

In 2013, the authors of this article and their colleague Gavan McCarthy published Stories in Stone: an annotated history and guide to the collections of Ernest Westlake (1855–1922). The guide provided contextual information and digital access to the entire paper archives relating to the three large stone collections formed by Westlake during his lifetime: French and English geological specimens housed in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History from 1924, and a collection of Tasmanian Aboriginal stone tools stored in the Pitt Rivers Museum since 1923. The Tasmanian collections, formed by Westlake from 1908 to 1910, are highly significant to the Palawa (or Pakana or Tasmanian Aboriginal) community because they include objects made by ancestors, and words spoken by ancestors to Westlake and recorded in his field notebooks. Stories in Stone was created to improve access to Westlake’s Tasmanian collections for the Palawa community with whom author Rebe Taylor had worked closely since 1999. Nonetheless, the structural and technical design of Stories in Stone was not Palawa-led. It was driven by Australian and international archiving standards; by stipulations set out by the collecting institutions; and by the stories of collecting and subsequent scholarship on the collections. In 2023, Stories in Stone is offline, and the authors are planning a relaunch. This time they aim to reach beyond their original aim of providing archival access to the Palawa community, and work with Palawa community to co-design how that access is delivered. This consultative work will be done at the University of Tasmania, where Palawa advisors and other Indigenous scholars have been integral to developing international Indigenous data sovereignty principals. This article precedes those formal discussions and thus offers a timely reflection on the original aims and design of Stories in Stone as well as an extensive analysis of broader changes in the management and dissemination of First Nations collections and culture. Such changes include: international human rights frameworks; movements supporting data and archival sovereignty; co-designed archival technologies; and increased focus on archives as process not merely product. These developments will lay the foundations for the next version of Stories in Stone, which aims to go beyond access, scholarship, and standards by helping to facilitate First Nations’ aspirations for dignity, sovereignty, and self-determination.

Connected fragments: an early Hong Kong archaeological collection

Abstract During a refurbishment project at the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong in 2018, a large collection of uncatalogued artefacts was discovered. Between February and September 2021 an internal project team conducted a preliminary review of this material, identifying it as an orphaned collection of bulk archaeological finds, largely from Hong Kong, collected in various excavations from the 1920s to 1967. This article offers an account of this reviewing exercise and provides insights into the histories of the formation and deposition of the collection. By identifying key individuals and the excavations involved, we situate the artefacts within the broader study of the development of archaeology in Hong Kong, and show that they constitute one of the earliest composite archaeological legacy collections in the city.

대구 달성 유적의 정비·활용(안)에 대한 비판적 검토와 제언

The Dalseong Site, Daegu consists of the fortress and a group of ancient tombs. Dalseong Fortress is an ancient earthen fortification that has been preserved relatively well, and its archaeological site is a representative example of a set of fortress and ancient tombs dating back to the Three Kingdoms Period, attracting attention since its discovery. A series of projects to maintain and utilize the site of Dalseong Fortress has been carried out recently; considering the importance of the site, it is believed that the projects will have a significant impact on the projects for other archaeological sites. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a critical review and a few suggestions of the plan to maintain and utilize the Dalseong Site. The plan (draft) related to the maintenance and utilization of the Dalseong Site was originally established in 2009 by focusing on the restoration and maintenance of the fortress. However, the plan (draft) reestablished in 2018 put emphasis on the maintenance and utilization of the fortress by connecting various values of Dalseong Fortress with its location. Based on the 2018 plan (draft), current status survey, geophysical exploration, and precision ground survey of the site of Dalseong Fortress were carried out recently. However, some parts needed to be reexamined and supplemented in the plan for the maintenance and utilization of the Dalseong Site. First of all, in order to restore the Dalseong Site, expanding the scope of the maintenance and utilization project to include the ancient tombs in the fortress is understood to be necessary, and the use of media art is suggested for the efficiency of the project while maintaining and utilizing the fortress itself. In addition, it is judged that the excavation and investigation work inside the fortress need to be limited to the area of Dongmulsa (zoo), and the participation of the university museum in the excavation work would lead to attracting the young generation’s interest in and vitalize research activities at the Dalseong Site. Furthermore, in order to restore the authenticity of Dalseong Fortress, the demolition of the Dongmulsa (zoo) and interest in trees, plants, and ecological species in the fortress are emphasized. Through these, various values of Dalseong Fortress will be fully recognized and utilized.