Ellie Hechter is the Bellâs Family Engagement and STEM Nights Coordinator â but this wasnât always the case. First, she was a student staff member.
In our recent blog post, Ellie reflects on her first day at the Bell as a student staff member, the full circle moment of empowering students to pursue careers in science, and her mom as a source of inspiration.
Learn more about Ellie's various roles throughout the museum and the pathway that led her from student to staff at the link in our bio.
On Friday, May 15, NASAâs Psyche spacecraft will use Mars as a gravity assist â taking advantage of the Red Planetâs gravity to slingshot into deep space.
The goal? Reach the asteroid Psyche. We believe that the asteroid Psyche is the exposed core of a planetesimal, or a never-formed planet.
Studying this may allow us to answer questions about the development of other planets like Mars, Mercury, or even Earth.
Throwing boxes of bugs around đ€ students during finals week
Researchers often mail *fragile* specimens all over the world and careful packing is key to their survival. Students in entomology collection manager Robin Thomson's course, Museum & Field Methods in Entomology, practiced packing insect specimens for shipment. They learned a thing or two when they "tested" their work â aka throwing boxes up and down stairs. While some specimens were harmed in the making of this video, it was a valuable and engaging experience for students!
POV: Youâre a specimen being added to the Bellâs scientific collection đŠ
The Salvage Wildlife project turns tragedies into scientific data. When deceased wildlife is collected and brought to the museum, curatorial staff and students prepare the specimens to be added to the Bellâs scientific collections.
This video shows a few key stages in the process of preparing a specimen to be a study skin:
1. Finding and (safely) collecting the salvage wildlife
2. Freezing the specimen
3. Measuring and preparing
4. Stuffing the skin with cotton and sewing
5. Pinning the specimen
6. Adding the new specimen to the collection!
Learn more about the Salvage Wildlife project at the link in our bio.
Video with special appearances from Carcass Crew members @dsgsky and @bradyy.fisherr
Happy fishing-opener, Minnesota! Did you know that the Bell Museum is home to Wilma the Walleye, the second-largest walleye recorded in the state?
Say hi to Wilma next time you are visiting the Touch & See Room at the museum, and visit our blog to hear more about how this lake monster was landed.
When is the last time you said hello to the mammoth at the Bell Museum?
Video description: a mammoth mascot faces the camera and then turns toward a larger, life-sized mammoth.
A special day at Split Rock Lighthouse! Bell Museum staff led bird-themed activities at our recent community science day at the Minnesota Historical Society's Split Rock Lighthouse. Missed us on Saturday? No worries! We have a host of statewide activities on deck for this summer.
I fell in love with the @bellmuseum last night! đŠđđŠŁ
Yâall had me at @alyssabaguss & collaboratorsâ conversation swing with 20 questions for falling in love with the planet. (Brilliant! Gorgeous!) And then a climate exhibition that begins with @climatementalhealth âs Climate Emotions Wheel + love letters to Earth?? *Swoon*
I canât wait to return for a longer visit & more time with @kateknuth@globalecoguy@projectdrawdown@mcknightfdn the amazing @bellmuseum team & so many good eggs in the Twin Cities.
Join Jothsna Harris from Change Narrative at our next Spotlight Science: Climate Stories on May 2!
At 11 am, Jothsna Harris will explain âWhy Climate Stories Matterâ, in a talk on the power of climate storytelling, with stories from featured guests, including Melody Arteaga of CEED.
At 1 pm, join Jothsna to âCraft Your Climate Story: Imagine the Future (with Art)â in a workshop offering prompts for storytelling, a short guided meditation to help you envision the future you want to see, and vision boarding with drawing and art-making, and opportunities for small-group discussion.
Participation in this workshop is limited. RSVP, learn more about the event, and find the guided meditation mentioned in this video at the link in our bio!
