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American Museum of Natural History

http://www.amnh.org/

Target Audience
Grades - K-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

One of the preeminent museums in the world because of the breadth and depth of its collections, the AMNH opened in New York City in 1869, and has education as the central component of its mission. A staff of more than 200 scientists, curators, educators, and administrators pursues a broad scientific agenda, investigating the origin and evolution of life on earth, the richness and variety of human culture, and the processes that shaped the planet and the universe.

More than 100 exhibitions per annum, dozens of permanent and temporary exhibitions, a one-million volume library, docent-led tours, classes, lectures and programs, cultural events, family workshops, teacher training, and a traveling natural science museum are subjects included on the AMNH website’s menu. Special exhibits feature topics as diverse as tropical butterflies, diamonds, infectious diseases, Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition, and Nigerian masks. Over three dozen permanent gallery exhibitions illustrate, explain, and document themes such as the planet Earth, biodiversity, meteorites, gems and minerals, paleontology, ocean life, African mammals, birds of the world, reptiles and amphibians, mollusks, vertebrate evolution, Asian peoples, Northwest Coast Indians, and the solar system (the latter in Hayden Planetarium).

There are profiles of all ten museum departments: astronomy, earth and planetary sciences, herpetology, mammalogy, ichthyology, ornithology, entomology, invertebrates, vertebrate paleontology, and anthropology (human culture and biology). Staff research topics, expertise, and list of publications, as well as descriptions of exhibits and contents of some of the collections, may be accessed on the website. The main menu has more than 90 links grouped within categories entitled The Museum, Exhibitions, Science and Research, Education, and Just for Kids.

This splendid site is user friendly, contains current scientific information and interpretations, and is compelling to audiences from children through senior citizens. Descriptions of IMAX films, membership categories, and educational outreach help to make this a valuable, highly recommended resource.

**Review Updated: 6/6/03
This site has undergone a redesign since it was last reviewed. It is still an excellent site for teachers and students to visit. The homepage now offers these sections from which the user can choose:

On Exhibit
Public Programs
Plan Your Visit
Science
Support AMNH
Kids and Families
Tickets
Shop

This front page also has a Highlights section, that features information about the newest exhibits at the museum, and, perhaps of most use to teachers and students, an Education section. Once in this section, teachers and students have access to a variety of online resources, including Resources for Learning, Musings (an online educator's newsletter), and Ology.

This site is still definitely worth a visit. So, go check it out!

Reviewer Name:	Charles C. Kolb
Reviewer Affiliation:	National Endowment for the Humanities
Site Title:	American Museum of Natural History
Site Owner/Developer:	The American Museum of Natural History
Date of Review:	08/17/1999
Technical Environment used for testing:	Memory: 16M+ Browser: Browser: Explorer 5.0 Internet Connection: 14.4