Why do Oceanographers Study the Hudson River?
February 27, 2009 in Movies and Presentations
©2007 Liberty Science Center
[Download the Quicktime version]
In 2007, Liberty Science Center reinvented itself during 2 years of renovation. Exhibit designers recast the museum in a modern context, connecting age-old science concepts to the present-day. “Our Hudson Home” is a new exhibit that showcases this new philosophy, as it encourages visitors to think about the ways in which science and society interconnect.
Liberty Science Center is situated across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Out of the windows of the exhibit, visitors can witness the juxtaposition of cargo ships, cranes, cars and skyscrapers, all encroaching on the remaining marshes of the lower Hudson River. Containing more than just tanks filled aquatic life, the exhibit highlights how humans are connected to the landscape through transportation, dredging, fishing, and water. Embedded throughout are the stories of real people who live in this dynamic urban estuary.
As part of an ongoing collaboration with Rutgers University to promote Ocean Observing Systems, the exhibit includes a video of Drs. Scott Glenn and Oscar Schofield describing how observing systems are helping us to understand the impact of humans in estuarine environments and, by extension, the additional impact that occurs as rivers flow into the ocean.
This video is just one example of LSC’s commitment to bring “real” science to the public in ways that more directly resonate with their visitors. You can find more exhibit videos from Liberty Science Center on iTunesU.