Partnership between MCT-PUCRS and British University Museum brings an exhibit to PUCRS
Photo: Bruno Todeschini – Ascom/PUCRS
PUCRS’ Science and Technology Museum (MCT-PUCRS), in partnership with the Great North Museum: Hancock (GNM) from Newcastle University (NU), England, launched the exhibit Marcas da Evolução (Traits of Evolution) on Wednesday, Mar 29.
Based on a phylogenetic tree, a big “tree of life”, the exhibit showed its contemporary take on the evolution of organisms, focusing on the changes occurred throughout the evolutionary process which, from natural selection, enabled the formation of such organisms. Samples from the museum’s scientific collections, images, 3D models and skeletons are used to reveal the diversity of organisms and enable visitors to compare their morphological traits in order to have a better perception of the organisms’ ancestors, thus showing the traits of evolution. Scientific collections from MCT-PUCRS and GNM will be available to everyone, as Marcas da Evolução will show preserved specimens in order to explain a key issue in Biology: evolution. Up until then, only researchers would have access to the archives.
The exhibit arose from the project The Use of Museums Scientific Collections for Teaching Evolution and Understanding of Environmental Changes from the Ecomuseological Perspective, headed by both institutions, and selected by the British Council Brasil, being sponsored by Newton Fund, one of the most important British funds for funding and development of research and innovation in the UK. The partnership includes teaching, research and extension activities at both universities, so that they can work together with the academic community and the external public.
