Derek E.G. Briggs

Director,
Peabody Museum
of Natural History

Frederick William Beinecke Professor of Geology and Geophysics

Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology

This summer will be extremely busy at the Peabody. As Explorer goes to press, we are about to open Darwin: 150 Years of Evolutionary Thinking, a unique exhibition that includes some special items that have never been on display at the Museum before — including a fossil of the giant Glyptodon and a coral collected by Darwin himself while on H.M.S. Beagle and sent to Yale geologist James Dwight Dana. I encourage you to come see both the Darwin and our other exhibition Sustainable Choices, before they close on August 23rd.

The Peabody's summer camp program has strengthened over the last few years. By introducing children to topics as diverse as paleontology, astronomy and archaeology, these camps provide an unforgettable experience that includes behind-the-scenes visits to our amazing collections and Yale's brand new planetarium, and even an overnight stay at Yale Lake in Old Lyme.

These wonderful programs would not be possible without the generosity of our friends, among them the O. C. Marsh Fellows, who have sponsored many of our exhibits and educational activities. I am very grateful for their continued support of the Peabody.

One of the most pressing problems of the 21st century is the preservation of the world’s biological and cultural diversity. By virtue of our tremendous resources as part of a university with a strong commitment to environmental research, coupled with our own world-class collections, the Yale Peabody Museum is well positioned to play an important role in improving scientific literacy in this area. By enabling us to converse widely with our audience and begin building deeper relationships, the Engaging Our Communities project will help us more clearly identify the needs of our community and create new partnerships as we plan for the future.

Engaging Our Communities | Download the report here [PDF 2.1 MB]

The report offered here focuses on the results and conclusions of most interest to other cultural institutions, particularly those in a university setting. I hope that it will be useful to other institutions facing the challenges that confront the Peabody.

The Museum has been very fortunate to have been able to work with the renowned evaluation firm Randi Korn & Associates. This project would not have been possible without the assistance of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, and I am extremely grateful for their support.

Yale Peabody Museum is overseen by a Board of Curators drawn from the Yale University faculty.


Accredited Member,
American Association of Museums

Associate Member,
Association of Science-Technology Centers, Inc.



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