INTHE FIELD Maps: FindingT)ur Place in the World GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER OPENS FEBRUARY 1 EXPEDITIONS PROGRAM MAKES EXPLORERS OF US ALL WINTER 2007/08 DECEMBER-FEBRUARY VOL. 79, NO. 1 EDITOR: Nancy O'Shea The Field Museum GUEST EDITOR: Maureen King DESIGN: Bockos Design, Inc. Printed on recycled paper using soybased inks. All images ® The Field Museui unless otherwise specified. IN THE FIELD (ISSN #1051-45461 is published quarterly by The Field Museum. Annual subscriptions are $20; $10 for schools. Museum membership includes IN THE FIELD subscription. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and do not necessaril; reflect the policy of The Field Museum. Notification of addre; change should include address label and should be sent to the membership department. POSTMASTER Send address changes to; Membership, The Field Museui 1400 South Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60625-2496 Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, Illinois, and additions mailing offices. COVER: The ancient world mei the modern one in The Field Museum's exhibition Maps: Finding Our Place in the World FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: COURTESY THE NEWBERRV LISRARV; COURTES' THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM, BALTIMORE; COURTESV NAVTEQ AND ESRI, e ALLAH SLUIS In the last issue of In the Fied a cover image featuring objec from the collections of the Adier Planetarium & Astronomy Museum and the Newberry Library was not properly identified as such. We apologize for the oversight. Th. Field Museum l-JOO S;::th Lake Shore ti Lq. ■Vrrr. ^l-,-^■r.^Jb-' 4 Maps: Finding Our Place in the World (through Jan. 27, 2008) presents more than 130 of the world's greatest maps: maps created by Leonardo da Vinci and Mercator, maps dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien, and maps transformed by the technology of today. 6 Botanist Michael O. Dillon, PhD (left) discusses the upcoming exhibition, George Washington Carver, which opens Feb. 1, and runs through July 6, 2008. Find out how much Carver contributed to agriculture beyond peanut butter. 10 Expeditions@fieldmuseutn is a web-based outreach program that allows visitors virtual access to field trips with Field Museum scientists via web-casts, e-mail dispatches, interactive maps, photo galleries, and videos. More than 2,500 people visit the site each month. Left: Brazilian toucan from Riojapura expedition. 12 Plant Portraits: The California Legacy ofA.R. Valentien (through Jan. 6, 2008) showcases 40 of Valentien's exquisite watercolor paintings, which portray the pristine beauty of California's flower population. Left: California Pitcher Plant. useum Campus Neighbors Bring your family to see Shedd Aquarium's newest family: beluga whale Mauyak and her calf. Want to get up close and personal with more marine mammals? Then don't miss Shedd's latest 4-D Special FX presentation, Dolphins! For tickets or more information, call 312.939.2438 or visit www.sheddaquariuni.org/plan_a_visit.htnil, where you can also purchase tickets. Think maps are just for road trips? Think again! Mapping the Universe at the AdIer Planetarium (through Jan. 27, 2008) inspires visitors to explore the Universe using maps and other scientific artifacts. Continue your journey with Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity now playing in the Adier's all-digital planetarium theater. To plan a visit, call 312.922.7827 or visit www.adlerplanetarium.org. ../, > I dl;- = « ,^ r\^iL 11 >.[:. -I ftM.". mc MCi.t33 iu i nc finLLi iviuScur.i. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 888.Y0URCTA OR VISIT WWW.TRANSITCHICAG0.COM. VISIT WWW.RTACHICAG0.COM FOR REGIONAL TRANSIT INFORMATION. FROM THE PRESIDENT A Step Toward Greener Living Deforestation causes about 25% of greenhouse gases today. The Field Museum works to prevent logging in places like Cordillera Azul Park in Peru, so as to reduce these emissions while also protecting biological and cultural diversity. The average person living in the United States produces more carbon emissions in a year than 200 trees can absorb. By contrast, the average person living in Africa needs just one tree to absorb his or her carbon output, while the average Hong Kong resident needs 50 trees and the average Japanese citizen 100 trees. There's something about seeing your grandchildren grow that sharpens your perspective on the environmental issues future generations will have to face. We know that human activity, like driving, flying, and using electricity, is contributing to the rise in the Earth's temperature. As a public institution with a strong conservation mission, we at The Field Museum have a responsibility to stimulate people to think more about carbon emissions and global warming, and have come up with a way that individuals visiting the Museum can take action on these issues. As a way to help Americans shrink the size, or footprint, of their carbon emissions. The Field Museum has launched "Take 1 Step," an innovative voluntary program that allows Museum visitors to purchase credits that will offset the carbon emissions they generate by traveling to the museum. The Field Museum is the first museum in the U.S. to offer such a program. Each carbon emissions credit will cost just $1, which will be used to offset the emissions generated by the average trip to the Museum, based on the estimated amount of carbon emitted by a mid-sized car over the mean distance visitors travel to the Museum. The money will help combat global warming by promoting the development of renewable energy technologies, as well as by habitat restoration projects and the conservation of intact forests. With the dollar that visitors contribute to Take 1 Step, the Museum purchases carbon emission contracts on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), the world's only global marketplace for trading emission reductions and offsets for all six greenhouse gases. The Field Museum has long spon- sored programs that directly reduce global carbon footprint. The Field's conservation programs in the Andean foothills, Amazonian lowlands, Madagascar, The Philippines and other locations already have saved more than 30 million acres of pristine wilderness. Will you join us in our effort to reduce carbon emissions through Take 1 Step? It's a small step, but never doubt that every step counts. 1 TAKEBSTEP Reduce Your Carbon Footprint (y John M Jolin McCarter President and CEO IN THE FIELD FEATURE Maps: Finding Our Place in the World Special Exhibition Runs Through Jan. 27, 2008 What makes maps so hypnotic? Is it their endless, beautiful detail that magically draws us in? The worlds of possibilities they offer as they take us on vicarious journeys? Or is it their connection to a moment in history? Above, left lo right: a handheld device employing global positioning system (GPS) technology, map of the Theairo de la Tierra Universal, poster-sized map of the London i 'ndcrgroiind from I9.ii, I'tii icntiiry Onotnaii map, and geographiuil field analysts lolica data for GPS. Whatever you find fascinating about maps, there's much to discover in Maps: Finding Our Place in the World (opened Nov. 2 and runs through Jan. 27, 2008). This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see more than 130 of the world's greatest maps: Maps from ancient Rome and Babylonia, ground-breaking maps by Leonardo da Vinci and Mercator, and maps borrowed from the Vatican, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and the great libraries of the world. You'll see the oldest road map of Britain and the map that drew the first boundaries around a new American nation. Maps that scarcely look like maps at all: mysterious forms carved in wood, landscapes fired on ceramic vessels, navigational charts composed of sticks and shells. You'll see maps made by dreamers like J. R.R.Tolkien and by visionaries like the Internet pioneers. YouTl learn how early maps were made, discover how map-making has changed over centuries, and see how map technology is being used by Field Museum scientists today. And in a series of high-tech displays, you'll have a unique opportunity to experience the latest map technologies. Maps: Finding Our Place in the World is organized by The Field Museum and the Newberry Library. In addition to maps from over 60 lenders worldwide, it features artifacts from both organizing institutions, including more than 20 rare maps from the Newberry's world-famous collections. IN THE FIELD Unfolding the Meanings of IVIaps "Maps tell us much more than where a place is or how to get from here to there. They tell us what was important to the people who made or used them." says James Akerman, PhD, director of the Newberry Library's Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography. For example, in places where river transport was of prime importance, rivers are shown as much wider than they would be if drawn to scale; modern road maps emphasize drivable roads, with little regard for rivers and lakes; and subway maps note the order of stations, usually without regard for the distance between them. They also tell us what's not considered important to the makers and users — such as a map of colonial America that completely ignores large Indian nations. World maps are equally revealing. In maps that represent religious or traditional views of the world, a sacred place — ^Jerusalem for the Medieval Christian world, the mountains of central Asia for Hindus and Buddhists — is often at the center, and spiritual or supernatural realms may appear beside geographic locations. Navigational maps may focus on patterns of wind and waves or on measurements of latitude, longitude, and angles — all aimed at getting sailors where they need to go. And the Congo artist who created a conceptual map of local chiefdoms, history, and politics — was concerned as much with secret knowledge of genealogy as with visible places. "We deliberately set out to stretch visitors' ideas of what a map can be," explains Robert W. Karrow, Jr., PhD, curator of special collections and curator of maps at the Newberry. The idea driving the exhibition, he says, is to look at maps on their own terms. Expanding Our Knowledge The exhibition offers many examples of map-makers developing ways to convey knowledge, especially new knowledge, about the world we inhabit: visible things, like the newly discovered continents of the Americas, and things not yet seen, like the roundness of the earth and the geography of fictional lands. Scientists, in particular, often have the imagination as well as the knowledge to map things unseen. Leonardo da Vinci was a cartographer as well as an artist, and his map of central Italy — the first to use color to indicate changes in elevation — was a breakthrough. Scientific maps can even create knowledge and make important discoveries themselves. Perhaps the most famous of these was a geological map of England created 200 years ago by William Smith. In revealing the relative ages of layers of rocks, it laid the foundation for Darwin's work a few decades later — and came to be called "the map that changed the world." Leonardo da Vinci introduced the cartographic convention of using color to indicate changes in elevation. FESTIVAL OF MAPS CHICAGO This fall and winter, The Field Museum joins more than 30 other scientific and cultural organizations in a unique citywide collaboration that features maps, globes, artifacts, exhibitions, artworks and lectures. Festival of Maps Chicago tracks the evolving technology of wayfinding from ancient to modern times and celebrates the maps that record our boldest explorations. Up-to-the-minute information including schedules, maps and a blog, can be found at www.festivalofmaps.org. IVlapping the Road to the Future Nearly 250 years ago. Captain Cook set sail with a new kind of chronometer and for the first time was able to accurately measure longitude and pinpoint his position on a map. Today we go to a website to chart the best route to a new restaurant and use an in-car navigation system to get us there. Computer animation, videos, and interac- tive displays throughout the exhibition provide engaging opportunities to understand all of these technologies. Chicago-based NAVTEQ, Maps sponsor, has contributed to these displays that demonstrate how mapping technologies and information impact modern daily life. "The need to under- stand where we are and where we are going is as old as the human race itself Printed maps have addressed this need over time. But in today's world where location, directions, and guidance are essential components of our daily lifestyle, digital maps are transforming the way we use such information and are helping us find our way to people, places, and opportunities more easily and safely than ever before," says Judson C. Green, President and CEO, NAVTEQ Corporation, itf Maps; Finding Our Place in the World is organized by The Field Museum and The Newberry Library. Presented by NAVTEQ ROYAL COLLECTION © 2006 HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II WINTER 2007/08 • DECEMBER-FEBRUARY 5 IN THE FIELD INTERVIEW Exploring Innovations in Agricultural Science A Conversation with Michael 0. Dillon By Kara E. Rogers, Wriier With today's rebirth of organic farming and sustainable agriculture, The Field Museum is looking back to the turn of the 20th century to see what we can learn from American agriculturist George Washington Carver. Born a slave during the Civil War and later joining the faculty at what is today Tuskegee University, Carver's imagination and innovations have touched people from all walks of life. Michael 0. Dillon, PhD, chair of the Department of Botany at The Field Museum, discusses the upcoming exhibition, George Washington Carver, which opens Feb. 1, and runs through July 6, 2008. Dr. Michael Dillon is an expert on the fiou'ering plants of the Seotropics. s-- ITF: What was the inspiration for The Field Museum's exhibition on Carver? Dr. Dillon: Well, Carver was a humanist and a scientist, and he was a pioneer in nearly everv'thing he did. His bridging of relations between blacks and whites at the turn of the 20th century was remarkable, and as a scientist, he did things that were innovative. He took things that were around him and made them into scores of different products. He is also inspiring because he spent so much of his time helping others. ITF: What were some of the factors in Carver's life that made him so versatile? Dr. Dillon: His mother and father died when he was very young and he was raised by his former owner, Moses Carver. He also grew up in a very rural setting in Diamond Grove, Missouri (today known as Diamond), where everybody lived by common-sense rules. These things taught him about the importance of helping others and living off of what he had. He had a great imagination. Carver was a wizard at showing people how to make drapes out of flour sacks or cotton sacks and making a sort of white wash to use on the exterior of their homes. All of these products he showed people how to make were made from plants. Carver was also accepted among many whites; more so in Iowa when he was at Simpson College and later Iowa State, than when he was at Tuskegee in Alabama. There was a very different culture then between Iowa and Alabama, and probably it was a bit of a shock for him moving there. The poverty when he arrived in Alabama must have been striking because cotton was king, and the soils were depleted, and everything was much more run down. But, overall, among blacks and whites, he was largely accepted, and this certainly contributed to his versatility. I think his attitude of 'Hey, we can do it,' was also very important. 6 IN THE FIELD '^ ITF: What are some of the highUghts of the Carver exhibition? Dr. Dillon: One of the real highlights is some video footage of Carver, which is very rare. We also have a recorded interview with him from probably toward the end of his career. He discusses some of his work and how he developed different products. Another interesting aspect of the exhibition is that we will have on display a lot of artifacts from Tuskegee University, where he spent most of his career. ITF: What do you hope visitors will learn? Dr. Dillon: I hope that it's going to be uplifting. I think people will realize how far ahead of his time Carver was, while also really being a man of his time. We can also learn from his work on plants, not just about the many peanut products he made. He contributed a lot to agriculture, such as crop rotation, efficient use of water, planting legumes to return nitrogen to the soil, and using cow manure as fertilizer. Many of the other things he did a century ago, like trying to make bio-fuels, we're just starting to come around to. Always interested in sharing his discoveries to help others, Carver used this insect sheet as a tool to teach farmers about pests. 'I think people will realize how far ahead of his time Carver was, while also really being a man of his time/ ITF: The Field Museum also is showing an exhibition of beautiful botanical paintings through Jan. 6, 2008. Talk a little hit about the exhibition, Plant Portraits: The California Legacy of A.R.Valentien. Dr. Dillon: The San Diego Natural History Museum discovered a group of over 1,000 paint- ings that had been commissioned back in the early 1900s by the artist Albert Robert Valentien. These paintings were virtually unknown, and they are paintings of native plants of California. There is a tremendous selection of plants, they are done in a really excellent way, and we're showing 40 of the best ones. They are anatomically and morphologically correct representations. The art of botanical representation is something that is still done today. When I discover a new species I always have an illustration done for it, and we all wish we could afford to commission a paintings like Valentien's. The exhibition also features art by modern-day botanical artists. [More about Plant Portraits on page 12.] itf Lead Sponsor: Motorola Foundation Major Sponsor; Sara Lee Foundation Above, clockwise from top: Carver in his lab, examining a yucca plant, and posed with Henry Ford, who like Carver experimented with plant-based fuels. ALL IMAGES © TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES/MUSEUM WINTER 2007/08 • DECEMBER-FEBRUARY 7 OF SPECIAL INTEREST Enthusiastic dig participants uncovered dozens of bone, tusk, and wood fragments from an American mastodon. Mastodon Camp! The Field Museum, Teachers, and Young Scientists Excavate an Ice Age Beast By Richard A. Kissel, Science Program Developer Stripped of its technical language, its lengthy monographs, and ks ineviuWe politics, science is actually quite simple: it is the attempt to understand the world in which we live. Whether its focus is the life that surrounds us, the workings of our planet, or the birth of stars, all science starts with a basic question. Scientists are simply those kids who never stopped asking: Why? In 2005, several molars and a rib fragment of an 11,500-year-old mastodon were discovered in DuPage County at Pratts Wayne Woods Forest Preserve. Standing nearly 10 feet tall and weighing up to six tons, the American mastodon (Manwmt americanum) was one of the greatest mammals to ever thunder across the Midwest. But by 10,000 years ago, the great mastodon, as well as many other ice age mammals, fell to extinction. Typically, a team of specialists would excavate the remaining mastodon fossils. Instead, The Field Museum's Education Department and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County developed Mastodon Camp!, a two- week program that allowed 12 teachers and 22 high school students to participate in the dig. During the first three days of the Mastodon Camp!, participants attended lectures and behind-the-scenes tours at the Museum, where they focused on paleontology and archaeology. They then spent seven days in DuPage County, where — thousands of years ago — a mastodon lay down near the edge of a lake and took its last breath. Conditions at the excavation site certainly weren't ideal. It was hot and muddy. At one point, participants were threatened by a tornado warning. But despite the conditions, the enthusiasm of the teachers and students made the program an overwhelming success. And although complete bones proved elusive, the group uncovered dozens of bone, tusk, and wood fragments. Those familiar with science know that it possesses a history' punctuated by change. In a type of academic natural selection, the discoveries and ideas of one generation are inherited by the next, which then contributes its own discoveries and ideas, and so on. Teaching the ne.xt generation is therefore critical to the progress of science. As future scientists pass through their doors, it is hoped that the 12 participating Mastodon Camp! teachers are inspired to bring their experience into the classroom. For the 22 Mastodon Camp! students, this experience has allowed them to pursue their interest in science, and hopefully compel them to never stop asking, "Why?" itf Ann Covert (left) of Naperville's .\/