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I t is 8:30 a.m. at
the Brazos Valley
Museum of Nat
ural History. It is
time to wake-up
the bugs by turning
on the computers
and the giant air com
pressor that are part of the newest ex
hibit — there is more to this bug show than meets
the eye.
The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History
presents its newest exhibit, “Backyard Monsters
2, The World of Insects,” giving an educational
twist to the life of a bug.
The Museum of Natural History is a non-prof
it organization and a major educational resource
for children and adults in the Brazos Valley region.
The museum was founded in 1961.
The original goal was to provide object-and-ac-
tivity oriented natural science education for chil
dren.
Today, the museum continues to work toward
those same goals but strives to stimulate an un
derstanding of the relationship between the peo
ple of Brazos Valley and their natural environment
in the past and the present.
Featured at the museum are both long-term and
rotating exhibits, a nature lab and a discovery
room with animal observation areas. Adjoining the
building is a nature trail, “wildscape” and recre
ational facilities.
Each year, the museum reaches 50,000 children
and adults with the various science programs, ex
hibits, special events and various other programs.
“Backyard Monsters,” the newest rotating ex
hibit to visit the Brazos Valley, is an informative
and educational exhibit of insects, featuring them
in a variety of forms. The main area of the exhib
it features robotic insects, which move in. a lifelike
manner. Included insects in this area are beetles,
a tomato hornworm, a yellowjacket, dragonflies
and a tarantula.
Dr. Thomas Lynch, director of the Brazos Val
ley Museum of Natural History, said the “Backyard
Monsters” exhibit is different than most exhibits
visitors will see at the museum.
“This kind of exhibit is very complex, but also
is very fun for the staff to work with,” Lynch said.
“Each bug is made of dozens of valves and a com
puter that directs the air from the air compressor
to move each part of the bug.”
Lynch said maintenance of the exhibit is very
detailed, and working with the mechanical aspects
as well as the computers can be difficult and ex
pensive, especially when a part is not
working properly.
“The staff has to turn on and
shut down the exhibit everyday
and it is almost like we are
waking the bugs up,” he
said. “Sometimes I feel like
we are running a garage with
all of the maintenance, up
keep and work it takes with
these bugs.”
Other parts of the exhibit
include interactive play sta
tions and insect displays.
The interactive devices pre
sent educational information on
various insects in a game-type format. The vari
ous insect displays represent all types of insects
from around the world.
Lynch said with these types of exhibits, visitors
learn by accident.
“With the insect displays and interactive
games, kids want to look at the bugs or play the
games, and they do not realize they are learning
something,” he said. “The learning process is al
most painless.”
In correlation with the exhibit the museum will
feature an insect-collecting family hour on Feb. 27.
This program looks at what an individual needs
to do to start and maintain their own personal col
lection of bugs.
The various ways to catch, identify and present
the bugs will be the topics of discussion in this
family hour.
Lynch said working together with other non
profit organizations and businesses is very help
ful in bringing these types of exhibits to the Bra
zos Valley.
“We have received wonderful cooperation from
all over the Brazos Valley,” Lynch said. “The Texas
A&M University System, the A&M Entomology de
partment and businesses from around the Bryan-
College Station area have all been very supportive
in helping with this costly exhibit.”
Lynch said he would like to see more Aggies in
participating with the museum.
“We would like to get more of the college stu
dents out here to help with the museum,” he said.
“Texas A&M students could volunteer or partici
pate in intern opportunities. Most students do not
really get involved with the entire community, and
we would like to encourage students to come and
learn about the museum and help with exhibits
like ‘Backyard Monsters.’”
For more information on the “Backyard Mon
sters” exhibit or on the Brazos Valley Museum of
Natural History, call 774-0252 or visit the internet
site at http://bvmuseum.myriad.net.
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Story by Beth ^
ft