CHICAGO -- The Grainger Foundation has granted The Field Museum $5 million to enhance the Museum's scientific research capacity and public exhibition areas. The grant reflects the growing role innovative natural science research plays in helping humans better understand the Earth and its people. Two new funds will be created to support the work of the Museum's scientific staff and allow for the purchase of scientific instrumentation.
The Field Museum's scientific staff forms one of the world's strongest faculties for specimen-based research. Museum scientists conduct research in more than 64 countries aimed at addressing basic scientific issues, including: evolution from both morphological and molecular perspectives, the origin and development of complex societies, climate change and biogeography. The Fund for Science will support novel, exploratory research programs to uncover new fields of scientific endeavor and test hypotheses new to science.
The research programs of The Field Museum are increasingly dependent on state-of-art scientific equipment. Scanning electron microscopes, isotopic mass spectrometers, gene sequencers and digital radiography units are critical tools for the conduct of modern evolutionary studies. The Science Equipment Fund will help bring the latest technology to Chicago and ensure that cutting-edge research continues at the Museum.
Support for the Grainger Hall of Gems, one of the most popular permanent exhibitions at The Field Museum, will enable the establishment of the Field as a major venue for the display of minerals, gems and jewels through both temporary exhibitions and the enhancement of the Museum's permanent collection.
Funding will also provide for the installation of a state-of-the-art audio system to improve public presentations and educational programs in Stanley Field Hall. Each year, more than 1.5 million people are introduced to The Field Museum through Stanley Field Hall, which hosts lectures, presentations and special performances throughout the year.
The Field Museum, founded in 1893, is one of the world's premier natural history museums, housing more than 23 million specimens. It is also a major center for scientific research, with a presence in 64 countries and more than 200 scientists working around the world in anthropology, botany, conservation, cultural understanding, geology and zoology.