Mother's Day at the Museum
May 12
Join us next weekend for some unique Mother's Day activities, including the film Mother: Caring for 7 Billion at 3:00 pm and a Stones and Beer bike tour at 4:00 pm.
Invasive species in the news
McGill University biology professor Anthony Ricciardi and new arrivals in Montreal waters.
MONTREAL - Since he was a kid growing up in the southwest part of the island of Montreal, McGill University biology professor Anthony Ricciardi has enjoyed exploring the shorelines and shallower waters of the Lachine Canal, the St. Lawrence River and Lake St. Louis in search of aquatic wildlife.He frequently finds specimens of exotic native species like sharp-toothed Bowfins, large leeches, big salamanders called mud puppies, and giant insect- and frog-eating fisher spiders.“I’ve seen fisher spiders in Baie d’Urfé as big as the palm of my hand,” Ricciardi said.
These days, however, he said he is more likely to find non-native species that arrived only a few years ago, but which live and flourish in the waters around the island of Montreal.
Read The Montreal Gazette article.
PHOTO: Dr. Ricciardi holding an Asian clam. Considered one of the world’s most invasive aquatic species, the clams were discovered in 2009 living in heated waters downstream from the Gentilly nuclear power plant near Bécancour. Photograph by: Peter McCabe , The Gazette
Looking for a summer camp?
You'll find a great list of Science camps (and links to non-Science camps as well) on McGill's Science Outreach site.
Redpath Museum Mummies' Faces, Hairdos, Revealed in 3D
Thanks to skeletal data from recent CT scans and radiocarbon analyses, a forensic artist from John Abbott College and physical anthropologists from Western University were able to reconstruct the faces of three Redpath Museum mummies. The results of this facial reconstruction project show a young man and a young woman, as well as a white-haired matron, as they all might have appeared before their deaths. These facial reconstructions are a new display in the World Cultures gallery located on the third floor of the museum. PHOTO: Victoria Lywood
Check out these links for news reports, articles, interviews, and photos: Discovery News with a picture gallery, CBC news and All in a Weekend, Live Science, Digital Journal, Salon, and our own McGill Events channel. French language: MaxiScience and Le Devoir
Redpath Museum in the News
Architect Julia Gersovitz's admiration for the Museum's authentic construction and design as a 'temple of learning' in Urban Expressions, The Gazette, March 2013, p. 37:
"What a treasure that building is," she says. "It's so full of architectural delight that every time you go there, you get another appreciation of what the architects were doing." Built in the 1880s and considered a fine example of Greek Rivival architecture, the building goes beyond the label. " A Greek temple doesn't have this sense of being drenched with light," she says. "When you walk in and go up the stairs you feel that you are entering a temple of learning. You feel more significant, more important, you know that you're about to participate in an experience that is not mundane. It is a wonderful, really powerful building".
27th Montreal Museums Day
May 26, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Outdoor actvities (weather permitting) :
- Make Your Own Fossil replica!
- Solar viewing with the Royal Astronomical Society
In the Museum (11 am, 12 pm and 1 pm, Dawson Gallery)
- Dinosaurs of Canada
Water is Life! New audio walking tour
Celebrate World Water Day on March 22nd and every day with a self-guided walking tour focusing on water at McGill. You can also see the Water is Life/L'eau — au coeur de la vie exhibit about water resources and conservation in the Leacock Building until June 30th, 2013, or take the Water is Life! audio walking tour, available on CKUT's Ecolibrium Radio Residency blog. You can learn more about water and how you can conserve it at home, at work, and here on campus on the Water is Life website. You can also listen to our Water is Life interview on CKUT.
Listen to the Water is Life! streaming audio.
Student research in the news
Museum graduate student Andrea Reid spoke at the annual Student Conference on Conservation Science at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Read about her research on the native fauna of Lake Victoria in this article by the New York Times.
For the latest information about Redpath Museum personnel, their work, research, awards, and travels, please check out the Museum's fall 2012 newsletter.
Visiting the Museum?
Use our Museum Scavenger Hunt to help guide your children during their visit.
For ages 9+: Scavenger Hunt
For ages 2-8: Scavenger Hunt (Younger)
Complement your museum visits with observations in nature!
Check out the field trips organized by the Montreal Field Naturalists' Club this winter.
For information please call: 514-769-1542 or go to www.montrealfieldnnaturalists.wordpress.com
Free Montreal Museums app
Have you seen the new Montreal Museums app for iphone and iPod touch users? It gives you 35 Montreal museums at the tip of your fingers, all for free.
The Fossils' Tale
The Redpath Museum is proud to announce its latest publication, The Fossils’ Tale. This lavishly illustrated book is a self-guided tour through the history-of-life collections at the museum and can also be enjoyed at home. The Fossils’ Tale explains why fossils are important, how they’re formed, and what they tell us about who walked this planet before us. The 96-page book contains detailed descriptions and beautiful photographs of museum exhibits and fossil specimens that tell the amazing tale of life on Earth over its four and a half billion year history.
$15 CAD with a cash or cheque contribution made to: Redpath Museum/McGill University. Shipping included. For book orders, contact sarah [dot] pimpaneau [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Sarah Pimpaneau) or call 514-398-4086 ext. 00549.