MICRO and Science Sandbox Provide Smallest Mollusk Museum for NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
May 29, 2018
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln announced today the temporary installation of what is being called the world’s “Smallest Mollusk Museum,” located in the hospital’s front lobby for patients, visitors, and staff to enjoy. MICRO partnered with Science Sandbox to bring this captivating tiny science museum to the South Bronx hospital.
About the size of a refrigerator, the science museum takes visitors on an adventure through the last 650 million years of life on earth and is packed with 15 exhibits on natural history, including two miniature movie theatres, a holographic aquarium, and the world’s first 3D-printed octopus brain. Accompanied by a free online book and audio tour, the Smallest Mollusk Museum is full of stories that explore the biology of our slimy sidekicks the mollusks, sparking delight in kids of all ages.
The Smallest Mollusk Museum was built by MICRO, a nonprofit whose fleet of tiny museums engage communities in conversations about the natural world, and is supported by Science Sandbox, an initiative of the Simons Foundation dedicated to the sciences.
“Curiosity, questioning, experimenting. All these things are fundamental to innovating and moving the boundaries of science,” said Milton Nuñez, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln. “Our patients, families, and visitors will absolutely love the exhibit.”
“The NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln community is an important part of the South Bronx, and we’re delighted to become a part of it,” said MICRO’s co-founder Charles Philipp. “The Smallest Mollusk Museums are places where families get to step out of their normal days for a moment to connect, play, and explore. It’s a small thing that can make a big difference in the way people feel.”
Developed in collaboration with over 30 scientists from institutions including Stanford University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, MIT, and the University of Oxford, the Smallest Mollusk Museum will serve as an enjoyable gathering place for families and staff in the NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln community over the summer.