TED Talks Daily How bumble bees inspired a network of tiny museums | Amanda Schochet
Feb 27, 2020
Amanda Schochet, a computational ecologist, discusses her groundbreaking work on urban bumblebee navigation, which inspired her to create MICRO, a network of portable science museums the size of vending machines. She emphasizes the importance of small habitats in cities and how these tiny museums increase public access to science at community centers and libraries. Schochet highlights the role of local efforts in driving broader change, fostering engagement around biodiversity conservation while blending art and education.
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Micro-Level Impact
- Amanda Schochet's perspective shifted from macro to micro while studying bumblebees.
- Small habitat fragments, like gardens and canyons, collectively create a network supporting bees and the ecosystem.
Inspiration for Micro
- In a Brooklyn hospital waiting room, Schochet saw a need for accessible learning resources.
- This, combined with research on museum access disparities, inspired the idea for Micro, a network of tiny museums.
Museum Inequality
- Museum access is unequal, with most visitors being white and highly educated.
- Schochet aimed to address this by creating easily accessible, small-scale museums in existing community spaces.