Papers by Lindsay Barone
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PLoS Computational Biology, 2017
In a 2016 survey of 704 National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences Directorate princip... more In a 2016 survey of 704 National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences Directorate principle investigators (BIO PIs), nearly 90% indicated they are currently or will soon be analyzing large data sets. BIO PIs considered a range of computational needs important to their work, including high performance computing (HPC), bioinformatics support, multi-step workflows, updated analysis software, and the ability to store, share, and publish data. Previous studies in the United States and Canada emphasized infrastructure needs. However, BIO PIs said the most pressing unmet needs are training in data integration, data management, and scaling analyses for HPC, acknowledging that data science skills will be required to build a deeper understanding of life. This portends a growing data knowledge gap in biology and challenges institutions and funding agencies to redouble their support for computational training in biology.
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Causes and Consequences of Human Migration, 2012
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Practicing Anthropology
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Since the mid-twentieth century there has been increasing concern among evangelical Christians ov... more Since the mid-twentieth century there has been increasing concern among evangelical Christians over the depiction of human origins in American education. For young-Earth creationists, it has been a priority to replace scientific information which contradicts the six-day origin story reported in Genesis 1 with evidence they claim scientifically reinforces their narrative. As this has failed in public education, creationists have switched tactics, moving from “teach creationism” to “teach the controversy”. The struggle over evolution education in the classroom is well-documented, but less attention has been paid to how young-Earth creationists push their agenda in informal educational venues such as museums. Given the authoritative nature of museums and the ubiquity of these institutions in American life, museums have become targets for the creation message. This project was undertaken to critically analyze the use of the museum form as an authoritative source which facilitates the cultural reproduction of young-Earth creationism. I propose a tripartite model of authority and museums is the best way to understand the relationship between young-Earth creationism and American museums, with the creation, contestation, and subversion of authority all acting as critical components of the bid for cultural reproduction. Assessing the utility of this model requires visiting both creation museums alongside mainstream natural history, science, and anthropology museums. Drawing from staff interviews, survey data, museum visits, and the collection of creation-based literature for secular museums, these sources combine to create a comprehensive picture of the relationship between young-Earth creationism and museums in the United States today.
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Evolution: Education and Outreach
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Museums & Social Issues , Oct 2014
Museums have the opportunity to present human evolution to a wide range of visitors, yet few appe... more Museums have the opportunity to present human evolution to a wide range of visitors, yet few appear to exhibit this topic in an unflinching manner. In a survey conducted at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM), the vast majority of visitors thought a human evolution exhibit was appropriate for the museum. However, a small number said any discussion of human evolution would mandate the presentation of Biblical creation as well. Museums have an obligation to meet visitor demands as best they can, but doing so for this particular group would mean compromising scientific fact. With respect to the Milwaukee Public Museum, we have identified that label text within the human evolution exhibit is effectively accommodating religious viewpoints. Although the MPM is not the first museum to take this approach, the longevity of this label without public outcry is notable in light of recent events at other museums—most remarkably, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. We consider here the differences between the approaches taken by each museum and whether religious accommodation is a viable approach for museum professionals to consider when exhibiting evolution-related content.
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Informal Learning Review, 2014
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Select Conference Presentations by Lindsay Barone
For young-Earth creationists, the decision to use museums for creation evangelism is a function o... more For young-Earth creationists, the decision to use museums for creation evangelism is a function of the widespread perception of museums as institutions of academic authority, governed by secular science yet potentially useful for teaching a creationist perspective. Natural history museums have become tools for contesting scientific supremacy over religious authority, with believers in a young-Earth hoping to deconstruct secular science and preserve the cultural reproduction of young-Earth creationism. Intertwined with the creation of creation-based museums and the contestation of scientific supremacy in the halls of science, another phenomenon has emerged with respect to secular museums: the creation of websites, apps, and video guides designed to reinterpret mainstream science from a creationist perspective. “Biblically-correct” YouTube tours have become a popular method of subverting the authority of the secular museum for millions of visitors at home, while mobile apps work alongside other web-based written guides to facilitate the reinterpretation of the perceived incorrect information of the secular museum. As mediators, these technologically-based tools for young-Earth creationists become invisible tour guides, negotiating the way information reaches the visitor and, as a result, the way mainstream science is accepted or rejected. By employing creation science to assist in the deconstruction of secular science, these guides are making use of the epistemological authority of science while managing to preserve the religious paradigm at the center of a literal interpretation of Genesis. In this manner, creationist visitors can feel secure in their religious beliefs, armed with evidence to back up their certainty that the museum exhibits are based on faulty assumptions and biased interpretations.
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Recent surveys indicate that only 19% of Americans adhere to a strictly scientific interpretation... more Recent surveys indicate that only 19% of Americans adhere to a strictly scientific interpretation of human origins. In spite of this, a common refrain among natural history museum staff is that creationists do not visit the museum and thus creationist concerns towards exhibits do not merit consideration. This presentation will scrutinize these perceptions about visitors, exploring precisely who is thought to be visiting natural history museums and how this impacts exhibit development and programming. The implications of these perceptions will be analyzed, particularly as they pertain to the ongoing cultural issue of the science and theology of human origins.
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Since the mid-1970s, individuals advocating for creationism in science education have focused the... more Since the mid-1970s, individuals advocating for creationism in science education have focused their efforts on eliminating evolution from the curriculum while also using museums to convey the creation message. In addition to constructing creation museums, creation science advocates have been working to get their message into secular natural history museums, which have not only a wider and larger audience but are accepted as locales of authoritative knowledge. Objections to exhibits have occasionally garnered media attention; however, the scope of such objections in American museums remains unclear. In an effort to create a portrait of the extent of creationist objections to evolution in museum exhibits, a survey was administered in the fall of 2013 to AAM-accredited natural history museums. Targeted to museum professionals, the survey was designed to illuminate the interactions between museum staff and creationist visitors. Initial results indicate that roughly half of the 88 museums represented discuss evolution in their exhibits. Nearly all of these same institutions have experienced backlash to their exhibit content. While many of the museums deal simply with anonymous visitor complaints, others have had to grapple with publications designed to reinterpret their displays and some have even had to cope with organized tours rooted in creationist philosophy and threats against employees. Thus, the picture of American creationism that emerges from this survey is one of widespread objection to evolutionary content in museums. The manifestation of these objections, however, is both localized and variable.
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In the debate over human origins education, natural history museums occupy a unique space. While... more In the debate over human origins education, natural history museums occupy a unique space. While human evolution is rarely taught in the pre-collegiate educational curriculum, museums have the opportunity to present the topic to a wide range of visitors. However, this can be problematic for museum staff. In a survey conducted at the Milwaukee Public Museum, a small number of visitors said that emphasizing human evolution also mandated the presentation of Biblical creation. This presentation will explore the role of museums in evolution education as well as the obligation of museum staff to engage visitors in an effective manner.
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Central States Anthropological Society Annual Meeting, April 9 – 12, 2014.
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Papers by Lindsay Barone
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