Tom Reed announces that the Museum of Earth at the Paleontological Research Institute and the Sciencenter in Ithaca have been awarded federal grants totaling over a quarter million dollars from the Museums for America program. “We care about encouraging the expansion of educational opportunities right here in our backyard,” Reed said. “It’s only right to ensure that organizations like these have the resources needed to create these opportunities.”

The Museum of Earth at the Paleontological Research Institute will be awarded $137,419 and will use the funds to create a traveling exhibition highlighting the contributions of American women in paleontology. The Sciencenter will be awarded $150,000 to create an exhibition to connect children with environmental science through a series of hands-on activities.

“We are thrilled that IMLS has chosen to fund our project about the contributions of women to the field of paleontology. The Paleontological Research Institution has long supported women scientists. In fact, PRI founder Gilbert Harris was the only professor in the Cornell University geology department who would accept female graduate students in the early 1900s. With this spirit, PRI is eager to share the stories of women in American paleontology, from the late 1700s to today. Despite facing many challenges, these women have advanced both practical and academic aspects of the science. Viewed as a whole, their stories will inspire young women interested in STEM fields, and will document a series of important but underappreciated chapters in American history,” said Beth Stricker, Director of Exhibitions , Paleontological Research Institution.