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GulfQuest welcomes first traveling exhibit -- Treasures of NOAA's Ark
Apr 26, 2016
MOBILE, AL – It’s a story that begins in 1807 when Thomas Jefferson commissioned the nation’s first scientific agency, the Survey of the Coast, and continues today with global positioning systems (GPS) and weather satellite imagery. Treasures of NOAA’s Ark, the first traveling exhibition to visit GulfQuest National Maritime Museum, will take visitors on this tour of more than 200 years of science and service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its ancestor agencies.
Treasures of NOAA’s Ark opens to the public May 6, and will remain at GulfQuest for approximately nine months. The exhibit is sponsored by Alabama Media Group.
“NOAA has been one of our partners on this project since the early days,” Tony Zodrow, executive director at GulfQuest said. “So it is with great pleasure that we partner with them in a whole different way by incorporating NOAA’s history and service to our nation into the GulfQuest experience.”
Visitors will discover how NOAA charts seas, protects and conserves the nation’s marine resources and detects potential hurricanes and tsunamis. By navigating through a warehouse of crates containing historic artifacts, visitors will get a glimpse of the groundbreaking technologies developed by NOAA and its early predecessors that have helped save lives and expand our knowledge of the globe.
Technology, however, is only one element of Treasures of NOAA’s Ark. The exhibit also highlights, past and present, pioneers who made significant contributions to our understanding of shore, sea and sky. Featured pioneers include African-American innovator George Washington Carver, who provided weather data to the U.S. Weather Bureau; Silent Spring author Rachel Carson, who began her career as a writer and scientist with the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries; and NOAA scientist Susan Solomon, who played a key role in identifying causes of the Antarctic ozone hole.
Treasures of NOAA’s Ark began as part of the Preserve America Initiative that calls on Federal agencies to promote a greater shared knowledge about the nation’s past, strengthen regional identities and local pride, increase local participation in preserving the country’s cultural and natural heritage assets, and support the economic vitality of communities. While NOAA was only formed in 1970, Treasures of NOAA’s Ark encompasses the history and heritage of NOAA’s ancestor agencies, including the nation’s oldest federal agency, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, plus the U.S. Weather Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries.
Treasures has been on display in museums across the country for more than 10 years, including Nauticus - The National Maritime Center, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Pacific Science Center, Boulder History Museum and the Maryland Science Center.
Admission to Treasures of NOAA’s Ark is included with the price of admission to GulfQuest. It will be open during GulfQuest’s normal hours of operation, on Deck 4. For more information about visiting GulfQuest, including hours, directions and price of admission, visit www.gulfquest.org/visit
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