Visitors to OHIO will soon encounter a new way of exploring and learning. In addition to the indoor gallery and research room in Lin Hall, the OHIO Museum Complex (OMC) has an outdoor museum that transforms The Ridges’ vast network of paths and attractions throughout the region into a unique integrated outdoor learning experience.
The OMC is a campus and community collaboration that connects art, science, wellness and the environment with everyday life. It serves as a transformative space for members of all OHIO campuses to engage with the research and vision of students and faculty, and provides an outdoor space to experiment, collaborate, and excel in a creative community focused on innovation.
Recently, a number of educational signs have been placed throughout the open-air museum to alert and inform visitors about various paths and attractions in the museum. The signs were designed by several students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members who worked on the museum complex. For example, three OHIO graduates recently created signs in connection with their studies and knowledge emphasizing the importance of parts of the open air museum for the Athens community.
Near Lin Hall, visitors will encounter outdoor art sculptures, towering trees, a pollinator garden, and a series of educational boards that showcase the area’s common flora and fauna in a park-like setting.
Trailhead and interpretive signage was designed by Gerard Hilferty & Associates Inc. with content from faculty, staff, students, and community members.
Along the trails, educational boards provide information about research on Radar Hill, habitats in the OHIO land laboratory, sustainability features like the composting facility, and even how to attend stargazing events to view the night sky through the OHIO observatory’s historic telescope.
“The Outdoor Museum connects the beautiful surroundings of southeast Ohio and the questions Ohio University researchers pursue every day in their research,” said Nancy Stevens, distinguished professor of biomedical studies and director of the Ohio Museum Complex.
Student interns left the classroom to contribute to their community by developing educational signage, pollinator garden planting, and outreach – above is a signpost developed by outdoor education and recreation graduate Emily Feist.
Across the river, visitors can also learn about OHIO’s longstanding partnership with Chubu University in Japan, which is reflected in the cherry trees that provide beauty and inspiration to the Athens community. Student research on the history and ecology of the Hocking River is also highlighted along the Adena Hockhocking bike path near the Peden Stadium.
To date, over 100 people across the campus and in the community have contributed to the development of the indoor and outdoor learning spaces at OMC, sharing knowledge, creativity and resources to provide unique opportunities for experiential learning.
Another platform for experiential learning is the OMC’s self-guided tour app (mAppAthens), which offers over 20 online maps that can be used as outdoor museum tours to motivate visitors into active, location-based learning experiences on a range of topics like exploring art, wellness, history, geology, ecology and more.
The OMC takes advantage of the spectacular natural beauty of our region, highlighting important OHIO landmarks and key aspects of the region’s history.
Indoors and outdoors, the OMC serves as a transdisciplinary learning laboratory in which people experiment, work together and distinguish themselves as a creative community. To learn more and / or to contribute to the OMC, please visit the website.
source https://outdoorsportsnews.com/ohio-museum-complex-launches-outdoor-museum-at-the-ridges-installs-educational-signage/
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