Museum cutbacks are also likely to affect researchers at other universities. At any given time, around 50–60 graduate students from the University of Chicago and other area universities perform dissertation research in the labs of museum curators.

“The Field Museum has some of the world’s authorities on certain insects and certain kinds of fossils,” says Hanken. “If those people no longer have a job, we in the scientific community have lost their expertise.”

This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on December 20, 2012.

5 Comments

1. 1. Sciencefirstandforemost 01:13 PM 12/20/12

   
   I did some research in the collections in the late 1980's. An incredible facility. There has been a reduction in the natural history research of most universities and thus less need for facilities of this museum and other collections. The mantra of so many museums is 'growth', 'building expansion', 'bigger', and then they hit a financial wall and the science suffers because of most budget going to bloated salaries.

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2. 2. Pselaphinae 02:47 PM 12/20/12

   If you feel strongly about protecting research at FMNH, and want to help, please sign this petition: https://www.change.org/petitions/protect-research-at-field-museum-of-natural-history-chicago

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3. 3. sjfone 12:48 AM 12/23/12

   Quick! Add a football stadium.

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4. 4. Microtuslover 02:04 PM 12/26/12

   It is misleading to say there are 168 scientific staff in the collections and research division that is targeted for cuts at the Field Museum. That number includes staff supported by grant-related funds brought in by research scientists, faculty from neighboring institutions with adjunct (unpaid) appointments, and volunteers. There are only about 90 staff who are actually salaried by the museum. The cuts will remove approximately half the salaried positions if split equally among support staff (collection managers, administrators, and preparetors) and curators (research scientists) or nearly all the research scientists if targeted only at them. It is important to put the museum on solid financial footing, but gutting its scientific mission is not the way to do it. If you would like to help, please sign the petition at: https://www.change.org/petitions/protect-research-at-field-museum-of-natural-history-chicago

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5. 5. IslandGardener 04:35 AM 1/1/13

   Thanks Pselaphinae and Microtuslover, I've just signed.
   
   With the world facing so many environmental problems, and because I sometimes can't help feeling that the best of human culture is the only thing to justify the continued existence of our species, the last thing we need is cuts to science and culture research.
   
   

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