More than 600 people from around the country logged onto a lunchtime Zoom meeting to discuss efforts to save the museum at Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
“This is not a eulogy,” Tykee James, a local birder and environmental justice advocate, said during the virtual rally. “This is a call to action.”
The 198-year-old natural history museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway shut down Sept. 27, less than a month after the ANS board and Drexel administrators announced it would be closing. They cited rising costs and an unsustainable financial model.
Outcry followed, and a group called Save the Academy has been coordinating efforts to reverse the decision. The organization hosted Thursday’s Zoom session.
“We think that Drexel and some city leaders think that this will blow over,” said Sarah McAnulty, founder of Skype a Scientist. “We're not giving up until those museum doors are open again because kids in Philadelphia deserve a world-class natural history museum.”
City Councilmember Nina Ahmad joined the meeting and spoke of the possibility of a clear break between Drexel and the academy. The institutions have been affiliated since 2011.
“Drexel hasn't given me a lot of optimism in how they're shedding their, what they call, it seems, dead weight,” she said. “They are doing a lot of things to safeguard their economic status, and we are feeling the brunt of it.”
Ahmad told attendees that she is also in the process of contacting pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk to inquire about potential funding. The argument, she said, will be that venom from the Gila monster, a lizard first classified by an ANS scientist, was used to develop Ozempic, the company’s popular weight loss drug.
Council is scheduled to hold a hearing to investigate the museum’s closure and discuss paths forward Monday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m. at City Hall.
Mayor Cherelle Parker has loaned a top deputy, Trish Wellenbach, to ANS to serve as an interim senior advisor, while Gov. Josh Shapiro has tapped former U.S. ambassador to Canada and Comcast executive David L. Cohen to facilitate talks between the university and academy.
The William Penn Foundation has reportedly offered to cover the museum’s operating expenses for at least a year while a new plan is developed.
During Thursday’s rally, scientists shared how ANS has shaped their careers, from childhood through research that has helped identify new species and better understand the natural world.
“The loss of this museum would be an immense blow to the scientific community, the citizens of Philadelphia, and students of all ages at all institutions, both K-12 and higher learning,” said paleontologist and Temple University professor Allison Tumarkin-Deratzian.
“The coolest part about the closure of the museum – the only cool part – was to see how important it was to so many other people,” said marine biologist Kory Evans, who grew up in Philadelphia and teaches at Rice University.
MORE: Philadelphia City Council authorizes hearings on Academy of Natural Sciences closure
