• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content

Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

  • Visitor
    • Reptiles: Live!
    • Visitor Information
    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Things to do
    • Store
    • Visit Powdermill Nature Reserve
  • Educator
    • Resources for Teachers
    • Field Trips
    • Field Trips to Powdermill
    • Dinosaur Encounters
    • Science Adventure Classes
    • Educator Workshops
    • Community Festivals
    • Scouts
    • Homeschool Classes
    • Educator Loans
  • Researcher
    • Scientific Sections
    • Senior Research Staff
    • Research at Powdermill
    • Scientific Publications
    • Research Initiatives
    • Specimen and Artifact Identification
  • Shopping Cart
  • search
macro detail of bleached coral

The Anthropocene at Carnegie Museum of Natural History

The Anthropocene is a term for the current epoch in which human activities are having such a profound influence on the planetary system that the impacts will be present in the geological record millions of years from now. Although geologists are still technically debating if and when the Anthropocene will be included in the Geological Time Scale, the museum is embracing the term as a tool for exploring the interconnectivity and interdependence of humans within nature.

The section of the Anthropocene at the museum is in many ways symbiotic with others, working with multiple museum sections and with our communities to interpret the story of this epoch, investigating both the positive and negative ways that people interact within ecosystems, observing how organisms are changing and adapting, and thinking together what this may mean for the future of life.

Anthropocene Initiatives

Birdsafe PGH

birdsafe infinity scarfBirdSafe Pittsburgh is a partnership between Carnegie Museum of Natural History and seven other local conservation organizations working to research and reduce bird-glass collisions in the city. As many as a billion birds die annually from collisions with glass windows in the United States.

Products for Birdsafe Pittsburgh are tested at our research facility, Powdermill Nature Reserve in Rector, Pennsylvania, and a number of Birdsafe products can be found in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Gift Store.

Climate and Urban Systems Partnerships (CUSP)

table top activity with sponges and paperClimate and Urban Systems Partnership, or CUSP, is a national project, funded by the National Science Foundation and coordinated locally by Carnegie Museum of Natural History, that aims at changing climate conversations in urban settings. One of CUSP's major goals is to tackle the overwhelming and somewhat scary topic of climate change and turning it into a digestible conversation for education.

Nature 360

kids looking through binocularsNature 360 is an innovative naturalist club at Carnegie Museum of Natural History that encourages 8-13 year olds to observe and engage in the nature around them, whether that means they are observing nature in an urban setting, a playground, or a backyard. Using nature notebooks and flexible drop-in classes, Nature 360 introduces naturalist concepts to young adults who might not have realized that nature is everywhere.

We Are Nature: Living in the Anthropocene

children looking at section of We Are NatureWe Are Nature: Living in the Anthropocene was the first exhibition in the nation to focus on the Anthropocene as a concept and it was built entirely within Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Research conducted by our museum scientists and specimens from our own hidden collections were featured in this interactive exhibition, which allowed visitors to understand the Anthropocene on their own terms, and ended by connecting visitors to activities that are already happening locally, pluging them into a bigger network of people who are collectively making an impact.

2017 ICOM NATHIST Conference: Museums in the Age of Humanity

ICOM conference website screenshotThe 2017 ICOM NATHIST Conference hosted at Carnegie Museum of Natural History focused on the topic of the Anthropocene, specifically Natural History Museums in the Age of Humanity. This international conference sparked innovative discussion about emerging ideas among museum professionals about the future of natural history museums.

Visit ICOM NATHIST's Website to Learn More about the Organization

Kwel'Hoy We Draw the Line

Carnegie Museum of Natural History hosted the traveling exhibition Kwel’ Hoy: We Draw the Line!, which explores the struggle of Indigenous leadership to protect water, land, and our collective future.

Read Pacific Standard's Article on the Exhibit

The Future of Natural History Museums

the future of natural history museumsThe Future of Natural History Museums, edited by Director Eric Dorfman, begins to develop a cohesive discourse that balances the disparate issues that our institutions will face over the next decades. It disassembles the topic into various key elements and, through commentary and synthesis, explores a cohesive picture of the trajectory of the natural history museum sector.

Find the book for purchase on Amazon

Recent Posts

  • Bird is the Word

    Bird is the Word

    February 7, 2019
    February’s here and you know what that means… it’s time for the Great Backyard Bird Count!  Since 1998, people all over the …Read More »
  • The Search for the Near Threatened Green Salamander, Aneides aeneus

    The Search for the Near Threatened Green Salamander, Aneides aeneus

    January 30, 2019
    By Kaylin Martin Fueled by caffeine and the promise of a sighting of the elusive and threatened green salamander, I made my …Read More »
  • Anthropocene Living Room

    Anthropocene Living Room

    January 24, 2019
    Welcome to the Anthropocene Living Room, a new space in the museum inspired by how humans have and will continue to shape …Read More »
  • Art, Science and the Intersection of Knowledge

    Art, Science and the Intersection of Knowledge

    January 17, 2019
    By Eric Dorfman I’ve always loved this painting. Vertumnus looks serenely at the viewer, a slight smile making you think he knows …Read More »
  • Fish Story

    Fish Story

    January 17, 2019
    By Patrick McShea Museum educators who helped interpret We Are Nature: Living in the Anthropocene during the ground-breaking exhibition’s ten-month run now pay …Read More »
  • Earth History in Your Hand

    Earth History in Your Hand

    January 2, 2019
    By Gil Oliveira In my previous blog, I wrote about the last Jurassic World movie, which ends with the rise of a new …Read More »

Meet the Researcher

Scientist Nicole Heller

Nicole Heller

Curator

The Anthropocene in Museum Displays

 

When visiting the museum, we hope that visitors will take the time to relax and learn about this epoch in our Anthropocene Living Room on the third floor Jurassic Overlook. It’s a space meant for reflection and discussion of the Anthropocene and how it is related to all of the exhibits within the museum.

Anthropocene in the Media

Dr. Nicole Heller on WESA's The Confluence Human-Driven Changes Have Irrevocably Affected The Earth, But It's Not All Bad News

Dr. Nicole Heller Explains the Vital Role Natural History Museums PlayNatural History Museums Have Never Been More Necessary

Introducing the Allegheny to the Anthropocene on Allegheny Front This Age of Humans that We're Living in? It has a Name: Anthropocene

Carnegie Museum Introduces Community to the AnthropoceneCarnegie Museum of Natural History Initiates a National Discussion of the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene on Display at the Museum 8 Ways Humans Have Altered Nature on Display at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Dr. Albert Kollar on Art, Geology and the Anthropocene A Window into the Emerging Anthropocene…Through Art

Footer Navigation

Skip to primary navigation Skip to content

About

  • About
  • Museum History
  • Senior Staff
  • Strategic Plan
  • Image Permission Requests

Get Involved

  • Carnegie Discoverers
  • Membership
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Employment
  • Upcoming Events

Bring a Group

  • Group Tours
  • Field Trips
  • Birthday Parties
  • Sleepovers
  • Summer Camps
  • Scouts

Powdermill

  • Visit Powdermill
  • Field Trips to Powdermill
  • Research at Powdermill
  • Register for 2019 MOTUS Workshop
  • Powdermill Staff
  • Museum-wide Research Initiatives

More Information

  • Press
  • Image Permission Requests
  • Blog
  • Accessibility
  • Shopping Cart
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Our eNews features information on exhibitions, upcoming events, and subscriber-only special offers!

Get eNews
Rad works here logo
One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh | ©2018 Carnegie Institute | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Accessibility