Plenary talk title: Icelandic Museum of Natural History and the making of a new permanent exhibition, The Ocean (13:40-14:15, Oct 9th)
The Icelandic Museum of Natural History is one of three central museums in Iceland and operates under the law on museums nr 141/2011 and laws on IMNH nr 35/2007. As a central museum, IMNH has the responsibility to educate the general public and guests of Iceland about Icelandic nature and nature sciences. It has the responsibility to serve the school system and as a museum it is an important informal
learning platform. The museum is now facing exciting times as it will be moving into its first permanent headquarters in Seltjarnarnes in close proximity to nature and conservation areas in Grótta placing the museum close to the topics that will be covered in a new permanent exhibition called the Ocean. This exhibition will be a first of it´s kind with emphasis on the wonders of the ocean around Iceland, the biodiversity associated with it and the major threats to biota and ecosystems locally and globally. In the design process emphasis was put on mixing together hands on experience, games, technology, education and museum collection objects to facilitate learning and connect us to nature.
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EN Ragnhildur Guðmundsdóttir has a PhD in groundwater biology from the University of Iceland and a teaching diploma from the same school. She received a MSc degree from the University of Tromsø in marine ecology and a BSc in fishery science and related studies form the University of Iceland. She is currently an appointed director at the Icelandic Museum of Natural History where she has been working as a specialist since 2021. In her work at the museum Ragnhildur has been focusing on outreach and research on biodiversity through the BIODICE initiative as well as participating in the making of a new permanent exhibition for IMNH.
IS Ragnhildur Guðmundsdóttir lauk BS-prófi í líffræði við Háskóla Íslands 2005, meistaraprófi í sjávarlíffræði við Háskólann í Tromsø, Noregi og Háskólasetrið á Svalbarða (UNIS) 2008, diplómaprófi í kennslufræðum við Háskóla Íslands 2012 og doktorsprófi í líffræði 2020 við sama skóla. Doktorsritgerðin fjallaði um örverur í grunnvatni og lindaruppsprettum í tengslum við grunnvatnsmarflóna Crangonyx islandicus. Ragnhildur hefur starfað við kennslu á ýmsum skólastigum ásamt því að sinna rannsóknum á lífríki í sjó og í vatni en rannsóknaráhugi hennar liggur aðallega innan vistfræðinnar og því hvernig samspil lífrænna og ólífrænna þátta koma að mótun tegundasamfélaga. Ragnhildur starfar hjá Náttúruminjasafni Íslands.