PEOPLE ATTHEAMNH 



Michael Cosaboom 



Manager of Interactive Exhibits 

 Department of Exhibitions 



Michael Cosaboom, whose team 

 develops computer-based 

 media for special exhibitions, says 

 that of all the projects he's worked 

 on in his nearly five years at the 

 Museum, the new exhibition Lizards 

 flf Snakes: Alive! is his favorite. 



"This is the first show where I've 

 been involved from start to finish on 

 not just the technical side but content 

 as well. The curators have been amaz- 

 ing, giving really specific feedback 

 about what they want." 



Michael and his team collaborated 

 with the curators to create an interac- 

 tive, educational video game of a 

 snake on the hunt that ends with a 

 high-definition depiction of the 

 snake's skull while it swallows its prey. 



"People will see a desert environ- 

 ment from the point of view of a 

 snake, see how it moves when it 

 strikes, and what happens when it 

 swallows something. We were able to 

 produce this with scientific accuracy — 

 and it's fun." 



After studying anthropology at the 

 University of Michigan, the Wilming- 

 ton, Delaware, native spent several 

 years doing social work and youth 

 work when he got "excited by how 

 young people reacted to computers." 

 He went on to hone his skills in com- 

 puter programming and design at 

 NYU's Interactive Telecommunica- 

 tions Program. 



Off the job, Michael spends as 

 much time as he can with his five-year- 

 old son, Wilder, who is as excited 

 about his father's workplace as 

 Michael is. "Wilder loves coming to 

 the Museum. In his imagination, he 

 has his own museum that he runs." 



Last Chance! DARWIN 



Closes August 20 



Galapagos tortoise 



This tortoise is just one of the live 

 animals in Darwin that has made 

 the exhibition so popular that it 

 was extended three months past 

 its original closing date. But now 

 your last chance to see this stun- 

 ning exhibition is approaching: 

 Darwin closes August 20. Don't 

 miss live animals, original manu- 

 scripts, specimens collected by 

 the great naturalist himself, a 

 meticulous re-creation of his 

 study, and much more. 



Starry Nights Live Jazz 



Rose Center for Earth 

 and Space 



Friday, June 2 



6:00 and 7:30 p.m. 



Jeremy Pelt & Creation 



Friday, August 4 



6:00 and 7.J0 p.m. 



Visit www.amnh.org for lineup. 



The 7:30 p.m. set will be broadcast live on 

 WBCOJazz 88.3 FM. 



Starry Nights is made possible, in part, 

 by Fidelity Investments. 



Starry Nights, the enormously popular series of live jazz performances under the sphere 

 of the Hayden Planetarium, takes place on the first Friday of every month. The series fea- 

 tures renowned jazz musicians performing in one of the most spectacular settings in New 

 York. Visitors to Starry Nights can enjoy mouthwatering tapas along with wine and other 

 beverages during performances. 



Space Shuttle Launch LIVE 



Visit AMNH Space Events Web page for details 



July marks the return of NASA's Space Shuttle fleet to 

 service after more than three years of engineering 

 analysis and redesign. Join scientists and space educa- 

 tors from AMNH to watch the launch of Space Shuttle 

 Discovery live in the Cullman Hall of the Universe in 

 the Rose Center for Earth and Space. Launch is cur- 

 rently scheduled for no earlier than July 1. Please visit 

 www.amnh.org/space-events to get an up-to-the- 

 minute schedule of events as the launch approaches. 



The contents of these paces are provided to Natural History by the American Museum of Natural Histor' 



