This summer, at the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum, visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in hands-on scientific research through a dedicated summer exhibit the museum calls the Solutions Studio.
Solutions Studio — a recurring exhibition at the museum — aims to highlight the work of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Long-Term Ecological Research Program, or MSP LTER, a National Science Foundation-funded program. Through a variety of activities and challenges, the exhibit provides a way for the public to engage with how ecological systems work in urban environments based on current research.
Thousands of visitors have attended the summer-exclusive exhibit since first opening in 2018, and it continues to provide a way for people to connect and help solve real challenges facing people and the planet creatively, according to the Bell Museum.
This year, the Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society recognized the studio with a 2025 Impact Goals Award for its role in advancing engagement with research among the general public, according to the museum’s website.
In its fourth year, the goal of the makerspace this summer remains the same: continuing to make research more understandable and fun, according to Bell Museum public engagement director Jennifer Stampe.
Stampe said the studio aims to be accessible to people of all ages, from the activities organized to the layout of the space itself. Stampe added the studio is also a platform for researchers of all levels to engage with the public.
“We are using the opportunity of having the space to support MSP LTER researchers and help them get the word out about what they are doing,” Stampe said. “Frankly, this is a hard time for research and a hard time for helping people understand why science is important, so it’s really crucial to us.”
Stampe said museum staff attend labs and immerse themselves in what is being studied ahead of each summer. She said working closely with the researchers to develop activities helps the studio build an experience that is engaging and meaningful.
“As a team, we talk about what we are learning about, what research is current, and what is seeming interesting,” Stampe said. “We work with the researchers to make sure that we are understanding what they are working on and that they are telling their story in a way that is interesting to them.”
MSP LTER program manager Meredith Keller said the program involves over 100 researchers, students, artists and community organizers from the University, the University of St. Thomas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other local institutions. As a collective, they study urban ecological stressors across both the United States and Europe.
The MSP LTER program sets aside funding for Schoolyard LTER, a program geared towards connecting students and teachers with their research, according to Keller. The museum has helped provide the Schoolyard LTER program for MSP LTER, and the makerspace has been used to showcase MSP LTER’s research since 2023.
Keller said, as a whole, the LTER program is supported by an NSF multi-year grant, which is up for renewal this year.
The NSF has awarded roughly $8.5 billion in grants to universities, nonprofits and other organizations over the years to help advance science and technology, according to the Urban Institute. Since April, over 1,500 NSF grants have been cancelled, totalling over $1 billion in research funding lost as a result of federal executive orders regarding DEI.
Keller said it’s impossible to answer whether or not the LTER grant will be renewed, given the uncertainty of the current funding environment. As a program, Keller said they will continue to closely follow both the University and NSF guidance when it comes to reapplying for funding.
“We hope to keep partnering with the Bell to feature the work that our urban ecological researchers are doing through the Solutions Studio, as well as through other aspects of our partnership,” Keller said.
This year, the exhibit space provides visitors with opportunities to read books supplied by the University Magrath Library and conduct self-guided research in dedicated ambient areas, according to Stampe. Activities this year include lead contamination coloring sheets, a Plinko-foosball machine to measure water absorption in trees and a leaf-sweeping game to understand the impact of leaf litter on nutrient pollution.
Stampe said day-to-day operations of the exhibit space depend on the onsite student staff, who help interpret the activities and engage with visitors directly.
MSP LTER also works to set up the studio space and activities each summer, she said.
“We’ve got a dedicated and engaged student staff who are there in Solution Studio, making it work all the time,” Stampe said.
Fourth-year environmental science student Emma Johnson said this is her first summer being a part of the studio during her two years with the museum, and the experience, so far, has been very rewarding.
“Being a student guide at the Bell Museum is really about helping facilitate and interpret,” Johnson said. “What that looks like is welcoming people into the space, introducing them to all of the different activities we have available, and then really letting them explore.”
Johnson said her favorite part of the studio is how it takes larger ecological concepts and makes them more understandable and tangible for the people walking through the doors.
She added that the space has also helped her ask questions and explore how she can communicate scientific concepts to a wide audience with different backgrounds in science.
“This has been a great way for me to try to take an interest area for me like urban ecology, and communicate, but also evaluate, what do people already know, and how can I help them during these activities,” Johnson said. “Getting to have those conversations with people is really great.”