Amanda Schochet: How bumble bees inspired a network of tiny museums

How bumble bees inspired a network of tiny museums

Sometimes, small things make a huge impact. After studying how bees in urban environments can survive by navigating small land patches, ecologist Amanda Schochet was inspired to build MICRO, a network of portable science museums the size of vending machines. Learn how these tiny museums are being deployed in libraries, community centers, transit hubs and elsewhere to increase public access to science.

Lasting systemic change often begins with small, targeted efforts in overlooked spaces. A single patch of native plants along a parking lot can help bees thrive, just as a compact science museum in a hospital lobby can ignite curiosity and opportunity in underserved communities. These micro-solutions, repeated across cities, build resilient networks that strengthen the larger social fabric. When many people fill resource gaps where they live, their collective impact can outpace even the slowest institutions.