Ideas worth spreading

How bumble bees inspired a network of tiny museums

1,991,412 views | Amanda Schochet • TED@NAS

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.

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.

Find a tiny science museum near you.

Learn more about the MICRO Explorers Program.

About the speaker

Amanda Schochet

Amanda Schochet

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Amanda Schochet is the cofounder of MICRO, a fleet of six-foot-tall science museums designed to transform public spaces and increase access to fundamental scientific knowledge.

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About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute

Find a tiny science museum near you.

Learn more about the MICRO Explorers Program.