A lunchtime Zoom rally drew more than 600 participants nationwide to discuss efforts to reopen Drexel University’s Academy of Natural Sciences (ANS) in Philadelphia. The museum closed on Sept. 27 due to rising costs and an unsustainable financial model, the ANS board and Drexel administrators have stated.
According to a Metro Philadelphia report, a group called Save the Academy organized the event last week in response to the closure. Members insist they will continue advocating until the museum doors reopen for Philadelphia’s students and the scientific community.
“We think that Drexel and some city leaders think that this will blow over,” said Sarah McAnulty, founder of Skype a Scientist, in a statement shared with Metro Philadelphia. “We’re not giving up until those museum doors are open again because kids in Philadelphia deserve a world-class natural history museum.”
City Councilmember Nina Ahmad, who participated in the meeting, is weighing a potential split between Drexel and the ANS.
Ahmad told attendees she is pursuing alternative funding options, including contacting pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk to highlight the importance of the ANS. She argues that venom from the Gila monster, a lizard first classified by an ANS scientist, is connected to Ozempic, the company’s weight loss drug.
The mayor’s office and the governor’s administration have also stepped into the discussion. Mayor Cherelle Parker has named deputy Trish Wellenbach as interim senior adviser to ANS, and Gov. Josh Shapiro has appointed David L. Cohen, former U.S. ambassador to Canada and Comcast executive, to facilitate talks between the university and ANS.
During the rally on Thursday, Oct. 15, supporters underscored the museum’s significance to local and broader scientific communities.