December 2015
Monthly Archive: December 2015
Highlights of 2015
![Infographic displaying statistics about the ROM in 2015](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/highlights20151.jpg?itok=JXIl6ehl)
Mark Engstrom, ROM Interim Director and CEO, celebrates this year's award-winning exhibitions and research.
The Ofrenda: Stunning Mexican altar on display at the ROM this holiday season
![The <em>ofrenda</em> in all its glory with Arturo Estrada Hernández (left) and its creator Sergio Alejandro Hernández Martínez (right) in the ROM’s Roloff Beny Gallery on Level 4. © Karla Livingston The ofrenda in all its glory with Arturo Estrada Hernández (left) and its creator Sergio Alejandro Hernández Martínez (right) in the ROM’s Roloff Beny Gallery on Level 4.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/ofrenda.jpg?itok=IjKkcfcR)
by Sascha Priewe and Chloë Sayer
Fits like a Space Glove
![Orlan space gloves from Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield's collection. © Col. Chris Hadfield Orlan space gloves from Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield's collection.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/orlan_space_gloves.jpg?itok=U5tM5RcH)
Canadian Space Agency Chris Hadfield talks to us about the challenges of working with your hands in space.
REX Is Coming to Town
![REX (Robot EXplorer). © Canadian Space Agency Photo of Rex Rover, a Martian rover prototype](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/rex_resize.jpg?itok=2AWlC5ZA)
The ROM is a hotbed of Martian activity – along with our expansive collection of meteorites from Mars (out of only ~100 samples known on earth, we have pieces of 22 of them!), over the holidays we will play host to REX, a Mars rover prototype. REX (short for Robot EXplorer) is one of nine rovers developed by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), in collaboration with over 40 Canadian companies and universities, for testing lunar and planetary vehicular tools.
Blue Whale Update: From Trenton with Love
![It took a team of seven people to lift the blue whale heart enough to finish wrapping it. Photo by Stacey Lee Kerr It took a team of seven people to lift the blue whale heart enough to finish wrapping it. Photo by Stacey Lee Kerr](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015-11-19_slk_rom-blue_whale_heart_packing-25-3.jpg?itok=TPirdalW)
It’s that time of year where many of us are pretty focused on the holidays. Spending time with family and friends, baking and eating loads of treats, and - let’s be honest - the gifts. Finding them, buying them, wrapping them, and getting them to where they need to go, whether the destination is under the Christmas tree, or to be mailed to relatives somewhere else around the world.
So, given that everybody’s in this present-logistics state of mind, we have a gift-wrapping question for you… how do you ship a blue whale heart?
Burgess Shale fossil site reveals oldest evidence of brood care
![Waptia fieldensis (middle Cambrian) with eggs brooded between the inner surface of the carapace and the body. Illustrator: Danielle Dufault © Royal Ontario Museum Illustration of Waptia carrying eggs or juveniles.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/waptia_fieldensis_illustration_th.jpg?itok=G3YdqBRD)
Waptia fieldensis research shows parenting has a long history (508 million years)
Brood care, where the adult carries its eggs or juveniles to help increase their survival, was an important evolutionary step. However, little is known about how and when this strategy began.
Mapping Canada from Space
![Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques unveils the Canada from Space Giant Floor Map to a group of students in Ottawa. © Canadian Space Agency In this photo, taken in 2014, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques unveiled the Canada from Space Giant Floor Map to a group of students in Ottawa. © Canadian Space Agency.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/floormapcover.jpg?itok=3Pa8coz_)
A giant floor map of Canada from space is coming to the ROM. Over the holidays, we invite you to explore the topography of Canada through the lens of a satellite.
Incredible Wildlife Photos... Taken by 10-Year-Olds
![Ten-year-old wildlife photographer Josiah Launstein sits bundled up and ready to take the shot Ten-year-old wildlife photographer Josiah Launstein sits bundled up and ready to take the shot.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/josiah_launstein.jpg?itok=Vfn4cI7b)
Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Cassidy McAuliffe
If you think you need years of experience to be a good photographer… think again! After viewing photos taken by youth in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit at the ROM, you may find yourself itching to start snapping photos.
Padded Hangers 2.0: Revamping Storage for Fitted Jackets
The ROM recently acquired 6 fitted jackets by the designer Martin Margiela. We created additional support by adding creating padded forms for the body and arms that would fit over the polyethylene wire hangers.
Ten Tips to Get Started in Wildlife Photography
![A garter snake - the photo he took that hooked Rob into becoming interested in wildlife photography A garter snake sticks its tongue out to sense the air - the photo that got Rob interested in wildlife photography](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/photo1_1_of_1-2.jpg?itok=wbXnzKBq)
Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Robert Elliot
After visiting the incredible Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibit, did you get the urge to try your hand at becoming a wildlife photographer yourself? Need some help honing your skills to enter our photo contest? Here are ten tips from Environmental Visual Communications student Robert Elliot.
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