Resolution 260944

Title Authorizing the Committee on Public Health and Human Services to create a task force to study the future of the Academy of Natural Sciences, including options to re-open the public museum, long-term funding options, the Academy's role in science education for Philadelphia’s children, and its contribution to public health and community well-being. Body WHEREAS, For almost 200 years, The Academy of Natural Sciences has been a beloved asset to our City’s families, scientists, and researchers, and has inspired curiosity and connected people of all ages with the natural world; and WHEREAS, The closure of the Academy of Natural Science’s public museum is a devastating loss, and action must be taken to save the museum and its over 19 million specimens that contribute to groundbreaking research exemplifying the innate connection between science and health; and WHEREAS, Today, millions of Americans take a class of medication known as GLP-1s, which have provided breakthroughs in treating Type 2 diabetes and obesity, and have proven effective at reducing cardiovascular risk, metabolic dysfunction, with emerging potential to treat anxiety, ADHD, and addiction; and WHEREAS, The origin of this drug trace back to a peptide found in the venom of the Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum), which was formally identified and classified as a distinct species in 1869 by American naturalist and zoologist and Academy of Natural Sciences Curator, Edward Drinker Cope. The classification of the Gila Monster species established a standardized, permanent baseline for scientific research that made the discovery of the Gila Monster’s venom properties, and later influence on the development of GLP-1s, possible; and WHEREAS, The Academy of Natural Sciences put a live Gila Monster in front of Philadelphia families in its 2015 reptile exhibit, allowing residents to learn about this incredible animal up close; and WHEREAS, For future generations to miss out on these kinds of hands-on learning opportunities would be a disservice to young minds who very well may be the scientists of tomorrow; and WHEREAS, The Academy is also a gem in Philadelphia’s historic landscape, and as a City steeped in history, Philadelphia has a duty to preserve this incredible public resource; and WHEREAS, This task force will explore potential pathways to re-opening the Academy’s public museum and preserving its specimens for future research; and WHEREAS, The task force will be responsible for reporting out its findings and recommendations no later than a year after the adoption of this resolution; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby authorizes the Committee on Public Health and Human Services to create a task force to study the future of the Academy of Natural Sciences, including options to re-open the public museum, long-term funding options, the Academy's role in science education for Philadelphia’s children, and its contribution to public health and community well-being. End