News Room

The recent Cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce is a reminder of just how difficult modern foodborne outbreak investigations have become. News reports often ask a simple question: Did investigators find the parasite in the lettuce? When a laboratory result is withdrawn or proves inconclusive, it can create the impression that the investigation has stalled or that the suspected food is no longer implicated.

Every summer, a familiar public health drama plays out in the produce aisles. Reports of a widespread gastrointestinal illness caused by Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that hitchhikes on fresh leafy greens. As cases climb across dozens of states, public health officials scramble to answer a simple question: What is the source of the contamination?

Museums take this educational role seriously, and many institutions understand the need to sustain and broaden their appeal. “They used to be these big ivory towers of knowledge and history and thought and art,” said Hilary Knight, director of Change& in London and former director of digital at Tate. “Museums themselves are changing their role to be centers for discussion and encounter and to be much more participatory.”