Natural History Museum One-Time Events

Second Saturday Arts & Science: Butterfly Birthday Celebration

11 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Saturday, February 11, 2012, 1 – 3pm

Feel the flutter! Celebrate the fourth anniversary of the exhibit Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution with special arts and crafts activities for children of all ages. Meet museum educators and learn about metamorphosis and native butterfly species of our region.

Time Detail: 1-3 PM
Categories: Celebrations, Kids & Families, Workshops
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution exhibition and Live Butterfly Pavilion, 2nd Floor
Cost: Partners in Evolution—a free-admission exploration into how insects and other animals have co-evolved with plants., The Butterfly Pavilion—a fee-based, live butterfly experience.
Purchase Tickets: www.butterflies.si.edu…
Related Exhibition: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution
More info: www.butterflies.si.edu

The Emerson String Quartet

12 Feb 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Sunday, February 12, 2012, 6pm

Join us for a diverse set of music ranging from Bach to Jazz, including some Brazilian Choro music. This program features violist Lawrence Dutton and bassist John Patitucci.

View more details

Categories: After Five, Performances
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium, 10th & Constitution Avenue, NW, Metro: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian
Cost: Click here to view prices
Purchase Tickets: residentassociates.org…

The Museum Support Center All-Day Tour

16 Feb 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Thursday, February 16, 2012, 9am

Resident Members Only: The Smithsonian has one of the largest collections in the world, from giant whale skulls to tiny insects. Get a behind-the-scenes look where these research and exhibition specimens are kept, at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland.

View more details

Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours
Event Location: Departs Mayflower Hotel, DeSales St. side, 1127 Connecticut Ave. NW, No fringe stop on this tour.
Cost: Click here to view prices
Purchase Tickets: residentassociates.org…

HOT (Human Origins Today) Topic: The 'Hobbits' of Human Evolution: An Update

24 Feb 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Friday, February 24, 2012, 3 – 4pm

Join our informal discussion and Q&A session on Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the ‘hobbits’ of human evolution.

Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours, Lectures & Discussions
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Within the exhibition's One Species, Living Worldwide Theater, 1st Floor
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins

The First North American Migration-Not a Strait Route?

29 Feb 2012 23:45:00 GMT

Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 6:45pm

In this evening seminar, Natural History Museum curator Dennis Stanford presents provocative new theories about the first North Americans, such as they may have crossed the Atlantic, much earlier than we think.

View more details

Categories: After Five, Lectures & Discussions
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium, 10th & Constitution Avenue, NW, Metro: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian
Cost: Click here to view prices
Purchase Tickets: residentassociates.org…

Can iron from deep-sea hot springs fertilize the ocean?

01 Mar 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Thursday, March 1, 2012, 1 – 2pm

The global mid-ocean ridge system is a 60,000-km volcanic chain that crosses the floor of all major ocean basins on Earth. Dispersed along this baseball seam are deep-sea hydrothermal vents that release hot fluids rich in iron and other reduced chemicals. Every year, the iron released to the ocean by hydrothermal venting at the seafloor is approximately equal to all of the iron flushed from the continents by rivers - this is a lot of iron. With all of this iron entering the oceans, how do we explain the large regions of the global ocean where iron availability is so low that it limits life? The key to understanding iron mobility and bioavailability is the specific chemical form of the iron.

Brandy Toner, University of Minnesota, discusses current scientific understanding of the chemistry and biology of hydrothermally derived iron. She also highlights recent research discoveries that demonstrate the limits of current understanding and examine the rich complexities of iron biogeochemistry in the deep ocean.

Co-sponsor: National Science Foundation
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Ocean Explorer Theater in The Sant Ocean Hall, 1st Floor, Center
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall

Second Saturday Arts & Science: Fishy X-rays

10 Mar 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Saturday, March 10, 2012, 1 – 3pm

In this workshop, participants learn about fish evolution and diversity through observation of fish x-rays and photographs, using iPads and digital imagery.

Categories: Kids & Families, Workshops
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: X-ray Vision: Fish Inside Out, north end of The Sant Ocean Hall, 1st Floor
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: X-ray Vision: Fish Inside Out

The Emerson String Quartet

17 Mar 2012 22:00:00 GMT

Saturday, March 17, 2012, 6pm

After more than 33 years of extensive touring and recording, the Emerson Quartet continues to perform with the same benchmark intensity, integrity, energy, and commitment that it has demonstrated since it was formed in 1976. This concert features music by Beethoven.

Environmental Film Festival: Last Call at the Oasis

21 Mar 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 7 – 9:45pm

On the eve of World Water Day, the Environmental Film Festival presents Last Call at the Oasis, based on the book The Ripple Effect by Alex Prud'homme. Following the screening, Prud'homme signs copies of his book in the Museum Store.

Time Detail: Film: 7-9pm; book signing: 9:15-9:45pm
Categories: After Five, Films, Lectures & Discussions, Shopping/Book Signing
Co-sponsor: Environmental Film Festival
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Baird Auditorium, Ground Floor
Cost: Free

Forensic Friday

23 Mar 2012 14:30:00 GMT

Friday, March 23, 2012, 10:30am – 12pm

Join forensic scientists as they study new cases and those from the historic past. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask forensic investigators questions and observe first-hand the basic methods used in their work.

Categories: Demonstrations, Lectures & Discussions
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Forensic Anthropology Lab within Written in Bone, 2nd floor, Northwest
Cost: Free
Continues: Repeats at 1 PM today
Related Exhibition: Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake
More info: www.mnh.si.edu…

Forensic Friday

23 Mar 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Friday, March 23, 2012, 1 – 4pm

Join forensic scientists as they study new cases and those from the historic past. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask forensic investigators questions and observe first-hand the basic methods used in their work.

Categories: Demonstrations, Lectures & Discussions
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Forensic Anthropology Lab within Written in Bone, 2nd floor, Northwest
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake
More info: www.mnh.si.edu…

Environmental Film Festival: Winners from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival

24 Mar 2012 15:30:00 GMT

Saturday, March 24, 2012, 11:30am – 4:30pm

The following winning films from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival are shown in conjunction with the 2012 Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital:

• 11:30 AM: My Life as a Turkey (52 min)
• 12:30 PM: Elsa: The Lioness that Changed the World (58 min)
• 1:30 PM: Helgoland: Island in the Storm (45 min)
• 2:30 PM: Life: Challenges of Life (60 min)
• 3:30 PM: Broken Tail: A Tiger's Last Journey (60 min)

Categories: Films
Co-sponsor: Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Baird Auditorium, Ground Floor
Cost: Free
Related Events: See related Environmental Film Festival programs
More info: www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org

HOT (Human Origins Today) Topic: Scientific and Religious Perspectives on Human Evolution

30 Mar 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Friday, March 30, 2012, 3 – 4pm

Join our informal discussion and Q&A session on the relationship between scientific and religious perspectives on human evolution.

Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours, Lectures & Discussions
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Within the exhibition's One Species, Living Worldwide Theater, 1st Floor
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins

The Emerson String Quartet

28 Apr 2012 22:00:00 GMT

Saturday, April 28, 2012, 6pm

Rob Kapilow: What Makes It Great? Exploring The Immortal Beethoven

29 Apr 2012 22:00:00 GMT

Sunday, April 29, 2012, 6pm

Through discussion, demonstration, and performance, Rob Kapilow and his guest musicians take you deeply inside major works of the Immortal Beethoven to help you hear where they came from, what makes them tick, and what makes them great.