Boston Flora

Tag: Harvard Museum Of Natural History

  • Saturday, September 29 – Cockroaches Mini-Exhibit Opening

    These adaptable arthropods are some of the oldest land-living animals on Earth. They thrived in lush coal forests 300 million years ago, survived multiple mass extinctions, and today encompass 4,500 species, including some of the most beautiful and colorful insects on the planet. Nurturing parents, these insects often carry and protect their young, and some species even feed them with a kind of “milk” made from their own bodies! Who are they? The answer may surprise you. They’re cockroaches!

    You’ve already heard the negative propaganda. Now come learn the real and amazing truth about these much maligned and misunderstood insects in a new mini-exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

    The exhibit is the latest installment in the museum’s Exploring Diversity series in the exhibition Arthropods: Creatures that Rule. It opens to the public on Saturday September 29, 2012. The Harvard Museum of Natural History is located at 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, a 7-8 minute walk from the Harvard Square T station. The Museum is handicapped accessible. For general information please call 617 495 3045 or visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

    With a mission to enhance public understanding and appreciation of the natural world and the human place in it, the Harvard Museum of Natural History draws on the University’s collections and research to present a historic and interdisciplinary exploration of science and nature. More than 198,000 visitors annually make it the University’s most-visited museum.  Image from www.godofinsects.com.

  • Friday, October 5, 6:00 pm – Patterns of Exotic Species Colonization in a Forested Landscape

    The New England Botanical Club will host Dr. Chad Jones, Assistant Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies, Connecticut College, for a meeting to be held Friday, October 5 in the Haller Lecture Hall (Room 102), at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge.  The meeting is open to the public.  Dr. Jones will speak on Patterns of Exotic Species Colonization in a Forested Landscape. Chad Jones is interested in a wide range of topics in plant ecology. His research has involved two major themes: plant succession and invasive species.

    Professor Jones has studied plant colonization following a broad array of disturbances ranging from volcanic eruptions and the retreat of glaciers to gopher mounds in mountain meadows. Among other topics, he has examined spatial patterns of dispersal, factors that limit plant colonization and effects of disturbances on plant diversity.

    A second area of research involves investigating patterns of spread of invasive species. He uses statistical models and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to predict the potential distributions of invasive species at several scales.

    For more information, visit www.rhodora.org.

  • Saturday, September 22, 2:00 pm – Science on Ice

    On Saturday, September 22, beginning at 2 pm at the Harvard Museum of Natural History , 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge, oceanographer and award-winning photographer Chris Linder will recount his four polar expeditions to remote and extreme environments of the Arctic and Antarctica. Regular admission rates apply. Free for members of the Harvard Museum of Natural History. For more information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Thursday, August 16, 6:00 pm – Evolution in a Toxic World: How Life Responds to Chemical Threats

    The Harvard Museum of Natural History welcomes Emily Monosson on Thursday, August 16 at 6 pm for a free lecture and book signing at The Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge. Toxic chemicals: They have shaped our bodies, our world, and all life around us. Today, species are rapidly evolving in response to toxins like PCBs, dioxins and pesticides. Emily Monosson, adjunct professor at UMass Amherst and author of the new book, Evolution in a Toxic World (Island Press), will discuss how life on Earth survives in the face of increased amounts of both age-old and new synthetic chemicals in our environment. Dr. Monosson is an environmental toxicologist. A diversity of past research experience, and data synthesis of the health and environmental impacts of contaminants from nanoparticles, to organochlorines, and personal health care products have laid the groundwork for Monosson’s current academic interest – investigating the evolutionary history of the toxic response.

    Beyond academics her interest in increasing public awareness about their role in the environment and the importance of science education, has led to her service on the Gill-Montague School Committee and on the board of the Montague Reporter, where she occasionally contributes as a writer.  For more information, visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.  Photo from toxicevolution.wordpress.com.

  • Saturday, August 4, 12:00 noon – Sparrow

    In her newest book, Sparrow, science author Kim Todd explores the complex history, biology, and literary tradition of the sparrow. From the Sparrow War of the late 1800s in the United States (a battle over the sparrow’s introduction which climaxed at Boston Common), to the recent mysterious decline of house sparrows globally, the sparrow has been at the center of the invasive species debate for over 150 years.  Kim will appear at The Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, on Saturday, August 4, at 12 noon.  For directions and parking information, visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.  Regular admission rates apply. Free for members.

  • Tuesday, June 26, 7:00 pm – Natural History of the Chicken

    The Harvard Museum of Natural History will present a free film screening of Natural History of the Chicken on Tuesday, June 26, beginning at 7 pm.  This is a PBS documentary that examines the unique natural and cultural history of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) from its life cycle to the modern-day poultry industry.  The Museum is located at 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, and you may visit the website, www.hmnh.harvard.edu, for directions and parking information.

  • Friday, June 1, 6:45 pm – The Diversity, Evolution, and Ecology of Carex: A Personal Perspective

    The New England Botanical Club will hold its June meeting on Friday, June 1 in the Haller Lecture Hall, Room 102, Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, with a talk by Dr. Lisa Standley, Chief Environmental Scientist, VHB, Inc., of Watertown, and New England Botanical Club Curator of Vascular Plants.  She will speak on The Diversity, Evolution, and Ecology of Carex: A Personal Perspective.  The talk is open to the public.  For more information visit www.rhodora.org.  Dr. Standley is the author of the New Field Guide to the Carex of New England.

     

     

  • Saturday, May 12, 2:00 pm – Shellshocked: Saving Oysters to Save Ourselves

    In conjunction with the new exhibition, Mollusks, the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge,  will screen Shellshocked, a new documentary by Emily Driscoll, on Saturday, May 12 beginning at 2 pm. The film follows efforts to prevent the extinction of wild oyster reefs, which keep oceans healthy by filtering water and engineering ecosystems. Due to overfishing and pollution, much of the world’s wild oyster reefs have been declared “functionally extinct.” Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and George Buckley, of the Sustainability and Environmental Management Program at Harvard Extension School.  Regular admission rates apply.  For more information, visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

     

     

  • Wednesday, May 2, 6:00 pm – Why Evolution is True and Why Many People Still Don’t Believe It

    Jerry Coyne, a professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago and author of the seminal book, Why Evolution is True, is one of the world’s most eloquent defenders of evolutionary science in the face of legal, religious, and cultural opposition. In this Wednesday, May 2nd talk beginning at 6 pm, Coyne will explore the multifarious evidence for evolution, why Americans are so resistant to accepting the theory, and what can be done to make the country more evolution-friendly. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free parking available in the 52 Oxford Street garage. Part of the Evolution Matters lecture series. Supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit.  For more information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Saturday, April 21, 2:00 pm – The Race for What’s Left: The Global Scramble for the World’s Last Resources

    Visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Saturday, April 21 at 2 pm for an author talk and book signing by Michael Klare. In his newest book, The Race for What’s Left, Michael Klare, Five College Professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, describes a world facing an unprecedented crisis of resource depletion—from oil to coal and natural gas, copper and cobalt, water, and arable land.
    Regular admission rates apply. Part of the Cambridge Science Festival.  For more information, visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.