Boston Flora

Tag: Harvard Museum Of Natural History

  • Saturday, July 20, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm – A Lunar Soirée

    On Saturday, July 20, from 7 – 10, at an as yet undisclosed location, celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the 1969 moon landing at this Harvard Museum of Natural History one-of-a-kind evening event exclusively for guests 21+. Enjoy cocktails, beer, light refreshments, and 60’s music, as well as moon-inspired demonstrations and activities. Stay tuned for the full program!

    Advance tickets required: $20 HMNH members/$25 nonmember. Registration will be available at https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/lunar-soir%C3%A9e

    Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage

  • Thursday, April 18, 6:00 pm – Frontiers in Evolution

    Frontiers in Evolution is a special event taking place April 18 at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge, moderated by Andrew J. Berry, Lecturer on Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

    New approaches to studying evolutionary processes, from genomics to big data, have revolutionized the study of organisms across geological time and geographical space. Join us for a series of short “flash” lectures presented by Harvard graduate students and learn about the range of questions that scientists are asking today about evolution.

    Evolution Matters Lecture Series

    Series supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit

    Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage

  • Saturday, March 9, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Plumage and Personality: An Art and Science Workshop

    The world of birds is full of diverse behaviors and appearances. Some birds blend in with their environment, while others do everything they can to stand out. How and why do birds achieve these visual feats, and what can it tell us about their natural history and evolution? Harvard University biologist Dakota McCoy will use feather and bird specimens from the University’s collections to explore how and why this diversity of forms and behaviors arose. Artist Erica Beade will show participants techniques to capture the nuance of avian color and form in their drawings. The workshop takes place March 9 from 9:30 – 12:30 at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge.

    Fees: $45 members/$55 nonmembers. Advance registration is required. Register at https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/plumage-and-personality-art-and-science-workshop

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  • Saturday, December 15, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Entomology Workshop: Pinning and Learning

    Discover the world of insects in a hands-on entomology workshop on December 15 at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge. Students will learn how to prepare and preserve three types of deceased specimens for collections and display, including a large cicada, an Atlas beetle, and the choice of a butterfly or moth. Learn about the science of invertebrates from Harvard entomologist Shoyo Sato, who will introduce us to some of the members of the museum’s live collection. If you’re feeling brave, you can hold a cockroach! Each student will leave with three finished pinned insect specimens ready for drying and display, along with a full set of entomology tools and instructions for future projects.

    This class starts promptly at 10 am and ends between 11:30 am and 12 pm. Students who are delayed are asked to call ahead so we know when to expect you. A contact phone number will be provided after you are registered. We will accommodate late arrivals to the best of our ability but late students are not guaranteed to finish their projects during designated class time. This class is open to adults 18 and older.

    Instructors: Mickey Alice Kwapis, Professional Taxidermist, and Shoyo Sato, Harvard doctoral candidate and entomologist

    Fees: $125 HMNH members/ $150 nonmembers. Advance registration required at https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/entomology-workshop-pinning-and-learning

    Taxidermy Beetle image

  • Wednesday, November 14, 6:00 pm – Origins of the Green Revolution: Hybrid Seeds, Hunger, and Mexico-India Cooperation

    Gabriela Soto Laveaga, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University, will speak on Wednesday, November 14 at 6 pm (site to be determined) on the Origins of the Green Revolution: Hybrid Seeds, Hunger, and Mexico-India Cooperation.

    As a devastating famine gripped India and Pakistan in 1966, a cargo of hybrid wheat seeds from Mexico arrived one fateful day on India’s coast. The seeds were first planted across the Punjab region using new agricultural methods, including intensive fertilizers and irrigation. The crop’s high yield surprised farmers and helped save many from hunger that year. Gabriela Soto Laveaga will talk about the origins of these hybrid seeds, their role in the Green Revolution, and the unexpected technological, environmental, and social impacts they had on both Mexico and India. Free and open to the public. Free event parking available at 52 Oxford Street Garage

    Presented in collaboration with the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments. For updates on venue, visit https://hmnh.harvard.edu/green-revolution

    Image result for gabriela soto laveaga harvard

  • Saturday, October 27, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Fabulous Fungus Fair

    Saturday, October 27, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Fabulous Fungus Fair

    Explore the wondrous world of fungi on Saturday, October 27 from 2 – 4 at the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Oxford Street in Cambridge. Join Harvard students for a closer look at the mushrooms, yeasts, and molds found in gardens, forests, labs—even in our own refrigerators. This is an opportunity to investigate museum collections and participate in hands-on activities led by Harvard students. Regular museum admission rates apply. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

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  • Thursday, October 4, 6:00 pm – Conserving Biodiversity: A Global Priority

    Biodiversity is the sum total of life on Earth and a living legacy to future generations. Sadly, it is declining almost everywhere on the planet. Russell A. Mittermeier, Chief Conservation Officer, Global Wildlife Conservation, Chair, Primate Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and recipient of the 2018 Indianapolis Prize, is a biologist and lifelong conservationist who has traveled across 169 countries and discovered more than 20 species in his quest to save biodiversity hot spots. Focusing on nonhuman primates—our closest living relatives—Mittermeier will examine strategies for setting conservation priorities, highlight successful initiatives from around the world, and demonstrate why biodiversity is so critical to human survival.

    The Harvard Museum of Natural History Lecture will take place October 4 at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge.. Free and open to the public.

    Free event parking available at 52 Oxford Street Garage. Presented by Harvard Museum of Natural History and Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology in collaboration with the Indianapolis Prize. For more information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

    Conserving Biodiversity lecture image of speaker Russell A. Mittermeier

  • Thursday, September 20, 6:00 pm – Breakpoint: Reckoning with America’s Environmental Crises

    Jeremy Jackson, Emeritus Professor of Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Senior Scientist Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution, will speak on Thursday, September 20 at 6 pm in a program sponsored by the Harvard Museum of Natural History, in collaboration with the Harvard University Center for the Environment. The venue will be announced – check at https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/breakpoint for updated information.

    Mounting environmental crises—extreme weather events, uncontrollable fires, rising sea levels, droughts, and unsustainable agriculture—are pushing America toward a series of alarming environmental and economic breaking points. Jeremy Jackson will examine the country’s current environmental destruction and highlight both successful and failed attempts by communities to achieve greater environmental stability. With a call to action, he will offer achievable solutions—and optimism—for tackling this multidimensional challenge.

    The free presentation will be followed by a discussion with Rebecca Henderson, Harvard Business School; John Holdren, Harvard Kennedy School; and Daniel Schrag, Harvard University Center for the Environment. Free parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage

    Breakpoint with speaker Jeremy Jackson

  • Sunday, September 16, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Cabinet of Curiosities

    Discover three ways that scientists preserve specimens for study, with Mickey Alice Kwapis at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge, on Sunday, September 16 from 10 – 12. Each student will receive one butterfly and one stag beetle to spread, one owl pellet to dissect, and one small animal to preserve as a wet specimen in a jar. Each student will get to keep their finished specimens as well as their tools to repeat the process at home. All specimens are responsibly sourced. Open to adults 18 and over. $140 Museum members /$150 nonmembers

    Advance Registration required. Register online at https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/cabinet-curiosities

    Image result for cabinet of curiosities harvard Museum of Natural History

  • Thursday, May 3, 6:00 pm – Apples: A New England History

    Rowan Jacobsen, author and Knight Science Journalism Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will speak in the Geological Lecture Hall of the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Thursday, May 3 at 6 pm on Apples: A New England History.

    No other fruit embodies the horticultural and cultural range of the apple. Originally from the mountains of Kazakhstan, apples have seduced bees, intoxicated monks, nourished colonists, and inspired artists, from Paul Cézanne to Rudolf Blaschka, who created Harvard’s collection of botanically precise glass apples (now on view in the Glass Flowers gallery). James Beard Award- winning author Rowan Jacobsen will discuss his book, Apples of Uncommon Character, and will explore the surprising ways in which the apple has shaped New England history. A tasting of heirloom ciders from Vermont’s Eden Specialty Ciders will follow the talk.

    Advance registration required at https://hmnh.harvard.edu/Apples.   Free and open to the public. Free event parking at 52 Oxford Street Garage. Reception sponsored by the Harvard Chapter of Sigma Xi
.

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