Boston Flora

Tag: Museum Of Natural History

  • Tuesday, January 9, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Tour of Harvard’s Glass Flower Collection

    Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for a special tour of one of the Harvard’s most famous treasures- the internationally acclaimed Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, the “Glass Flowers.” This unique collection of over 4,000 models, representing more than 830 plant species, was created by glass artisans Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, a father and son from Dresden, Germany. The collection is housed at Harvard University’s Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge, and the event takes place Tuesday, January 9 from 1:30 – 3:00. $20 for Mass Hort members, $30 for nonmembers. Registration required at http://www.masshort.org/eventdetail/598/tour-harvard-s-glass-flower-collection?filter_reset=1

  • Thursday, June 27, 6:00 pm – The Shadow of the Quagga

    On Thursday, June 27, beginning at 6 pm at The Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge, Eric Scott will speak on The Shadow of the Quagga: What a Long-lost Zebra Reveals about Horses, Evolution, and Extinction. The quagga, a South African zebra, became extinct in the 1880s, but it still shapes our views on life and death in the animal kingdom. Paleontologist Eric Scott (San Bernardino County Museum) provides a brief history of the quagga—its discovery, exploitation, extinction, and potential rebirth—and reveals how these animals continue to inform us about paleontology, biology, and equine evolution.  Free and open to the public.

    http://www.thisdaytrivia.com/content/quagga.jpg

  • Sunday, April 11, 2:00 pm – Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast

    Our cities and towns may seem harsh and unwelcoming to vegetation, but in the new field guide, Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast by Harvard botanist Peter Del Tredici, he details the spectacular array of plants that grow spontaneously in sidewalk cracks, flourish along chain-link fences, and line the banks of streams and rivers. Del Tredici will discuss the valuable ecological roles these plants play, from carbon storage and erosion control to providing food for wildlife. Co-sponsored with the Arnold Arboretum.  He will also sign copies of his book.

    Location:
    Harvard Museum of Natural History
    26 Oxford St.
    Cambridge , MA 02138

    Sponsor: Harvard Museum of Natural History, Arnold Arboretum
    Time(s): 2:00 pm, Sunday, April 11.
    Cost: Free with museum admission. Free to HMNH and Arnold Arboretum members
    Phone: 617-495-3045
    Email: hmnhpr@oeb.harvard.edu
    http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_events/index.php

    http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/11.04/photos/15-arboretum1.jpg

  • Tuesday, February 23, 6:00 pm – From Cooking Food to Cooking the Planet: Growing Constraints to Food Production

    To keep pace with the world’s food demand, it is estimated that agriculture production must double by 2050.  Dr. Samuel Myers, Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a practicing physician, will discuss troubling trends, including climate change and increased threats from pests and pathogens that may constrain the world’s resources, requiring new approaches to sustainable agriculture.  The program will include a discussion moderated by Noel Michele Holbrook, Professor of Biology and Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry at Harvard. Free and open to the public. Part of the Food for Thought program series.

    Location:
    Harvard Museum of Natural History
    26 Oxford St.
    Cambridge , MA 02138

    Sponsor: Harvard Museum of Natural History
    Time(s): 6:00 pm, Tuesday, February 23
    Cost: Free and open to the public
    Phone: 617-495-3045
    Email: hmnhpr@oeb.harvard.edu
    http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_events/index.php

  • Thursday, February 11, 6:00 – 7:00 pm – The Origins of Agriculture: Everything You Need to Know in 50 Minutes or Less

    The transition from hunting and gathering to food production was a seismic shift in human history. With it, we transformed the world. But how and when did this happen, and why is it important to understanding our current human condition? Bruce Smith, curator of North American archaeology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, will discuss his current research on agricultural origins — and how the story is more complicated than you’d expect.  This free lecture will take place at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge, on Thursday, February 11, from 6:00 – 7:00 pm.  For more information, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Saturday, January 23, 2:00 pm – Coyote at the Kitchen Door

    Wildlife biologist Stephen Destefano’s newest book, Coyote at the Kitchen Door, and the work of photographer Amy Stein both address the blurred boundary between human life and wildlife in modern society.

    Bears, deer, fox, coyote and birds are increasingly encroaching upon areas considered to be ‘ours’.  On Saturday, January 23, beginning at 2 pm, they’ll discuss how they approach this intersection, each from his/her own perspective. Booksigning to follow.  Cost: Free with museum admission.  For more information, email: hmnhpr@oeb.harvard.edu, or log on to http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/press-room/domesticated.html.

    This event is presented by and held at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in conjunction with a new exhibition, opening January 22, 2010, of striking, large-scale color photographs by New York-based visual artist Amy Stein. Domesticated: Modern Dioramas of our New Natural History, explores the tenuous relationship between humans and animals as human civilization increasingly encroaches upon nature. The exhibit will be on display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History through April 18, 2010.

    http://www.kriso.ee/covers/large/978067/9780674035560.jpg

  • Thursday, December 10, 6:00 pm – Six Years on Mars

    Harvard biologist Andrew Knoll hasn’t actually been to Mars, but he has spent a lot of time examining its rocks, including four-billion-year-old salt deposits investigated by the rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

    On Thursday, December 10, beginning at 6 pm, Knoll will reflect on six years of NASA Mars Rover exploration; what the evidence tells us about the history of water and its implication for life on the ancient surface of the Red Planet.

    Location:
    Harvard Museum of Natural History
    26 Oxford Street
    Cambridge , MA 02138


    Cost: Free and open to the public
    Phone: 617-495-3045
    Email: hmnhpr@oeb.harvard.edu
    http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu

    http://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsRovers2003/MarsRover2003_1.jpg

  • Thursday, November 5, 6:00 pm – Natural History Museums in the Environmental Century

    In the 21st century the planet faces radical transformation, which includes mass extinction, rapid change in climate, and large-scale loss of natural habitat.

    American Museum of Natural History Paleontologist Michael Novacek will discuss how natural history museums like Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology offer unique opportunities for scientific discovery, education, and inspiration, and provide a management plan that draws on the past, reveals the present, and maps our future.  The lecture will take place at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street
    Cambridge , MA 02138.

    Sponsor: Harvard Museum of Natural History
    Time(s): 6 pm
    Cost: Free and open to the public
    Phone: 617-495-3045
    Email: hmnhpr@oeb.harvard.edu
    http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu