Events

    2024 Feb 07

    Ocean Fever: Deep Thoughts on Water, Culture, and Climate Resilience

    12:00pm

    Location: 

    Virtual -- registration required for zoom link

    Robert Verchick is a legal scholar in climate change and disaster policy who designed climate-resilience programs in the Obama administration. In this lecture, Verchick will explore how we can harness the power of government, science, and local wisdom to rescue the oceans from climate breakdown. Verchick has written more than 60 articles and four books, including the award-winning Facing Catastrophe: Environmental Action for a Post-Katrina World. His podcast, Connect the Dots, is in its seventh season. Contact events@radcliffe....

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    2024 Jan 16

    Hybrid Lecture: The Fascinating Feathers of the Sandgrouse

    6:30pm to 8:00pm

    Location: 

    Online or at Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    The birds that populate the Arnold Arboretum rarely have to go far to find water. In the deserts of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, it's a different story, and the sandgrouse that lives in these arid environments has developed a fascinating adaptation to stay hydrated: these birds have a unique ability to absorb and hold water inside of their feathers. The chicks can't yet fly the long distance from their nests to the watering hole, so adult males make the long journey with the lifesaving water secreted away in their feathers. But how do their feathers hold water so efficiently? Dr...

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    2023 Nov 16

    Lecture: The Botany of Thanksgiving

    6:30pm to 7:45pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Talking more than turkey: This lecture will celebrate the plants that bring Thanksgiving to life. From stuffing, to cranberry sauce, to potatoes, cloves, carrots, celery, lettuce and sage. Come and explore the biology of this annual feast with Dr. Pamela Diggle, professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut.

    Learn more and RSVP.

    ...

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    2023 Nov 01

    Climate Justice Universities: Another Education Is Possible

    12:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Radcliffe Institute—Online

    A presentation from 2023–2024 Radcliffe-Salata Climate Justice Fellow Jennie C. Stephens.

    At Radcliffe, Stephens is completing her book manuscript, provisionally titled Climate Justice University: Another Education Is Possible (Johns Hopkins University Press, forthcoming), which reimagines how higher education could accelerate transformative social innovation toward a more just, healthy, and stable fossil fuel–free future. The book proposes a paradigm shift to leverage the untapped potential of institutions of higher education to advance systemic social change to reduce...

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    2023 Oct 08

    Tree Mob: Oaks on Peters Hill

    1:15pm to 2:00pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Oaks are one of the most recognizable trees in New England, and one of the most ecologically important. Join Horticulturist Ryan Devlin for a Tree Mob on the Arboretum's oak collection on Peters Hill and get a closer look at this common but fascinating genus. Learn about oak reproduction, different oak species, mast years, and more through this short landscape talk.

    Learn more and RSVP.

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    2023 Jun 16

    Biophilia and Topology: A Re-imagining of Landscape Architecture

    6:30pm to 7:30pm

    Location: 

    Online or at Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    At its best, landscape architecture merges ecology and design to create landscapes that work with the site, not against it. Dr. Anette Freytag, a professor of the history and theory of landscape architecture, argues that two concepts—biophilia and topology—can help society to better deal with our current environmental crisis and improve wellbeing for all.

    This event will also be livestreamed to YouTube. To sign up for the virtual livestream instead,...

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    2023 May 13

    Science Spotlights

    2:00pm to 3:30pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge

    Meet up-and-coming scientists and learn about questions at the forefront of research today in this series of short talks. Perhaps you’ll discuss how studying dog reactions help us learn about the evolution of social behavior? Maybe you’ll consider the regrowth of a microscopic worm after injury and what that can teach us about any animal cell. Will you look at how trees manage the tradeoffs of building woody tissue or look for geological evidence of Earth’s first billion years? Each Science Spotlight in the series will include several short research talks.

    Ages 10–Adults....

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    2023 May 08

    Next in Food Sustainability and Climate Change

    2:00pm

    Location: 

    Online or at Knafel Center, 10 Garden St., Cambridge

    What does climate change mean for our food systems? How do our food production and consumption habits contribute to the climate crisis? Speakers will explore the complex interplay of food and climate change, challenging and illuminating our unsustainable relationships with meat and water, soil and sea.

    Learn more and RSVP.

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    2023 Apr 26

    Postindustrial Ecology: New Values in Recovering Marine Ecosystems

    12:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Radcliffe Institute—Online

    Joe Roman is a conservation biologist and researcher. In this lecture, he will examine how recent studies of animal ecology have changed our views of the role of marine vertebrates in ocean ecosystems through the lens of "postindustrial ecology"—a term he has coined for the transition from extractive industries to cultural and supporting services, such as ecotourism and recreational fishing.

    ...

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    2023 Apr 12

    The Radicle Underground

    6:30pm to 8:00pm

    Location: 

    Online or at Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre St., Boston

    Join Dr. Peter Del Tredici as he dives into the world of roots and fungi beneath the soil. How are tree roots structured, and how do they get water and nutrients from the soil into the tree itself? How do symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi promote the growth and survival of both individual plants and entire forests? Understanding the structure and function of a tree's root system will not only help the audience become better gardeners but will enhance their appreciation of how forests work.

    ...

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    2023 Mar 23

    Plant Exploration: Then and Now

    6:30pm to 8:00pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre Street, Boston

    The Arnold Arboretum has been collecting plants from around the world for 150 years, but plant exploration today looks very different than it did in the 1800s. From changes in collecting practices to an evolving relationship between the Arboretum and its international partners, a lot has changed in the last century. Join Head of the Library and Archives Lisa Pearson and Keeper of the Living Collections Michael Dosmann to learn what these trips were like in the days of yore, and what they are like now.

    ...

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    2023 Feb 18

    Tour: Witch-Hazel Walk

    1:00pm to 2:15pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Join a docent tour through the Arboretum looking for the vibrant colors of the witch-hazel flowers. Learn about plants native to China and Japan, those from the Ozarks and Mississippi, and even one that was introduced right here at the Arnold Arboretum! Dress warmly and wear boots for a 75-minute tour on and off the paths.

    Learn more and RSVP.

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    2023 Feb 14

    Tour : Witch-Hazel Walk

    1:00pm to 2:15pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Bring your Valentine on a docent -led tour through the Arboretum looking for the vibrant colors of the witch-hazel flowers. Learn about plants native to China and Japan, those from the Ozarks and Mississippi, and even one that was introduced right here at the Arnold Arboretum! Dress warmly and wear boots for a 75-minute tour on and off the paths.

    Learn more and RSVP.

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    2023 Feb 03

    Tour: Witch-Hazels with Andrew Gapinski

    1:00pm to 2:30pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    In the Arnold Arboretum, there is something blooming every month of the year—including February! Join Andrew Gapinski, Director of Horticulture, to explore the beauty of the Arboretum’s witch-hazel family collection and its captivating history of development, evaluation, and scientific study here at the Arboretum.

    Learn more and RSVP.

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    2022 Dec 03

    Birds & Blooms

    11:00am to 3:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge

    Did you know that many of the birds in the Northeastern United States spend the winter in Latin America socializing and eating among tropical trees and flowers? Explore the lives and behaviors of these birds in our Birds of the World gallery and learn about flowers from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico in the Blaschka Glass Flowers gallery. Try some hands-on activities led by Hear Me Out/Escúchame teens, see their newest mini exhibit, decorate a bird or flower mask, and brighten the dark season!

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    2022 Nov 16

    Science at the Arboretum: Research Labs Tour

    3:00pm to 3:45pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Join Dr. Faye Rosin, Director of Research Facilitation, for a tour of the Weld Hill Research Labs. The Weld Hill Research and Education Building is a state-of-the-art science laboratory and teaching facility that opened in 2011. On any given day researchers, faculty, and students use its laboratories, greenhouses, growth chambers, and classrooms to further the study of plant life on Earth.

    Learn more and RSVP....

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    2022 Nov 14

    Arboretum Mushroom Walk

    11:30am to 12:30pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Hundreds of mushrooms hide beneath the Arboretum's canopies, silently blossoming into unique forms then withering away again just as quickly. Join local mushroom enthusiast Maria Pinto to search for these fascinating organisms on the Arboretum grounds, both edible and poisonous alike. Along the way you will learn what mushrooms to look for in different habitats and seasons, how they move through ecosystems, and how the Arboretum's unique collections affect what mushrooms you might find here.

    ...

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    2022 Sep 20

    Preserving Plant Diversity

    10:00am to 12:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge

    Join an exploration of plant diversity and an introduction to methods of plant preservation. Using plant cuttings brought from home, carefully observe and compare morphological characteristics, discuss why they may have been favored over evolutionary time, and learn how to press specimens for scientific study. Following the workshop, the group will tour the Harvard University Herbaria to learn about the importance of preserved specimens and to see how scientists use them for scientific research.

    Cost: $54 members / $60 nonmembers

    Presented...

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    2022 Sep 06

    Why Sharks Matter: Shark Science and Conservation

    6:00pm to 7:15pm

    Location: 

    Virtual and In-Person – Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, Haller Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge

    Sharks are some of the most fascinating, most ecologically important, most threatened, and most misunderstood animals on Earth. Join award-winning marine conservation biologist Dr. David Shiffman, author of the new book Why Sharks Matter: A Deep Dive with the World's Most Misunderstood Predator, for a conversation about what's new and what's next in the world of shark science and conservation.

    Presented by the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture and the Harvard Museum of Natural History

    ...

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