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    2021 Jul 19

    Summer Science Week: All Together Now—Exploring Ecology

    Repeats every day until Fri Jul 23 2021 .
    9:30am

    9:30am
    9:30am
    9:30am
    9:30am

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History—Online

    Dates: July 19–23

    For children entering grades 3-6

    • Grades 3-4 meet 9:30am–10:30am
    • Grades 5-6 meet 11:00am–12:00 pm

    Fees: $63 members/$70 nonmembers

    Instructor: Javier Marin

    Join us as we explore the relationships between living things and the places they live, virtually! During these live, small-group Zoom sessions, learn about how animals, plants and their environments are...

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    2021 Jul 12

    Virtual Summer Science Week: Earth Explorers (Session 1)

    Repeats every day until Fri Jul 16 2021 .
    9:30am

    9:30am
    9:30am
    9:30am
    9:30am

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History—Online

    Dates: July 12–16

    Children entering grades 1-4

    • Grades 1-2 meet 9:30am–10:30am
    • Grades 3-4 meet 11:00am–12:00pm

    Fees: $72 members/$80 nonmembers (includes a small packet of special materials mailed to your home).

    Instructor: Arielle Moon

    Dig into earth science with this virtual museum experience. Explore volcanoes, crystals, and fossils! During the live, small-group Zoom sessions, experiment with “lava...

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    2021 May 20

    Wild Collection and Propagation of Rare and Endangered Plants

    10:30am

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum—Online

    In Massachusetts alone, plants make up more than half of the total native species that are officially considered Endangered, Threatened, and Rare. In this talk, we will focus on how ex-situ plant conservation, coordinated plant collection efforts, and plant propagation play vital roles in preserving biodiversity and slowing the deleterious effects of climate change.

    We will discuss how collection trips are planned—and how citizen science now plays a role in these efforts—while providing a behind-the-scenes look at the planning process. A large focus will be plant propagation...

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    2021 May 19

    After-School Animal Encounters: Movement

    3:00pm to 3:45pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History—Online

    Can you slither, hop, jump, climb, or even fly? How would you do these things with zero, two, four, or even a hundred legs? As winter melts away and warmer springtime weather blows in, all animals big and small are as excited to get out and move around as we are! Join human museum staffers Javier and Ryan in this live 45-minute family program as they discuss and take a look at some of our amazing animals in motion.

    Advance registration for this family friendly program is required.

    ...

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    2021 May 17

    My Octopus Teacher: Virtual Panel Discussion

    6:30pm to 7:30pm

    Location: 

    Mind Brain Behavior Interfaculty Initiative at Harvard—Online

    "My Octopus Teacher", Oscar winner for Best Documentary, follows filmmaker and naturalist Craig Foster as he develops an unusual bond with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest. Come hear four experts discuss the unique human/animal connection captured in this film.

    Learn more about and RSVP for My Octopus Teacher: Virtual Panel Discussion.

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    2021 Apr 28

    Tree Mob: Dredging to Renew the Ponds

    6:00pm to 7:00pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum—Online

    Maintaining ponds is messy business! Join Associate Project Manager Danny Schissler to learn about the history and upcoming restoration of two of the Arnold Arboretum's most well-loved water bodies, Faxon and Rehder Ponds. Both provide habitat for wildlife and visual delight for humans, and also are part of an essential drainage network within the Arboretum’s landscape.

    Learn more about...

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    2021 Apr 28

    What Spiders Have to Say

    6:00pm to 7:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History—Online

    Consider the spider: eight legs, eight eyes, and a brain the size of a poppy seed. These are some of nature’s most amazing and charismatic creatures, and yet we know so little about their worlds. Paul Shamble will discuss the lives, habits, and marvelous morphologies of these animals—from sensory structures and cognition to locomotion and behavior. Understanding these creatures helps us better understand evolution and diversity—and leads us to ask what it means that even tiny animals inhabit complex lives.

    ...

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    2021 Apr 27

    Flap, Hop, Caw

    3:00pm to 4:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History—Online

    Celebrate International Crow and Raven Appreciation Day by taking a virtual swoop through the Peabody Museum. These smart birds play games with each other, display anger and friendliness, and appear in cultural tales from around the world. Flap like a real raven with museum educator Javier Marin and learn more about the birds’ characteristics. Find ravens drawn or carved in Alaskan Native art, enjoy a read-aloud Tlingit tale and make a paper craft with Andy Majewski.

    Ages: 5–7 (with an adult, if needed)

    Cost: $3 members; $5...

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    2021 Apr 26

    Bark: Get to Know Your Trees

    6:00pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum—Online

    Due to popular demand, we are offering another session of this free webinar. Led by naturalist and conservationist, Michael Wojtech, you'll learn to identify tree species by their bark and discover why such a variety of bark characteristics exist. Why do some species have smooth bark, while on others it is thick and broken? Why does bark peel? Join us to find out!

    Learn more about and RSVP for "Bark: Get...

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    2021 Apr 20

    After-School Animal Encounters: Humans and Animals

    3:00pm to 3:45pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History—Online

    Life on planet Earth can sometimes seem unbelievably diverse and resilient, yet we’re more aware than ever of how connected all living beings are to one another. This special Earth Week edition focuses on some of the challenges animals face today, and on what we humans—young and old—can do to help. This event will be fun for the whole family so bring your questions and sense of wonder, and join Javier, Ryan, and some of our amazing animals as they lead you in a live 45-minute program.

    ...

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    2021 Apr 19

    A Week-Long Celebration of Earth Day

    Mon Apr 19 (All day) to Fri Apr 23 (All day)

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History—Online

    Join the Harvard Museum of Natural History in celebrating Earth Day with engaging sustainability-themed virtual events and activities for all ages. Join the conversation as Harvard students and experts weigh in on our most pressing environmental challenges, on cutting-edge research, and on promising paths to a more sustainable future. Introduce young minds to environmental science with our live museum animals and HMSC Story Time. Find out how to reconnect with nature and record the biodiversity in your local area. Or, simply indulge in our staff recommendations for...

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    2021 Apr 14

    Body Builders: How Animals Regenerate New Parts

    6:00pm to 7:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History—Online

    Regeneration is a remarkable phenomenon in which an animal can regrow parts of its body that are lost or damaged by injury. Humans, for example, can repair some organs, but some animals can rebuild their entire bodies from small pieces of tissue. How do these animals accomplish this feat? And why is it that humans cannot regenerate as well as these animals can? Studies of how regeneration works at the molecular and cellular level are beginning to answer the first question. To answer the second question, we have to understand how regeneration has evolved.

    Mansi Srivastava will...

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    2021 Mar 30

    Members: Family Fun - Animal Problem Solvers

    6:00pm to 7:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museum of Natural History—Online

    Animals develop special characteristics that help them survive in their environments. From keeping warm to staying hidden, animals solve problems every day. Have you ever thought about how we humans do the same?

    Get ready for a lively night of fun, games, and surprises when Javier Marin transports you back inside the Harvard Museum of Natural History. He will broadcast from the galleries pointing out some of the ways animals adapt to challenges they face in the wild. Then, you will look through your own homes in a problem-solving scavenger hunt. Your family will work together...

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    2021 Mar 09

    Beech Leaf Disease with Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

    1:00pm to 2:30pm

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum—Online

    Beech leaf disease (BLD) affects and kills both native and ornamental beech tree species. It is associated with a nematode, Litylenchus crenatae mccannii. This disease has only been discovered in recent years and much about it, including the full cause and how it spreads, is still unknown. Experts from The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Drs. James LaMondia and Robert Marra, will share what is known of this recently discovered disease and discuss ongoing research to control spread of BLD. This free Zoom webinar is co-hosted by Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens and the Arnold...

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    2021 Mar 03

    After-School Animal Encounters: Weird Eaters

    3:00pm to 3:45pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museums of Science & Culture—Online

    Have you ever thought about the way you eat, or even how you chew? Now, imagine that you are a huge bullfrog, a sea star, or even a scorpion. How would you eat? As March is Nutrition Month in the U.S., it’s the perfect time to meet some of our live animals and explore our creatures’ diets and eating habits. Join human museum staffers Javier and Ryan in this 45-minute program for families and get a close look at some weird eaters.

    ...

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    2021 Mar 03

    2021 Arnold Arboretum Tournament of Trees

    Wed Mar 3 (All day) to Tue Mar 30 (All day)

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum—Online

    Participate in the Arnold Arboretum’s 2021 Tournament of Trees! Get to know this year’s Sweet Sixteen contenders (March 3–9) and cast your votes in this fun bracket style tournament. Let the March Tree Madness games begin.

    The tournament schedule is:

    • Sweet Sixteen Round: March 3-9
    • Elite Eight Round: March 10-16
    • Final Four Round: March 17-23
    • Championship Round: March 24-30
    • Winner Announcement: April 1

    Learn...

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    2021 Mar 02

    Members: Discover Oceania with Ingrid Ahlgren

    6:00pm to 7:00pm

    Location: 

    Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology—Online

    Join us for a casual evening of conversation with the Peabody Museum’s Curator of Oceanic Collections. Ingrid Ahlgren stewards one of the largest and most historically significant collections in the U.S. from the Pacific Islands, Australia, and Aotearoa/New Zealand. Hear her share some of her recent work, including the exhibit Uncovering Pacific Pasts and the important roles that Harvard University and the state of Massachusetts have played in the history of Oceania. Ingrid will also discuss her upcoming collaboration with Pacific Islanders living in Utah.

    ...

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    2021 Feb 13

    I Heart Science: Tiny Creatures

    1:00pm to 2:30pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Museums of Science & Culture—Online

    Break out of the winter doldrums and welcome Harvard science into your home with the all-virtual I Heart Science festival lasting from Friday, February 12 to Monday, February 15. This day’s “Tiny Creatures” theme looks at bacteria, viruses, and other microbial creatures.

    During the live webinar, starting at 1:00 pm ET, meet live tardigrades, also known as water bears. Watch recorded videos featuring Harvard scientists who study bacterial resistance, ways to test for viruses, and how bacteria grow.

    At home, try your hand at making a water-drop microscope, comparing...

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