Museum partners with the Smithsonian to present Smithsonian Science How? programs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 7, 2014 UPDATED June 1, 2015
Arts, Entertainment, Travel Editors.
Contact: firstname.lastname@example.org; 919.707.9837
RALEIGH — Thursdays are already exciting at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and now the Museum has partnered with the Smithsonian to present Smithsonian Science How?, delivering real-world science into classrooms through free, interactive, 25-minute live webcasts with Museum scientists, followed by webcasts featuring Smithsonian scientists from the National Museum of Natural History. These webcasts welcome the participation of students and teachers who can pose their own questions to our researchers and convey the curiosity and questioning at the heart of every scientific endeavor. The webcasts also provide students with positive STEM role models, information about science careers and pathways, and connections to current research. The Museum is also working with The Science House, a program of North Carolina State University, to implement this program statewide.
After the Museum’s scientists give their presentations, the program continues at 11 a.m. with the Smithsonian’s webcasts at https://qrius.si.edu/jump/live-qrius-science-webcasts. These presentations will follow the same format as the Museum’s. Presentations from the Smithsonian are available to live stream into classrooms from February through May 2014. The full schedule of Smithsonian Science How? webcasts and webcast archives are available at the above link.
To view the Museum's broadcast, you will need to go to livestream.com/naturalsciences prior to the presentation. Once on the site, a video will begin to play. If you are able to view the video, your classroom is ready for the presentation. If you are unable to view the video or access the site, your classroom may have firewall issues. Please consult your school’s IT staff or contact Matt Zeher, Media Services Coordinator for Interactive Video Conferencing at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at email@example.com. On the day of the broadcast, the headline video will automatically switch to the live program once it begins. If it does not load, you will need to refresh the page.
Smithsonian Science How? Topics Live from the NC Museum of Natural Sciences
- March 13, 10:15 a.m.: “Arthropod Adaptations” featuring Bill Reynolds, Curator, Coordinator, & Containment Director of the Arthropod Zoo, followed by “Inside the Insect Zoo” featuring Dan Babbitt, manager of the O. Orkin Insect Zoo and Butterfly Pavilion at the National Museum of Natural History.
- March 27, 10:15 a.m.: “How to Eat Like a Lemur!” featuring Chris Smith, Education Specialist at the Duke Lemur Center. The Smithsonian’s Briana Pobiner will follow that up with “Early Human Diets.”
- April 10, 10:15 a.m.: “Exoskeletons in Our Closets!” featuring Michelle Trautwein, Assistant Director of the Biodiversity Laboratory, Nature Research Center, will be followed by “Life in One Cubic Foot” with Chris Meyer, research zoologist with the National Museum of Natural History.
- April 16, 2015, 10:30am: “North Carolina’s Geologic History” featuring Dr. Christopher Tacker, curator of geology. Followed by the Smithsonian’s “Mineral Origins: The Natural History of Cellphones” with geologist Michael Wise at 11:00am.
- May 7, 2015, 10:30: “Paleontology in North Carolina” featuring Vince Schneider, curator of paleontology. Followed by the Smithsonian’s “Mummy Science: Natural and Cultural Preserved Remains” featuring physical anthropologist David Hunt.
- June 25, 2015, 10:30am: Join us at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Whiteville to celebrate astronomy! The Museum will host a variety of space-related activities and will host a videoconference with Dr. Patrick Treuthardt, assistant director of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Lab. Dr. Treuthardt will present on galaxies. The Smithsonian will follow with “Astrogeology: Meteorites and Spacecraft Missions” presented by geologist Tim McCoy.
How do I connect?
Schools interested in participating in this free program should contact Tamara Poles at 919.707.9277 or via email at firstname.lastname@example.org with the following information:
- Teacher’s Name.
- Grade level.
- The time you will be viewing our presentation.
- The time you will be viewing Smithsonian Science How?
- Total number of students that will be viewing the program.
- How you found out about this program.
- Specific questions for the scientists. (Questions will be answered as time allows.)
In addition to the partnership with Smithsonian Science How?, the Museum has an extensive distance learning program. For more information on these virtual learning opportunities, visit http://naturalsciences.org/education/programs/distance-learning-programs.