January 2009 | February 2009

Carnegie Museum of Natural History is committed to providing a wide range of lectures, workshops, and classes that tie in with our exhibits and special events.  Check these pages often for updates!

Adult Programs | Free Activities for Families | Tours for Schools & Groups

Click here to find out about the Holiday Trees and other seasonal traditions at the Oakland Museums!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — Monday, January 19: open 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Time Machines: Watches from the H.J. Heinz Collection
Through February 2009
Wertz Gallery, Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems

Pittsburgh ketchup and sauce magnate H.J. Heinz (1844-1919) amassed an extensive collection of timepieces during his lifetime. These chronometers offer an array of incredible artistry and amazing mechanical ingenuity.

Through this collection, it is possible to study the evolution of watches as machines, tracing the steps in development from portable sundial to more modern sophisticated mechanical watches. Examples include a gold mechanical “repeating watch” with figures that strike the hour; a watch owned by Lord Nelson, the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar; and a music box watch with a feathered singing bird.

The Heinz Collection is regarded as one of the most important timepiece collections in the United States. H.J. Heinz donated the collection to Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 1917.

Embark on an expedition to the bottom of an ice-covered ocean – thirty photographs and other media take you on an icebreaking ship through the frozen Arctic world, and give you a first-ever look at mysterious undersea mountains near the North Pole.

Deep beneath Arctic ice and miles of sunless water lie what are arguably the remotest places on earth: awe-inspiring ranges of unexplored volcanic mountains more foreign than the surface of Mars. Color photographs, a computer kiosk, and a 3-D model of underwater mountains portray this expedition’s quest, its exploratory equipment, and the extraordinary work of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists.

Insects, Ink & Inklings: Illustrations by Jane Hyland
Through February 2009
Third Floor Exhibits Foyer

Jane Hyland, scientific preparator and illustrator for Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Section of Invertebrate Zoology, will be exhibiting her most recent artwork examining the complex and fascinating anatomy of moths.

In addition to these works, moth specimens from the collection will be on display in five wall-mounted insect cases which will juxtapose Hyland’s scientific illustrations with the research moth specimens, which were collected from many parts of the world.

Overnight Adventures
Overnight times are from Friday, 6:30 p.m. to Saturday, 10 a.m. Orientation for the evening begins at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Night at the Movies
January 16
Join the CSI (Carnegie Science Investigation) Team as an overnight detective to help us figure out who stole the artifacts. From collecting clues at the scene of the crime to dusting for fingerprints and analyzing DNA evidence in our lab, you’re sure to develop some new sleuthing skills as you help us crack this case!

CSI
January 23
Join the CSI (Carnegie Science Investigation) Team as an overnight detective to help us figure out who stole the artifacts. From collecting clues at the scene of the crime to dusting for fingerprints and analyzing DNA evidence in our lab, you’re sure to develop some new sleuthing skills as you help us crack this case!

Dino-ROAR!
January 30
Travel back in time to spend the evening in the world of the dinosaurs! Learn more about our Mesozoic marvels as you take part in a variety of hands-on dinosaur activities, games, tours, and creative projects. No bones about it—this is your best opportunity to explore Dinosaurs in Their Time up close!

$35 per person. Please visit the Overnight Adventures page at http://www.carnegiemnh.org/doe/programs/overnight.htm for complete scheduling and reservation information.

A Celebration of Charles Darwin's 200th Birthday
All talks begin at 1:00 p.m.
Carnegie Museum of Art Theater

The year 2009 marks the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Darwin. The life and intellectual impact of Charles Darwin will be celebrated in Pittsburgh with a citywide series of events for children, teachers, students, and the general public. Darwin’s legacy in fossils, living plants and animals can be absorbed through learning activities and interactive experiences. In partnership with Duquesne University, the following lectures will take place on Saturday afternoons at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

January 17
Science before Darwin:
The Origins of Darwin’s Origin
James Lennox, University of Pittsburgh

January 24
Evidence for the age of the universe and the earth:
Cosmic Timescales: How Do We Know What We Know?
Simonetta Frittelli, Duquesne University

January 31
Early evolution of life on earth:
Written in Stone: The First Three Billion Years of Evolutionary History
Shuhai Xiao, Virginia Tech

Janet Browne: Charles Darwin 200th Birthday Lecture
7:30 p.m., Monday, February 9, 2009
Carnegie Music Hall

Presented by Drue Heinz Lecture series in collaboration with Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Click here to see other Carnegie Museum of Natural History events related to the Darwin anniversary celebration.

CMNH thanks the Bayer School of Natural & Environmental Sciences at Duquesne University and DARWIN CELEBRATION 2009 - A PITTSBURGH PARTNERSHIP for its support of this lecture.

Janet Browne’s lecture honors the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. Browne’s in–depth, two–volume biography of Darwin, Voyaging and The Power of Place, “deserves the adjectives of praise traditionally used by reviewers to describe masterpieces,” said Stephen Jay Gould. Browne spent 17 years editing Darwin’s correspondence, and her work integrates Darwin’s science with his life and times. She is an Aramont professor of the history of science at Harvard and is currently at work on a visual and cultural history of the gorilla. More information can be found by calling 412-622-8866 or at www.pittsburghlectures.org.

Additional events celebrating the life and intellectual impact of Charles Darwin are being coordinated throughout the year by Duquesne University DARWIN CELEBRATION 2009 – A PITTSBURGH PARTNERSHIP (www.sepa.duq.edu/darwin).

Partial funding is provided by a DARWIN “EVOLUTION REVOLUTION” Administrative Supplement from the Science Education Partnership Awards (SEPA) program at the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

For tens of thousands of years, humans have had an amazing and enduring relationship with the horse. We have preyed upon them, worshipped them, domesticated them, and shaped them into “animated machinery.” In turn, the horse has helped shape human cultures, revolutionizing the way we worked, waged war, traveled, engaged in sports, and soothed our souls.

From paleontology to anthropology, worship to warfare, evolutionary biology to equestrianism, and genetics to biomechanics, the American Museum of Natural History’s new exhibition Horse is a complex and fascinating story that will truly show audiences the spectacular depths of our relationship with this majestic animal, enthralling and delighting visitors of all ages. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Anthropologist Dr. Sandra Olsen was a lead curator of the exhibit.

Click here to learn about the activities and lectures planned around The Horse, including Equustravaganza!

Lecture: The Horse
February 28, 2009
Dr. Sandra Olsen, Curator of Anthropology, CMNH
Carnegie Lecture Hall, 3:00 p.m.
Free with Museum admission; no registration required.

In honor of the opening of the spectacular exhibit The Horse, CMNH resident horse expert – and a consultant on the exhibit – Dr. Sandra Olsen will share her experiences studying the relationship between horses and humans.

Time Machines: Watches from the H.J. Heinz Collection
Through February 2009
Wertz Gallery, Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems

Pittsburgh ketchup and sauce magnate H.J. Heinz (1844-1919) amassed an extensive collection of timepieces during his lifetime. These chronometers offer an array of incredible artistry and amazing mechanical ingenuity.

Through this collection, it is possible to study the evolution of watches as machines, tracing the steps in development from portable sundial to more modern sophisticated mechanical watches. Examples include a gold mechanical “repeating watch” with figures that strike the hour; a watch owned by Lord Nelson, the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar; and a music box watch with a feathered singing bird.

The Heinz Collection is regarded as one of the most important timepiece collections in the United States. H.J. Heinz donated the collection to Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 1917.

A Celebration of Charles Darwin's 200th Birthday
All talks begin at 1:00 p.m.

The year 2009 marks the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Darwin. The life and intellectual impact of Charles Darwin will be celebrated in Pittsburgh with a citywide series of events for children, teachers, students, and the general public. Darwin’s legacy in fossils, living plants and animals can be absorbed through learning activities and interactive experiences. In partnership with Duquesne University, the following lectures will take place on Saturday afternoons at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

February 7
Darwinian medicine:
A New Approach to Health and Disease
Paul Sherman, Cornell University
Carnegie Museum of Art Theater

February 21
Biogeography as evidence for evolution:
From a Hermit to a King: When and Where Did the Hermit Crab Lose Its Shell?
Cliff Cunningham, Duke University
Carnegie Lecture Hall

February 28
Early tetrapod evolution:
Great Steps in the History of Life: Finding an Evolutionary Link between Fishes and Limbed Vertebrates
Ted Daeschler, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
Carnegie Lecture Hall

The Preservation Fair: Saving Your Family Treasures
Saturday, Feb. 28
Hall of Architecture and Sculpture Hall

Co-sponsored by Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh

Over 30 individual conservators and vendors of conservation supplies and services will be on hand to address your conservation issues. Bring books, photographs, film, letters, and other documents, paintings and textiles and family treasures for free conservation advice. No appraisals or valuations will be given. The featured speaker will be Rick Prelinger, of the Prelinger Film Archive, speaking on the value of preserving film as a cultural artifact.

Free with Museum admission, no registration required.

Overnight Adventures
Overnight times are from Friday, 6:30 p.m. to Saturday, 10 a.m. Orientation for the evening begins at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Nighttime on the Nile
February 6
Decipher the mysterious language of hieroglyphs, take a virtual tour of an Egyptian temple, and create your own replica artifacts to take home when you spend a night along the Nile, exploring one of the most successful ancient civilizations ever!

Dino-ROAR!
February 20
Travel back in time to spend the evening in the world of the dinosaurs! Learn more about our Mesozoic marvels as you take part in a variety of hands-on dinosaur activities, games, tours, and creative projects. No bones about it—this is your best opportunity to explore Dinosaurs in Their Time up close!

CSI
February 27
Join the CSI (Carnegie Science Investigation) Team as an overnight detective to help us figure out who stole the artifacts. From collecting clues at the scene of the crime to dusting for fingerprints and analyzing DNA evidence in our lab, you’re sure to develop some new sleuthing skills as you help us crack this case!

$35 per person. Please visit the Overnight Adventures page at http://www.carnegiemnh.org/doe/programs/overnight.htm for complete scheduling and reservation information.

Insects, Ink & Inklings: Illustrations by Jane Hyland
Through February 2009
Third Floor Exhibits Foyer

Jane Hyland, scientific preparator and illustrator for Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Section of Invertebrate Zoology, will be exhibiting her most recent artwork examining the complex and fascinating anatomy of moths.

In addition to these works, moth specimens from the collection will be on display in five wall-mounted insect cases which will juxtapose Hyland’s scientific illustrations with the research moth specimens, which were collected from many parts of the world.